Getting Started

Get up and running with Clawon in under a minute. No install needed — everything runs via npx.

Quick Start

# No install needed — runs with npx
npx clawon discover          # Preview what will be backed up
npx clawon local backup      # Save a local backup
npx clawon local restore     # Restore from latest backup

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• An OpenClaw installation at ~/.openclaw/

Configuration

Config is stored at ~/.clawon/config.json after running clawon login. It contains your API key, profile ID, workspace, and API URL.

# Authenticate for cloud features (env var avoids shell history)
export CLAWON_API_KEY=<your-key>
npx clawon login

# Or inline
npx clawon login --api-key <your-key>

# Remove stored credentials
npx clawon logout

Local backups work without any configuration or account — just run npx clawon local backup.

When you log in, a default workspace is created automatically. Cloud backups and snapshots are scoped to your current workspace.

Multiple Workspaces

Workspaces let you organize cloud snapshots by machine or environment — like GitHub repos for your backups. A default workspace is created on login.

# List your workspaces
npx clawon workspaces list

# Create a new workspace
npx clawon workspaces create "Work Server"

# Switch to it
npx clawon workspaces switch work-server

# Now backups go to the new workspace
npx clawon backup

# Check current workspace
npx clawon workspaces info

Learn more in the Workspaces guide.

Next Steps

• Workspaces — organize backups by machine or environment
• Migration — move your workspace to a new machine
• Scheduled Backups — automate backups with cron
• Security — encryption, secret scanning, and credential handling
• Commands — full CLI reference

Having trouble? Check the Troubleshooting guide.