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Slowave keeps all your memory in one local database. A backup is a compressed copy of that database.
Setup turns on a daily backup for you. Slowave keeps the last 7 copies.

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Where backups live

Backups sit in a backups folder inside Slowave’s data folder. Each file is named like slowave-20260101_093000.db.gz. Run slowave doctor to see your exact folder.

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Make a backup now

Slowave prints where it saved the file. You can run this while your agent is working. To keep more than 7 copies, add a number.

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Restore a backup

Restoring replaces your current memory. Anything saved after the backup is lost.
1

Close your agents

Quit any coding agent that uses Slowave.
2

Make a safety copy

Back up your current state first, so you can undo the restore.
3

Restore

Use the path of the backup you want. Slowave pauses its services and swaps in the copy.
4

Start Slowave again

5

Check that it worked

Open slowave dashboard to see your memories again.
After a restore from an older version, the first start can take a few minutes while Slowave prepares your memory.

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Move to another computer

1

Back up on the old computer

Run slowave backup and copy the new .db.gz file to the new computer.
2

Install and set up on the new one

Follow the quickstart to run pipx install slowave and slowave setup.
3

Restore your file

Run slowave restore with the path to your copied file, then slowave start.

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Moving from an older install

Very old versions kept data in ~/.slowave. Preview the move, then run it.
Slowave keeps the old folder, so you can roll back.
Your database and backups are plain text and not encrypted. Keep them on an encrypted disk, and don’t share or upload them. See local and private.
Stuck? See troubleshooting.