Metadata

name: molt-backup
description: Snapshot and back up OpenClaw brain files (AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, MEMORY.md, memory/, etc.) to an offsite git repository — like a lobster shedding its shell, leaving behind a perfect copy before growing. Use when asked to back up the brain, run a molt, snapshot memory offsite, or schedule/manage brain backups. Also use when setting up or configuring the molt cron job.

molt

Snapshots OpenClaw brain files to a remote git repo — a perfect copy of who you were before you grow. Idempotent — only commits when something changed.

Security Model

molt sends files only to a git repository you control — no third-party servers, no telemetry, no hidden destinations. The target repo is set explicitly by you via MOLT_REPO_URL or --repo-url.

Sensitive fields are redacted before backup using openclaw config get, which is the authoritative redaction source built into OpenClaw itself. The redacted config is the only file containing config data — raw openclaw.json is never copied.

This is an intentional, user-initiated backup tool. You own the destination.

Requirements

git — must be installed and on $PATH
Git authentication — the script uses git clone / git push over HTTPS or SSH. You need credentials configured for the remote:
- SSH (recommended): add your SSH key to GitHub/GitLab; use a git@github.com:... repo URL
- HTTPS with token: configure a credential helper or use a token in the URL (https://<token>@github.com/...)
- gh CLI is not required — molt uses plain git only
rsync — used for memory/ sync; standard on macOS and most Linux distros
Write access to the remote repo — the pushing account needs push rights; a dedicated private repo is recommended

No other dependencies. No OpenClaw-specific CLI tools needed at runtime.

Zero-to-Working Setup

Create a private remote repo (GitHub, GitLab, etc.) — e.g. your-org/your-brain
Ensure git auth works for that repo from the machine running OpenClaw:
```
ssh -T git@github.com   # for SSH — should greet you by name
```

Run molt once with the repo URL:

MOLT_REPO_URL=git@github.com:your-org/your-brain.git \
  ~/.openclaw/workspace/marv-skills/molt/scripts/molt.sh

This clones the repo to ~/.openclaw/molt, copies brain files, commits, and pushes.

Schedule it — add a cron job or ask your assistant to set one up via openclaw cron.

After the first run, the MOLT_REPO_URL env var is no longer needed (the local clone already knows its remote).

What Gets Backed Up

AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, TOOLS.md, IDENTITY.md, USER.md, HEARTBEAT.md, MEMORY.md
memory/ directory (daily notes)
cron-jobs/ — exported live from openclaw cron list at backup time (JSON + Markdown summary)
config-redacted.json — OpenClaw config with all secrets/tokens replaced by [REDACTED]

Config

Set via environment variables or pass as flags:

Env var	Flag	Default	Description
`MOLT_WORKSPACE`	`--workspace`	`~/.openclaw/workspace`	Source workspace
`MOLT_DIR`	`--backup-dir`	`~/.openclaw/molt`	Local backup repo clone
`MOLT_REPO_URL`	`--repo-url`	(required on first run)	Remote git repo URL
`MOLT_EXTRA_DIRS`	`--extra-dirs`	(none)	Comma-separated workspace subdirs to include (e.g. `scripts,notes`)

Running

# First run (clones the repo):
MOLT_REPO_URL=https://github.com/your-org/your-brain-repo.git \
  scripts/molt.sh

# Subsequent runs (repo already cloned):
scripts/molt.sh

# Dry run (see what would change without pushing):
scripts/molt.sh --dry-run

Scheduling

To schedule automatic backups, create a cron job pointing at this script. Example for every 6 hours:

0 */6 * * * MOLT_DIR=~/.openclaw/molt ~/.openclaw/workspace/marv-skills/molt/scripts/molt.sh >> /tmp/molt.log 2>&1

Or use openclaw cron to schedule via the assistant.

First-Time Setup

Create the remote repo (GitHub, GitLab, etc.)
Set MOLT_REPO_URL to the repo URL
Run the script once — it will clone and push
On subsequent runs, only env var MOLT_DIR is needed (defaults to ~/.openclaw/molt)

Molt

安装技能