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Dashboard Guide

Export, Import & Migrate Your OpenClaw or Hermes Instance

Every instance card on your dashboard has an Export and Import button. Use them to back up your bot, restore from a zip on another instance, or migrate cross-framework from OpenClaw to Hermes — persona, skills, knowledge, and model config included.

Where to Find It

Open your dashboard and find the instance you want to back up or restore. Each card shows two buttons next to Edit and Restart:

  • Export — downloads a .zip backup of your selected data categories
  • Import — opens a modal where you can either upload a backup zip or, on a Hermes instance, pull data directly from an OpenClaw instance you own

The buttons work the same way on both OpenClaw and Hermes instances. The data categories differ slightly because the two frameworks store things in different places.

Exporting a Backup

1. Click Export on Your Instance Card

A modal opens listing every category that can be backed up. All categories are selected by default — uncheck anything you don't want in the zip.

2. What's Included

OpenClaw instances offer seven categories:

  • Bot Config — your openclaw.json settings
  • Credentials — channel login sessions for Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and others
  • Agent Persona — AGENTS.md and SOUL.md
  • Skills — every custom skill file you have installed
  • Conversations — chat history and memory
  • Knowledge Base — files you have uploaded into the workspace
  • Exec Approvals — shell commands you have already approved

Hermes instances offer five categories:

  • Bot Config — your config.yaml settings
  • Agent Persona — SOUL.md and workspace AGENTS.md
  • Skills — custom skill files
  • Conversations — chat history files
  • Knowledge Base — files in the workspace

3. What's Excluded by Design (and What Isn't)

API keys and tokens inside JSON config files are scrubbed. Provider API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Google, Perplexity), bot tokens, gateway tokens, and any field matching apiKey / token / secret / password / credential is stripped before the zip is written. The matching real values stay on the server.
The Credentials category is the exception. Channel session files (Telegram MTProto session, Discord login, WhatsApp session DB, OAuth refresh tokens) are non-JSON blobs that get copied as-is — the scrubber only runs on JSON. These files can re-authenticate as your bot. If you select Credentials in the export, treat the resulting zip as sensitive: encrypt it at rest, keep it off shared cloud drives, and don't hand it to anyone you wouldn't hand your bot to. Uncheck Credentialsif you only want a config/persona backup.

4. Click “Download Backup”

A file named like openclaw-backup.zip (or hermes-backup.zip) downloads to your machine. Keep it somewhere safe — you can use it to restore the bot on the same instance or to seed a fresh one.

Subscription required to export. Free trial accounts see a “Subscribe to Export” button instead of the download. Any paid plan unlocks export — see pricing.

Importing a Backup

1. Click Import on the Target Instance

On a Hermes instance, the modal opens on a source picker first (covered below). On an OpenClaw instance, it jumps straight to the file upload step.

2. Upload Your Zip

Click the upload area or drag-and-drop a previously exported .zip. The server unpacks it, reads the manifest, and shows a preview before applying anything.

3. Review the Preview

The preview tells you:

  • How many files are in each category and their total size
  • How many files would be overwritten on the target
  • The original container name and export timestamp (from the zip manifest)
  • Per-category warnings — for example, channel credentials may require re-authentication after import

Uncheck any category you don't want to restore. Config is always smart-merged: API keys, gateway settings, and bot tokens on the target are preserved even when you import a config from a different instance.

4. Click “Restore Selected”

On OpenClaw, the data is written and you restart the instance from the dashboard for changes to take effect.

On Hermes, the import auto-restarts the gateway and runs a health check. If the health check fails, your previous data is restored automatically — nothing is lost.

Migrating from OpenClaw to Hermes

You don't need to export and re-import to move a bot cross-framework. The Import modal on a Hermes instance offers a direct migrate option that pulls data straight from one of your OpenClaw instances.

1. Deploy a Hermes Instance

On your dashboard, deploy a fresh Hermes instance. See Deploy a Hermes Agent if this is your first one.

2. Click Import on the Hermes Card

The modal opens with two source options:

  • From a Hermes backup file — upload a zip you previously exported from another Hermes instance
  • From an OpenClaw instance — pick one of your running OpenClaw instances and pull its data directly

Pick the OpenClaw option.

3. Choose the Source Instance

A dropdown lists every OpenClaw instance you own. Pick the one whose persona, skills, knowledge, and model configuration you want to bring over.

4. Set Migration Options

Three checkboxes control how the migration runs:

  • Dry run (ON by default) — the upstream migration CLI runs in preview mode and reports what would transfer without writing anything. Click Apply a second time to actually commit.
  • Include secrets (OFF by default) — when enabled, provider keys and bot tokens transfer too. Leave OFF unless you specifically want the source instance's keys.
  • Overwrite conflicts (OFF by default) — when OFF, files that already exist on the Hermes instance are kept; the CLI surfaces every conflict in its output so you know exactly what didn't transfer.

5. Apply

Migration takes 30–60 seconds and your Hermes bot will be briefly offline while it restarts with the new data. The Hermes import path has the same rollback safety net as file-based import — if the post-migration health check fails, your previous Hermes state is restored automatically.

When the run finishes, the CLI output is shown inline so you can see exactly which files were staged, whether the restart succeeded, and any conflicts that were skipped.

What Gets Transferred in a Migration

The cross-framework migrate is built on the upstream OpenClaw and Hermes migration CLIs, so the transfer surface is whatever those tools support today. In the OpenClaw → Hermes direction this includes:

  • Agent persona — AGENTS.md and SOUL.md are translated to the Hermes layout
  • Skills — every custom skill in your OpenClaw workspace is copied into the Hermes skills directory
  • Knowledge base — uploaded workspace files are mirrored over
  • Model configuration — the primary model and provider mapping from openclaw.json is mapped to the equivalent Hermes config.yaml fields
  • Provider keys and bot tokens — only when Include secrets is checked

Conversations are not migrated cross-framework today — chat history schemas differ between OpenClaw and Hermes. Use Export and Import within the same framework to preserve conversation history.

Common Use Cases

Back Up Before Major Changes

Click Export before you make a big config change, install a new skill, or change your AI model. If anything breaks, Import the zip to roll back.

Clone a Working Setup to a New Instance

Deploy a second instance with the same plan, click Export on the source, then Import on the target. Bot tokens and API keys stay on each instance independently — only the persona, skills, and config copy over.

Try Hermes Without Rebuilding from Scratch

If you have a tuned OpenClaw bot and want to evaluate Hermes, deploy a Hermes instance and use the migrate flow with Dry run on. You see exactly what would transfer before committing, and the rollback guarantee means a failed migration doesn't leave you with a broken instance.

Move Off Self-Hosted to OpenClaw Launch

Run tar on your self-hosted ~/.openclaw/ and workspace directories, zip them in the same layout the export uses, then upload through Import. Or simpler — deploy a fresh managed instance and use the manual as a checklist to recreate your config from notes.

Troubleshooting

“Preview failed” on Upload

The zip is either not a valid OpenClaw or Hermes backup, or it was created by a much older version of the export. Re-export from the source instance and try again. If the source is gone, contact support.

“Import Rolled Back” on Hermes

The new data made Hermes fail its post-restart health check, so your previous state was restored. Common causes: a config that references skills not present on the target, or a workspace file that exceeds the instance memory limit. Re-export from the source with fewer categories selected, or contact support with the rollback message shown in the modal.

OpenClaw Instance List Is Empty in the Migrate Picker

The migrate source picker only lists OpenClaw instances you own that are not deleted. If you have none, deploy an OpenClaw instance first — or use the upload-a-backup path instead if the source you want to migrate from is offline.

Bot Stops Replying After Import

Most common cause: channel credentials were restored from a different instance and the platform invalidated them when the same bot appeared on two endpoints. Re-pair the channel from the dashboard. See Bot Not Responding for the full playbook.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the backup zip contain my API keys?

API keys and tokens inside JSON config files are scrubbed — provider keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, etc.), bot tokens, gateway tokens, and anything matching apiKey / token / secret / password / credential never leaves the server. Channel session files under the Credentials category are an exception: they're copied as-is and can re-authenticate as your bot, so treat any zip that includes Credentials as sensitive. Backups without Credentials selected are safe to store like normal config backups.

Can I import an OpenClaw backup into a Hermes instance?

Not directly through file upload. Use the “From an OpenClaw instance” option in the Hermes Import modal instead — it pulls live from a running OpenClaw instance and runs the cross-framework migration CLI to translate fields correctly.

Can I migrate from Hermes to OpenClaw?

Not yet. The first ship of cross-framework migrate supports OpenClaw → Hermes only. The reverse direction is on the roadmap; in the meantime you can Export from Hermes and re-create the OpenClaw instance with the same persona and skills by hand.

Will the import overwrite my current data?

Only the categories you select are restored, and the preview shows you exactly how many files in each category would be overwritten before you commit. For migrate, “Overwrite conflicts” is OFF by default — conflicts are reported in the CLI output and the target file is kept.

How long does a migration take?

30–60 seconds typically. The Hermes gateway restarts as part of the apply step, so the bot is briefly offline. A health check runs after the restart; if it fails, your previous state is restored automatically.

Do I need a subscription to import or migrate?

Export requires any paid plan. Import and migrate are available on all plans, including free trial — you can always restore data into your instance.

Related Guides

Already Have a Working Bot?

Click Export on your instance card and keep a zip of your persona, skills, and knowledge — ready to restore or migrate any time.

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