moltbot/docs/cli/migrate.md

summary, read_when, title

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CLI reference for `openclaw migrate` (import state from another agent system)	You want to migrate from Hermes or another agent system into OpenClaw You are adding a plugin-owned migration provider	Migrate

openclaw migrate

Import state from another agent system through a plugin-owned migration provider.

For a user-facing walkthrough of moving from Hermes, see [Migrating from Hermes](/install/migrating-hermes).

Commands

openclaw migrate list
openclaw migrate hermes --dry-run
openclaw migrate hermes
openclaw migrate apply hermes --yes
openclaw migrate apply hermes --include-secrets --yes
openclaw onboard --flow import
openclaw onboard --import-from hermes --import-source ~/.hermes

Name of a registered migration provider, for example `hermes`. Run `openclaw migrate list` to see installed providers. Build the plan and exit without changing state. Override the source state directory. Hermes defaults to `~/.hermes`. Import supported credentials. Off by default. Allow apply to replace existing targets when the plan reports conflicts. Skip the confirmation prompt. Required in non-interactive mode. Skip the pre-apply backup. Requires `--force` when local OpenClaw state exists. Required alongside `--no-backup` when apply would otherwise refuse to skip backup. Print the plan or apply result as JSON. With `--json` and no `--yes`, apply prints the plan and does not mutate state.

Safety model

openclaw migrate is preview-first.

The provider returns an itemized plan before anything changes, including conflicts, skipped items, and sensitive items. JSON plans, apply output, and migration reports redact nested secret-looking keys such as API keys, tokens, authorization headers, cookies, and passwords.

`openclaw migrate apply <provider>` previews the plan and prompts before changing state unless `--yes` is set. In non-interactive mode, apply requires `--yes`.

Apply creates and verifies an OpenClaw backup before applying the migration. If no local OpenClaw state exists yet, the backup step is skipped and the migration can continue. To skip a backup when state exists, pass both `--no-backup` and `--force`. Apply refuses to continue when the plan has conflicts. Review the plan, then rerun with `--overwrite` if replacing existing targets is intentional. Providers may still write item-level backups for overwritten files in the migration report directory. Secrets are never imported by default. Use `--include-secrets` to import supported credentials.

Hermes provider

The bundled Hermes provider detects state at ~/.hermes by default. Use --from <path> when Hermes lives elsewhere.

What gets imported

• Default model configuration from config.yaml.
• Configured model providers and custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints from providers and custom_providers.
• MCP server definitions from mcp_servers or mcp.servers.
• SOUL.md and AGENTS.md into the OpenClaw agent workspace.
• memories/MEMORY.md and memories/USER.md appended to workspace memory files.
• Memory config defaults for OpenClaw file memory, plus archive or manual-review items for external memory providers such as Honcho.
• Skills that include a SKILL.md file under skills/<name>/.
• Per-skill config values from skills.config.
• Supported API keys from .env, only with --include-secrets.

Supported .env keys

OPENAI_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENROUTER_API_KEY, GOOGLE_API_KEY, GEMINI_API_KEY, GROQ_API_KEY, XAI_API_KEY, MISTRAL_API_KEY, DEEPSEEK_API_KEY.

Archive-only state

Hermes state that OpenClaw cannot safely interpret is copied into the migration report for manual review, but it is not loaded into live OpenClaw config or credentials. This preserves opaque or unsafe state without pretending OpenClaw can execute or trust it automatically:

• plugins/
• sessions/
• logs/
• cron/
• mcp-tokens/
• auth.json
• state.db

After applying

openclaw doctor

Plugin contract

Migration sources are plugins. A plugin declares its provider ids in openclaw.plugin.json:

{
  "contracts": {
    "migrationProviders": ["hermes"]
  }
}

At runtime the plugin calls api.registerMigrationProvider(...). The provider implements detect, plan, and apply. Core owns CLI orchestration, backup policy, prompts, JSON output, and conflict preflight. Core passes the reviewed plan into apply(ctx, plan), and providers may rebuild the plan only when that argument is absent for compatibility.

Provider plugins can use openclaw/plugin-sdk/migration for item construction and summary counts, plus openclaw/plugin-sdk/migration-runtime for conflict-aware file copies, archive-only report copies, and migration reports.

Onboarding integration

Onboarding can offer migration when a provider detects a known source. Both openclaw onboard --flow import and openclaw setup --wizard --import-from hermes use the same plugin migration provider and still show a preview before applying.

Onboarding imports require a fresh OpenClaw setup. Reset config, credentials, sessions, and the workspace first if you already have local state. Backup-plus-overwrite or merge imports are feature-gated for existing setups.

Related

• Migrating from Hermes: user-facing walkthrough.
• Migrating: move OpenClaw to a new machine.
• Doctor: health check after applying a migration.
• Plugins: plugin install and registration.