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OpenClaw GitHub Backup
by
wang5sheng
· GitHub ↗
· v1.0.0
· MIT-0
283
Downloads
0
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1
Active Installs
1
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Install in OpenClaw
/install openclaw-github-backup
Description
Automatically backup OpenClaw configuration to a private GitHub repository. Features API key sanitization, activity detection, and smart backup frequency (ho...
Usage Guidance
This skill will copy and commit large parts of your OpenClaw home (~/.openclaw) into a GitHub repo you provide. Before installing:
- Inspect the scripts yourself. The sanitization only replaces JSON fields like "apiKey" and will miss other tokens or secrets in other files or nested directories (the skill explicitly includes credentials/ and various config folders).
- Do not point this at an existing important repo unless you understand and accept that the installer does a force push on initial backup (it can overwrite remote history).
- Be aware the installer modifies global git user.name/email and may generate SSH keys and add GitHub to known_hosts. If you prefer not to change global settings, adapt the scripts to use a local repo (git -C or repo-level config) before running.
- The installer removes any '.git' directories under the OpenClaw tree to avoid nested repos; this can irreversibly remove Git metadata for other projects in that tree. Back up those .git folders first or edit the script to be less aggressive.
- Consider tightening what is committed: add exclusions for credentials/, secrets/, *.pem, and other sensitive files; verify the repo contents after the first push.
- Prefer creating a repository dedicated to backups with minimal collaborator access or use a deploy key with limited permissions.
If you are unsure, test in an isolated environment (copy ~/.openclaw to a sandbox) and run the installer there to observe behavior before running on your real data.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: openclaw-github-backup
Version: 1.0.0
The skill is a utility designed to backup OpenClaw configurations to a user-specified private GitHub repository. It includes scripts for installation (install.sh), activity monitoring (check-activity.sh), and the backup process (backup.sh). The code demonstrates security awareness by attempting to sanitize API keys in 'openclaw.json' before committing and explicitly warning users to use private repositories. While it performs high-risk operations such as pushing configuration data to a remote server, modifying global Git settings, and aggressively removing nested '.git' directories, these actions are transparently documented and directly support the stated purpose of the skill.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
The skill's name/description match its behavior: it initializes a git repo and pushes OpenClaw files to a private GitHub repo. However, the declared 'API Key Sanitization' is narrowly implemented (only replaces occurrences matching "\"apiKey\": \"...\"") while the backup explicitly includes a credentials/ directory and other config folders that likely contain secrets—so the sanitization claim is incomplete relative to the breadth of data being backed up.
Instruction Scope
Runtime scripts read and copy entire ~/.openclaw, add everything to git, and push to the remote. They also remove embedded .git directories under the backup path (find . -name ".git" -exec rm -rf {} +), which may delete other repositories' metadata inside the workspace. The installer modifies global git config and may generate SSH keys and add GitHub to known_hosts. Those actions go beyond simple 'backup' and are potentially destructive or surprising.
Install Mechanism
No remote downloads or obscure install sources; this is an instruction-only skill that copies local script files into ~/.openclaw and runs them. That reduces supply-chain risk, but the scripts will be executed on the host so their behavior matters.
Credentials
The skill requests no explicit environment variables or secrets, but it backs up credential-related directories and configuration files that likely contain secrets. It also changes global git user.name/user.email. Backing up 'credentials/' and other service configs without robust sanitization is disproportionate to the stated 'API Key Sanitization' promise.
Persistence & Privilege
The skill writes executable scripts to ~/.openclaw, updates global git config, may create SSH keys and modifies ~/.ssh/known_hosts, and removes nested .git directories under the OpenClaw directory. While not using always:true, these file-system and global-config changes give it significant persistence and the ability to affect other repos/workspaces.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install openclaw-github-backup - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/openclaw-github-backup - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.0
Initial release: Auto backup OpenClaw to GitHub with smart frequency
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OpenClaw GitHub Backup?
Automatically backup OpenClaw configuration to a private GitHub repository. Features API key sanitization, activity detection, and smart backup frequency (ho... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 283 downloads so far.
How do I install OpenClaw GitHub Backup?
Run "/install openclaw-github-backup" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is OpenClaw GitHub Backup free?
Yes, OpenClaw GitHub Backup is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does OpenClaw GitHub Backup support?
OpenClaw GitHub Backup is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created OpenClaw GitHub Backup?
It is built and maintained by wang5sheng (@wang5sheng); the current version is v1.0.0.
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