Guide

How to Backup and Restore OpenClaw Configuration

OpenClaw stores your LLM providers, channels, and agent settings in a single config file. Backing it up before updates or experiments protects you from config loss or accidental changes.

Quick Answer

To backup OpenClaw config: use ClawSquire — click Backup Now on the Dashboard or Create Backup on the Config Backups page for a one-click snapshot. Use Compare to diff two backups and Restore to roll back (auto-backup created before restore). Or run cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json backup.json in the terminal.

Why backup matters

Version updates can break configs or change schema. A backup lets you restore quickly if something goes wrong. It also helps you compare configs before and after changes.

⟩Backup and Restore Steps

Recommended: Use ClawSquire

ClawSquire provides one-click backup, visual diff, and restore — no terminal needed.

1.
Create Backup

One-click snapshot of your current config. Click Backup Now on the Dashboard or Create Backup on the Config Backups page.

2.
Compare

Visual diff between any two backups — highlights added, removed, or changed fields so you can see exactly what changed before restoring.

3.
Restore

One-click rollback to any previous backup. ClawSquire creates an auto-backup before restore so you can undo if needed.

ClawSquire Config Backups page showing 3 timestamped backups: Backup 2026-03-11T10:21:54Z (925 B), Auto-backup before restore (929 B), Backup 2026-03-08T09:22:30Z (929 B) — each with Compare and Restore buttons, purple Create Backup button at top

Access from Dashboard: click Backup Now on Quick Actions, or open the Config Backups page.

ClawSquire Dashboard showing OpenClaw version, Safety Level, Config Backups count, and Backup Now Quick Action button for one-click config snapshot

Manual Alternative

Create and restore backups from the terminal.

1

Create backup via CLI

From the terminal, run:

cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json backup.json

Store the backup in a safe location. To restore manually:

cp backup.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Restart the gateway after restoring.

⟩Troubleshooting

Where does OpenClaw store its configuration?+

OpenClaw stores config in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. This file contains LLM providers, channels, and agent settings.

Config validation errors after restore+

The restored config may have a different schema than your OpenClaw version. Run openclaw doctor to validate and fix. If you upgraded OpenClaw, check the changelog for breaking config changes.

Backup file not found+

ClawSquire stores backups in a local directory. Check the Config page for the backup location. For manual backups, ensure you copied from the correct path (~/.openclaw/openclaw.json).

Restore fails or gateway won't start+

Validate the config with openclaw doctor. If the schema is incompatible, try restoring an older backup or manually edit the config to match the schema.

When should I backup my OpenClaw config?+

Backup before version updates or before making manual config changes. Version updates can break configs or change schema — a backup lets you restore quickly if something goes wrong.

Next Steps

Download ClawSquire — FreeGet Backups Set Up — from $199

Guided setup, health diagnostics, 7 languages.