OpenClaw Backup Guide — Don't Lose Your Agent Configuration (2026)

What to Backup

An OpenClaw installation has four critical components:

openclaw.json — Your agent configuration, system prompt, model settings
data/ directory — Conversation history, user data, memory, sessions
plugins/ and skills/ — Custom plugins and skills you've created
.env file — API keys and secrets (handle with extra security)

Quick Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
# backup-openclaw.sh

BACKUP_DIR="/backups/openclaw"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
OPENCLAW_DIR="/opt/openclaw"

mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Create compressed backup
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/openclaw-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz" \
  -C "$OPENCLAW_DIR" \
  openclaw.json \
  .env \
  data/ \
  plugins/ \
  skills/

# Keep only last 30 days of backups
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "openclaw-*.tar.gz" -mtime +30 -delete

echo "Backup created: openclaw-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"

Automated Daily Backups

Using Cron

# Add to crontab: crontab -e
0 2 * * * /opt/openclaw/backup-openclaw.sh >> /var/log/openclaw-backup.log 2>&1

Using Docker (Sidecar Container)

services:
  openclaw:
    image: ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest
    volumes:
      - openclaw-data:/app/data
      - ./openclaw.json:/app/openclaw.json:ro

  backup:
    image: alpine:latest
    volumes:
      - openclaw-data:/data:ro
      - ./backups:/backups
    entrypoint: /bin/sh
    command: >
      -c "while true; do
        tar -czf /backups/openclaw-$$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /data .;
        find /backups -mtime +30 -delete;
        sleep 86400;
      done"

volumes:
  openclaw-data:

Upload to Cloud Storage

AWS S3

# Install AWS CLI, then:
aws s3 cp "$BACKUP_DIR/openclaw-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz" \
  s3://your-bucket/openclaw-backups/

Backblaze B2 (Cheaper Alternative)

b2 upload-file your-bucket \
  "$BACKUP_DIR/openclaw-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz" \
  "openclaw-backups/openclaw-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"

Restoring from Backup

# Stop OpenClaw
docker compose down

# Extract backup
tar -xzf openclaw-20260302_020000.tar.gz -C /opt/openclaw/

# Restart
docker compose up -d

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I backup in OpenClaw?

Backup these files: openclaw.json (configuration), the data/ directory (conversations, memory, user data), custom skills, plugins, and your .env file (API keys). The Docker image itself does not need backing up.

How often should I backup OpenClaw?

For active bots: daily backups of the data directory and immediate backups after any config changes. For less active setups: weekly backups are sufficient. Always backup before updates.

Can I restore OpenClaw from a backup?

Yes. Stop the OpenClaw instance, replace the data/ directory and openclaw.json with your backup copies, then restart. For Docker: replace the mounted volumes with backup data.

Should I backup to the same server?

No. Always store backups on a different server or cloud storage (S3, Google Cloud Storage, Backblaze B2). If your server fails, local backups are lost too. Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule: 3 copies, 2 different media, 1 offsite.

How do I verify my backups actually work?

Test your backups monthly by restoring to a separate directory or container and confirming OpenClaw starts correctly. An untested backup is not a backup. Automate verification by adding a restore-and-health-check step to your backup script.