Backup to GitHub#

OpenClaw skill to backup personalized configuration and user data to a GitHub repository. Ensures easy migration and disaster recovery.

Features#

• ✅ Backup only personalized files (not default OpenClaw)
• ✅ Restore to fresh installation with identical state
• ✅ Supports GitHub via Personal Access Token
• ✅ Single-commit backup (clean history)
• ✅ Dry-run mode to preview changes

What Gets Backed Up#

This skill backs up files that are specific to your setup, excluding default OpenClaw installation files:

• Core Configuration: openclaw.json (TTS, skills, plugins settings)
• Long-term Memory: MEMORY.md (curated memories, learned context)
• User Identity: USER.md, IDENTITY.md, SOUL.md (your profile & persona)
• Custom Tools: TOOLS.md (camera names, SSH hosts, voice preferences, etc.)
• Heartbeat Tasks: HEARTBEAT.md (periodic checklists)
• Scheduled Jobs: cron/jobs.json (your cron task configuration)
• Monitoring Panel: Custom monitor scripts ( openclaw-monitor.cjs, monitor/*.cjs)
• Skill Configurations: Selected skill config files (YAML, README, SKILL.md) for skills you've customized (edit backup.py to add paths)
• Custom Scripts: Any user-created scripts (edit backup.py to add paths)
• Credentials (optional): credentials/*.json (Xiaohongshu cookies, etc.) - configurable

Automatically Excluded:

• Default/standard skills from the library
• Daily memory files ( memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md) - too large/ephemeral
• Cron run logs ( cron/runs/)
• Temporary files, caches, .git, __pycache__, venv, node_modules
• Large model files and binaries

Prerequisites#

• GitHub account with Personal Access Token ( repo scope)
• Backup repository (private recommended)

Setup#

bash

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Configure (create .env file)
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here
GITHUB_REPO=your-username/your-backup-repo

Usage#

bash

# Backup current configuration
python backup.py --action backup

# Preview what will be backed up (no push)
python backup.py --action backup --dry-run

# Restore from backup (overwrites existing files)
python backup.py --action restore

How It Works#

Backup#

1. Scans predefined file list (in backup.py → BACKUP_FILES)
2. Filters out excluded patterns
3. Creates a single commit on the default branch with all file changes
4. Pushes to your GitHub repository

Restore#

1. Fetches the latest backup commit
2. Downloads each file to its original location
3. Reports success and suggests service restarts

Customization#

Edit BACKUP_FILES in backup.py to add or remove files from backup.

Security Notes#

• GitHub Token should have minimal scope ( repo only)
• Store token in .env (never commit)
• Use a private repository for backups
• Credentials (e.g., Xiaohongshu cookies) are optional and clearly marked

Limitations#

• Does not backup large binary files (ML models, caches, datasets)
• Does not backup running state (processes, logs)
• Daily memory files excluded by design (too large, ephemeral)
• Requires internet access for GitHub operations

Troubleshooting#

Error: GITHUB_TOKEN not set → Set token in .env or use --token flag.

Error: Repository not found → Check GITHUB_REPO format: owner/repo.

File not backing up → Ensure path is in BACKUP_FILES and not excluded by patterns.

License#

MIT