Backups and export

Everything Murage knows lives on your computer. Backups protect it. Export lets you share bots and teams without sharing your data.

Turn on backups#

1. Open Settings → Backups.
2. Choose Turn on backups.
3. Pick the folder to keep backups in.

Murage makes your recovery key for you and saves it outside that folder. It asks you once to confirm the folder, the key and one permission: that it may close and reopen its own window to take a backup. Then it switches daily backups on and takes the first backup straight away. This works on Mac, Windows and Linux.

A USB stick or drive formatted exFAT works as a backup folder. On Windows, a network folder or a USB stick is refused when you choose it, with a sentence saying why: Windows can't lock those down to your account.

Already keep your own key file? Open I already have a recovery key and choose Use a key I already have.

What's in a backup#

An encrypted copy of your settings, conversations (snoozed ones included), files and channel history. Engine sessions, Local VM home folders and folders outside Murage are not included.

Nothing in a bot's folder stops a backup. Shortcuts, unusual file names and folders that can be rebuilt, such as node_modules and virtual environments, are left out, and Murage lists by name anything it skipped.

Keep a copy of your recovery key#

Your recovery key is the only thing that can open your backups. If you lose it, the backups can't be opened. Choose Save a copy… and put a second copy somewhere else, such as a USB drive or your password manager.

Back up now#

Choose Back up now to take a backup straight away. Murage closes and reopens its window to take it. It won't start while a bot is working.

Off-site copies#

A backup on the same computer, or on a drive next to it, is lost with it. Under Off-site copy (optional), Murage keeps a second encrypted copy somewhere else. Pick where:

• S3-compatible storage, such as Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Cloudflare R2 or MinIO. Enter the endpoint, bucket, region and access keys. The bucket must already exist.
• SFTP server (NAS, home server or VPS). Enter the server, port (usually 22), user name and a folder. Murage makes its own SSH key for that server and shows it: choose Copy key and add it to the server's authorized_keys. Murage never asks for the server's password. The first time you connect, it asks you once to trust the server's fingerprint.

Then choose Create off-site password. Murage makes the password that locks the off-site copy and saves it next to your recovery key. Keep a second copy with Save a copy of the off-site password…; you need it and your recovery key to restore on another computer. Test connection sets up the backup store on the server or bucket for you. Nothing is uploaded until you choose Upload latest verified backup or turn on Enable automatic uploads.

Off-site copies work on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, Windows and Linux.

When Murage is closed

Also back up when Murage is closed lets the daily backup run while you're signed in but the app isn't open. It works on a Mac and on Linux, in both the .deb and the AppImage. It isn't available on Windows yet; backups while Murage is open work everywhere.

When a backup can't run

If a backup can't finish, an Inbox item and a notification say what stopped it and what to do. If a bot is waiting for your answer when a backup is due, Settings → Backups and the Inbox name the bot, and the backup starts as soon as you answer. If the backup folder or recovery key is moved, or its drive is unplugged, Backups says which one is missing.

Restore

Choose Restore… to restore from a backup on this computer, or choose Find off-site backups and Download verified copy to bring one back from your off-site storage. Restoring onto a new computer works: add the same off-site destination there first and choose the password file you kept. A restored routine follows its bot's approval level, and any Always allow it had is cleared until you set it again.

Backups need the installed desktop app.

Export bots and teams

To share bots, choose + in the sidebar, then Export bots…. Pick the bots. The export holds their instructions, skills and routines.

It never includes your keys, passwords, connected accounts or memory. The export is scanned for known secret patterns, but that can't guarantee it's clean, so check it before you share it.

Import

Choose +, then New Team, then Open a file… and pick the export. Imported bots get fresh identities. Their skills and routines arrive switched off, and they start with no permissions granted, on Ask.

Sharing a team with everyone on your staff? See Share a team with your staff.