Backup and Restore Procedures
Configure automated backups for your OpenClaw agent so you can restore your entire setup quickly if anything goes wrong.
What You Will Get
By the end of this guide, your OpenClaw agent will have automated backups that protect your configuration, knowledge base, skills, and conversation history. You will also know how to restore from any backup point quickly and confidently.
Backups are your insurance policy against accidental changes, failed updates, or data loss. Without them, a misconfigured prompt or a corrupted knowledge base could set you back hours or days. With automated backups, recovery takes minutes.
You will configure backup schedules, choose what to include, set retention policies, test the restore process, and set up backup verification. The result is a safety net that lets you experiment freely knowing you can always roll back to a known good state.
Step-by-Step Setup
Follow these steps to set up backups and test restoration.
Open the Backup Settings
Navigate to your agent's settings in the RunTheAgent dashboard and select the Backups tab. This panel shows any existing backups, the current schedule, and the storage usage. If you have never configured backups, the panel will guide you through the initial setup.
Choose What to Back Up
Select which components to include in the backup. Options include agent configuration (system prompt, model settings, tools), knowledge base documents, installed skills, environment variables, and conversation history. For most agents, back up everything. Exclude conversation history only if storage is a concern.
Set the Backup Schedule
Configure a backup schedule using a cron expression or a simple frequency selector. Daily backups are a good starting point for most agents. If your configuration changes frequently, consider twice-daily backups. The backup runs automatically at the scheduled time.
Configure Retention Policy
Set how many backups to keep and for how long. A common policy is to keep daily backups for 30 days, weekly backups for 90 days, and monthly backups for 1 year. Older backups are purged automatically to manage storage costs.
Create a Manual Backup Now
Before making any significant changes, create a manual backup by clicking the Backup Now button. Manual backups are labeled separately from scheduled ones so you can find them easily. Make it a habit to back up before major prompt rewrites, skill installations, or knowledge base overhauls.
Test the Restore Process
Select a recent backup and initiate a test restore to a staging agent. Verify that all components are restored correctly: check the system prompt, test the tools, verify knowledge base content, and confirm that skills load properly. A backup you have never tested is a backup you cannot trust.
Set Up Backup Verification
Enable backup verification so the system automatically checks backup integrity after each run. The verification process confirms that the backup file is complete, readable, and matches a checksum. Failed verifications trigger an alert so you know immediately if a backup is corrupted.
Tips and Best Practices
Back Up Before Every Major Change
Make manual backups a standard part of your change management process. Before updating prompts, installing skills, or modifying the knowledge base, create a labeled backup. This makes rollback painless if the change causes issues.
Store Backups in Multiple Locations
RunTheAgent stores backups on the platform by default. For added safety, configure backup exports to an external storage location. This protects against platform-level incidents that might affect both your agent and its backups.
Document Your Restore Procedure
Write a step-by-step restore runbook that any team member can follow. Include which backup to use, what order to restore components in, and how to verify that the restoration was successful. A documented procedure prevents panic during a real incident.
Monitor Backup Storage Usage
Keep an eye on your backup storage consumption. Large knowledge bases and conversation histories can accumulate significant storage over time. Adjust your retention policy if storage costs become a concern.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
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