name: canifi-backup
description: Automated backup system for your entire Canifi LifeOS configuration, skills, and Claude settings
category: productivity
version: 1.0.0
author: Canifi LifeOS
required: true

Canifi Backup

Overview

The Canifi Backup skill creates comprehensive backups of your entire LifeOS system with a single command. It packages your configuration, skills, and Claude settings into a timestamped ZIP file stored at your preferred destination.

Why This Skill is Required:
- Protects your custom skills and configurations from loss
- Enables easy migration to new machines
- Provides restore points before major changes
- Ensures your LifeOS investment is never lost

Privacy & Authentication

Your credentials, your choice. Canifi LifeOS respects your privacy.

Option 1: Manual Browser Login (Recommended)

If you prefer not to share credentials with Claude Code:
1. Complete the Browser Automation Setup using CDP mode
2. Login to the service manually in the Playwright-controlled Chrome window
3. Claude will use your authenticated session without ever seeing your password

Option 2: Environment Variables

If you're comfortable sharing credentials, you can store them locally:

canifi-env set SERVICE_EMAIL "your-email"
canifi-env set SERVICE_PASSWORD "your-password"

Note: Credentials stored in canifi-env are only accessible locally on your machine and are never transmitted.

What Gets Backed Up

The backup includes three critical directories:

1. Claude Configuration (~/.claude/)

• CLAUDE.md - Your global Claude instructions
• settings.json - Claude Code settings
• projects/ - Project-specific configurations
• All custom configurations

2. Global Skills (~/.claude/skills/)

• All installed skills (including auto-generated ones)
• Custom skill modifications
• Skill configurations

3. Canifi Scripts (~/canifi/)

• iMessage integration scripts
• Helper scripts
• Custom automation scripts

First-Time Setup

On your first backup request, Canifi will ask for your backup destination:

User: "canifi backup"

Canifi: "This is your first backup. Where would you like to store backups?

Please provide a full path, for example:
- ~/Backups/canifi
- ~/Documents/CanifiBackups
- /Volumes/ExternalDrive/Backups

I'll remember this location for future backups."

User: "~/Backups/canifi"

Canifi: "Got it! I'll store backups at ~/Backups/canifi

Saving this to your global CLAUDE.md...
Creating your first backup now..."

The destination is stored in your global ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md file:

## Canifi Backup Configuration

CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION="~/Backups/canifi"

Usage

Create a Backup

canifi backup

Creates a timestamped backup at your configured destination:

~/Backups/canifi/canifi-backup-2026-01-09-143022.zip

Backup with Custom Name

canifi backup before-major-update

Creates:

~/Backups/canifi/canifi-backup-before-major-update-2026-01-09.zip

Change Backup Destination

canifi backup set destination ~/NewLocation/backups

Updates the destination in your global CLAUDE.md.

List Recent Backups

canifi backup list

Shows recent backups with sizes and dates.

Restore from Backup

canifi backup restore ~/Backups/canifi/canifi-backup-2026-01-09-143022.zip

Restores files from a backup (with confirmation prompts).

Backup Workflow

Step 1: Check for Destination

First, check if CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION exists in ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md:

grep "CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION" ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md

If not found, prompt user for destination.

Step 2: Store Destination (First Time Only)

Append to ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md:

cat >> ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md << 'EOF'

## Canifi Backup Configuration

CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION="[USER_PROVIDED_PATH]"
EOF

Step 3: Create Backup Directory

mkdir -p "$CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION"

Step 4: Generate Timestamp

TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S")
BACKUP_NAME="canifi-backup-${TIMESTAMP}.zip"

Step 5: Create ZIP Archive

cd ~
zip -r "$CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION/$BACKUP_NAME" \
  .claude/ \
  canifi/ \
  -x "*.DS_Store" \
  -x "*node_modules/*" \
  -x "*.git/*"

Step 6: Verify and Report

# Check file was created
ls -lh "$CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION/$BACKUP_NAME"

# Report to user
echo "Backup complete: $BACKUP_NAME"
echo "Location: $CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION"
echo "Size: $(du -h "$CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION/$BACKUP_NAME" | cut -f1)"

Restore Workflow

Step 1: Confirm with User

WARNING: Restoring will overwrite existing files:
- ~/.claude/
- ~/canifi/

Current files will be backed up to ~/.canifi-restore-backup/ first.

Proceed? (yes/no)

Step 2: Backup Current State

mkdir -p ~/.canifi-restore-backup
cp -r ~/.claude ~/.canifi-restore-backup/
cp -r ~/canifi ~/.canifi-restore-backup/

Step 3: Extract Archive

cd ~
unzip -o "$BACKUP_FILE"

Step 4: Verify Restore

echo "Restore complete!"
echo "Your previous configuration was backed up to ~/.canifi-restore-backup/"

Backup Contents Structure

canifi-backup-2026-01-09-143022.zip
├── .claude/
│   ├── CLAUDE.md
│   ├── settings.json
│   ├── projects/
│   │   └── [project-specific configs]
│   └── skills/
│       ├── canifi/
│       ├── canifi-skill-generator/
│       ├── canifi-backup/
│       └── [all other skills]
└── canifi/
    ├── canifi-send.sh
    ├── canifi-help.sh
    ├── canifi-status.sh
    ├── canifi-stream.sh
    ├── canifi-pause.sh
    ├── canifi-resume.sh
    ├── canifi-abort.sh
    └── canifi-imessage-monitor.sh

Configuration in CLAUDE.md

After first backup, your ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md will include:

## Canifi Backup Configuration

CANIFI_BACKUP_DESTINATION="~/Backups/canifi"

### Backup History
- Last backup: 2026-01-09 14:30:22
- Total backups: 5
- Oldest backup: 2026-01-01

Automatic Backup Triggers

Consider setting up automatic backups:

Before Major Operations

The skill generator can trigger a backup before creating new skills:

"Creating new skill 'todoist'...
 Running pre-change backup first..."

Scheduled Backups

Add to your workflow:

canifi backup weekly

Pre-Update Backups

Before updating Canifi LifeOS:

canifi backup pre-update

Cloud Backup Destinations

You can set your backup destination to cloud-synced folders:

iCloud Drive (macOS)

~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Backups/canifi

Dropbox

~/Dropbox/Backups/canifi

Google Drive

~/Google Drive/Backups/canifi

OneDrive

~/OneDrive/Backups/canifi

This way your backups are automatically synced to the cloud!

Troubleshooting

"Destination not found"

# Create the directory
mkdir -p ~/Backups/canifi

# Or change destination
canifi backup set destination ~/NewPath

"Permission denied"

# Check permissions
ls -la ~/Backups/

# Fix if needed
chmod 755 ~/Backups/canifi

"Backup too large"

The backup excludes node_modules and .git by default. If still large:

# Check what's taking space
du -sh ~/.claude/* ~/canifi/*

"Cannot find CLAUDE.md"

# Create if missing
touch ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md

Example Session

User: "canifi backup"

Canifi: "I notice this is your first backup request.
        Where would you like me to store your backups?

        Suggested locations:
        1. ~/Backups/canifi (local)
        2. ~/Dropbox/Backups/canifi (cloud-synced)
        3. Custom path

        Please provide your preferred backup destination."

User: "Use Dropbox"

Canifi: "Setting backup destination to: ~/Dropbox/Backups/canifi

        Updating ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md with backup configuration...
        Creating directory ~/Dropbox/Backups/canifi...

        Now creating your first backup...

        Backing up:
        ✓ ~/.claude/ (1.2 MB)
        ✓ ~/.claude/skills/ (4.8 MB)
        ✓ ~/canifi/ (52 KB)

        Backup complete!

        📦 canifi-backup-2026-01-09-143022.zip
        📍 ~/Dropbox/Backups/canifi/
        📊 Size: 6.1 MB

        Your LifeOS is now backed up and syncing to Dropbox."

Security Notes

1. Backups may contain sensitive data - Your CLAUDE.md might have API keys or credentials
2. Encrypt sensitive backups - Consider using encrypted disk images for highly sensitive setups
3. Cloud sync considerations - Cloud-synced folders upload your backup; ensure you trust the provider
4. Exclude from git - Never commit backup ZIPs to version control