docs/tutorials/backing-up-and-restoring-your-vault
Beginner5 min

Backing up and restoring your vault

Export your entire command vault to a file. Restore it on any machine or account.

Export as JSON

recall export --format json --output backup.json✔ Exported 24 commands to backup.json

JSON format preserves all metadata — names, tags, groups, and timestamps.

Export as shell script

recall export --format sh --output commands.sh✔ Exported 24 commands to commands.sh

Shell format is human-readable and can be sourced directly in your terminal.

Restore from backup

recall import backup.json Found 24 commands to import 24 imported 0 skipped 0 failed

Skip duplicates

recall import backup.json --skip-duplicates 20 imported 4 skipped 0 failed

Automated weekly backup

crontab -e
0 9 * * 1 recall export --format json --output ~/recall-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).json# Runs every Monday at 9am

Note: Your vault is already backed up in recall's cloud. Local exports are an extra safety net and useful for migrating between accounts.