> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.nvidia.com/nemoclaw/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.nvidia.com/nemoclaw/_mcp/server.

# Transfer State Manually

> Download and upload selected sandbox state files when a managed snapshot is not the right transfer path.

Use manual transfer when you need to inspect or move specific state files.
Use [Create and Restore Snapshots](create-and-restore-snapshots) for normal backup, rebuild, and restore workflows.

## Download State

Use `openshell sandbox download` to copy files from the sandbox to your host.

```bash
SANDBOX=my-assistant
BACKUP_DIR=~/.nemoclaw/backups/$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md "$BACKUP_DIR/"
openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/USER.md "$BACKUP_DIR/"
openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/IDENTITY.md "$BACKUP_DIR/"
openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/AGENTS.md "$BACKUP_DIR/"
openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md "$BACKUP_DIR/"
openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/memory/ "$BACKUP_DIR/memory/"
```

## Upload State

Use `openshell sandbox upload` to push files back into a sandbox.

```bash
SANDBOX=my-assistant
BACKUP_DIR=~/.nemoclaw/backups/20260320-120000  # pick a timestamp

openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/SOUL.md" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/
openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/USER.md" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/
openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/IDENTITY.md" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/
openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/AGENTS.md" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/
openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/MEMORY.md" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/
openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/memory/" /sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/memory/
```

## Use the Source-Tree Backup Helper

The [`scripts/backup-workspace.sh`](https://github.com/NVIDIA/NemoClaw/blob/main/scripts/backup-workspace.sh) helper exists only in the NemoClaw source repository for engineering workflows.
It is not installed by the standard installer, so host installs should use `nemoclaw backup-all` or the snapshot commands.

Back up a workspace:

```bash
./scripts/backup-workspace.sh backup my-assistant
```

Expected output:

```text
Backing up workspace from sandbox 'my-assistant'...
Backup saved to /home/user/.nemoclaw/backups/20260320-120000/ (6 items)
```

Restore the most recent backup or a specific timestamp:

```bash
./scripts/backup-workspace.sh restore my-assistant
./scripts/backup-workspace.sh restore my-assistant 20260320-120000
```

Verify the saved files:

```bash
ls -la ~/.nemoclaw/backups/20260320-120000/
```

Expected output:

```text
AGENTS.md
IDENTITY.md
MEMORY.md
SOUL.md
USER.md
memory/
```

## Related Topics

* [Understand Sandbox State](understand-sandbox-state) for agent-specific paths and persistence rules.
* [Create and Restore Snapshots](create-and-restore-snapshots) for managed restore and clone operations.
* [CLI Selection Guide](../../reference/cli-selection-guide) for NemoClaw and OpenShell command boundaries.