Manage SandboxesState and Backups

Transfer State Manually

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Use manual transfer when you need to inspect or move specific state files. Use 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.

For Hermes, prefer Create and Restore Snapshots for a faithful state.db restore. Use manual download and upload only when you need to inspect or transfer a specific file.

$SANDBOX=my-hermes
$BACKUP_DIR=~/.nemoclaw/backups/$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
$mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR/dashboard-home"
$
$openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/SOUL.md "$BACKUP_DIR/"
$openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.hermes/state.db "$BACKUP_DIR/"
$openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.hermes/profiles/dashboard-home/MEMORY.md "$BACKUP_DIR/dashboard-home/MEMORY.md"
$openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.hermes/profiles/dashboard-home/USER.md "$BACKUP_DIR/dashboard-home/USER.md"
$openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.hermes/platforms/ "$BACKUP_DIR/platforms/"

Copy only the dashboard profile’s MEMORY.md and USER.md files. Do not copy .hermes/profiles/dashboard-home/.env or .hermes/profiles/dashboard-home/config.yaml. NemoClaw regenerates both files from the managed policy and current inference route. The dashboard process receives its API bearer token through the runtime environment instead of the mirrored .env file.

If startup refuses a legacy profile migration, download the preserved user files for inspection:

$mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR/dashboard-home-legacy"
$openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.hermes/dashboard-home/MEMORY.md "$BACKUP_DIR/dashboard-home-legacy/MEMORY.md"
$openshell sandbox download "$SANDBOX" /sandbox/.hermes/dashboard-home/USER.md "$BACKUP_DIR/dashboard-home-legacy/USER.md"

Do not download the legacy .env or config.yaml. Compare the preserved user files with the canonical profile before you upload either version.

Upload State

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

For Hermes, prefer Create and Restore Snapshots for a faithful state.db restore. Use manual download and upload only when you need to inspect or transfer a specific file.

$SANDBOX=my-hermes
$BACKUP_DIR=~/.nemoclaw/backups/20260320-120000  # pick a timestamp
$
$openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/SOUL.md" /sandbox/
$openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/state.db" /sandbox/.hermes/
$openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/dashboard-home/MEMORY.md" /sandbox/.hermes/profiles/dashboard-home/MEMORY.md
$openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/dashboard-home/USER.md" /sandbox/.hermes/profiles/dashboard-home/USER.md
$openshell sandbox upload "$SANDBOX" "$BACKUP_DIR/platforms/" /sandbox/.hermes/platforms/