Backup of conversations to Obsidian

Obsidian Conversation Backup

Automatically backs up Clawdbot conversations to Obsidian with beautiful chat-style formatting. Prevents data loss from /new resets with hourly incremental snapshots.

Features

Quick Setup

Installation

# Extract the skill (if downloaded as .skill file)
unzip obsidian-conversation-backup.skill
cd obsidian-conversation-backup
Run installer (interactive)
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

The installer will ask for:

Or manual setup:

1. Copy config.example to config 2. Edit config with your paths 3. Make scripts executable: chmod +x scripts/*.sh

Enable Automatic Backups

Add to crontab for hourly backups:

crontab -e
Add this line (runs every hour at :00)
0 * * * * /path/to/obsidian-conversation-backup/scripts/monitor_and_save.sh

Customize Chat Appearance (Optional)

Edit scripts/format_message_v2.jq to change:

Usage

Automatic Incremental Backups

Once configured in cron, the system runs automatically:

Every hour:

Example output:

2026-01-20-1500-incremental.md (messages from last save to now)
2026-01-20-1600-incremental.md (new messages since 15:00)
2026-01-20-1700-incremental.md (new messages since 16:00)

Protection: Max conversation loss = 1 hour

On-Demand Full Snapshot

Save complete conversation anytime:

scripts/save_full_snapshot.sh [topic-name]

Examples:

scripts/save_full_snapshot.sh important-decisions
scripts/save_full_snapshot.sh bug-fix-discussion
scripts/save_full_snapshot.sh  # uses "full-conversation" as default

Hourly Breakdown (Organization)

Create organized breakdown by clock hour:

scripts/create_hourly_snapshots.sh YYYY-MM-DD

Example:

scripts/create_hourly_snapshots.sh 2026-01-20

Output:

2026-01-20-1500-hourly.md (15:00-15:59 messages)
2026-01-20-1600-hourly.md (16:00-16:59 messages)
2026-01-20-1700-hourly.md (17:00-17:59 messages)

Use case: End-of-day organization for easy reference

Chat Format

Messages appear as colored Obsidian callouts:

User messages (blue [!quote] callout):

> [!quote] 🐉 User · 15:30
> This is my message

Assistant messages (green [!check] callout):

> [!check] 🦞 Zoidbot · 15:31  
> This is the response

Features:

Token Monitoring

The monitor_and_save.sh script also tracks token usage:

Warnings via Telegram:

Implementation:

# Sends warning only when crossing threshold (one-time)
No repeated warnings
Resets when back under 800k

File Structure

scripts/
├── monitor_and_save.sh           # Hourly incremental backup + token monitoring
├── save_full_snapshot.sh         # On-demand full conversation save
├── create_hourly_snapshots.sh    # Organize by clock hour
└── format_message_v2.jq          # Chat formatting logic

Configuration

Tracking Files

The system uses hidden files to track state:

/root/clawd/.last_save_line_count       # For token monitoring
/root/clawd/.last_snapshot_timestamp    # For incremental saves
/root/clawd/.token_warning_sent         # For warning deduplication

Note: Do not delete these files or incremental backups may duplicate content

Session File Location

Default: /root/.clawdbot/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl

If your session files are elsewhere, update the SESSION_FILE path in each script.

Troubleshooting

No snapshots being created

1. Check cron is running: crontab -l 2. Verify script has execute permission: chmod +x scripts/*.sh 3. Check logs: Run manually to see errors

Messages breaking out of callouts

Duplicated content in snapshots

  rm /root/clawd/.last_snapshot_timestamp
  

Empty callout boxes appearing

Requirements

Advanced Customization

Change Backup Frequency

Edit crontab:

# Every 2 hours
0 */2 * * * /path/to/monitor_and_save.sh
Every 30 minutes
*/30 * * * * /path/to/monitor_and_save.sh
Specific times only (9am, 12pm, 6pm, 9pm)
0 9,12,18,21 * * * /path/to/monitor_and_save.sh

Change Minimum Message Threshold

Edit monitor_and_save.sh:

# Change from 10 to 5 messages minimum
if [[ $new_lines -lt 5 ]]; then

Add More Callout Styles

Obsidian callout types:

Customize Telegram Notifications

Edit monitor_and_save.sh to change warning text or add custom notifications.

Best Practices

1. Run hourly breakdown at end of day - Use as organizational tool, not backup 2. Keep incremental backups running - This is your safety net 3. Test scripts after setup - Run manually first to verify output 4. Backup tracking files - Include .last_snapshot_timestamp in vault backups 5. Use descriptive topic names - For full snapshots, use meaningful names

Example Workflow

Daily routine: 1. Automatic incremental backups run hourly (no action needed) 2. At end of day: scripts/create_hourly_snapshots.sh 2026-01-20 3. Review organized hourly files in Obsidian 4. Delete old incrementals if desired (hourly breakdown covers them)

Before /new reset: 1. Optional: scripts/save_full_snapshot.sh before-reset 2. Run /new safely - conversation is backed up 3. Continue chatting - incrementals resume automatically

Integration with Clawdbot

This skill works with:

Credits

Created by the Clawdbot community for reliable conversation backup and beautiful Obsidian formatting.

Automatic Incremental Backups

Once configured in cron, the system runs automatically:

Every hour:

Example output:

2026-01-20-1500-incremental.md (messages from last save to now)
2026-01-20-1600-incremental.md (new messages since 15:00)
2026-01-20-1700-incremental.md (new messages since 16:00)

Protection: Max conversation loss = 1 hour

On-Demand Full Snapshot

Save complete conversation anytime:

scripts/save_full_snapshot.sh [topic-name]

Examples:

scripts/save_full_snapshot.sh important-decisions
scripts/save_full_snapshot.sh bug-fix-discussion
scripts/save_full_snapshot.sh  # uses "full-conversation" as default

Hourly Breakdown (Organization)

Create organized breakdown by clock hour:

scripts/create_hourly_snapshots.sh YYYY-MM-DD

Example:

scripts/create_hourly_snapshots.sh 2026-01-20

Output:

2026-01-20-1500-hourly.md (15:00-15:59 messages)
2026-01-20-1600-hourly.md (16:00-16:59 messages)
2026-01-20-1700-hourly.md (17:00-17:59 messages)

Use case: End-of-day organization for easy reference

Tracking Files

The system uses hidden files to track state:

/root/clawd/.last_save_line_count       # For token monitoring
/root/clawd/.last_snapshot_timestamp    # For incremental saves
/root/clawd/.token_warning_sent         # For warning deduplication

Note: Do not delete these files or incremental backups may duplicate content

Session File Location

Default: /root/.clawdbot/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl

If your session files are elsewhere, update the SESSION_FILE path in each script.

1. Run hourly breakdown at end of day - Use as organizational tool, not backup 2. Keep incremental backups running - This is your safety net 3. Test scripts after setup - Run manually first to verify output 4. Backup tracking files - Include .last_snapshot_timestamp in vault backups 5. Use descriptive topic names - For full snapshots, use meaningful names