Workflow /backup | PARA Workspace

The /backup workflow creates date-stamped snapshots of important workspace files into .para/backups/. It preserves session logs, artifacts, workflows, and configuration — everything that can’t be recovered from Git.

Commands Overview

/backup all                 # Full backup: config + sessions + all projects
/backup workflows           # Only workflows
/backup rules               # Only rules
/backup skills              # Only skills (v1.6.4+)
/backup metadata            # .para-workspace.yml + workspace sessions
/backup project <name>      # One project (excludes repo/)
/backup project-all         # All projects (excludes repo/)

Backup Flow

Create snapshot dir → Copy by target → Cleanup old snapshots → Report

1. Create Snapshot Directory

Creates a date-stamped directory at .para/backups/YYYY-MM-DD/.

2. Copy by Target

Copies files based on the selected target. Each target is independent and can run alone or as part of all.

3. Cleanup Old Snapshots

Automatically keeps only the 5 most recent snapshots and removes older ones.

4. Report

Displays a summary of what was backed up with file counts.

Backup Coverage

Workspace-Level

Component	Backed up?	Reason
`.para-workspace.yml`	✅ Yes	Core workspace config
`Areas/Workspace/sessions/`	✅ Yes	Workspace session files
`Areas/Workspace/SYNC.md`	✅ Yes	Cross-project sync queue
`Areas/Workspace/audits/`	✅ Yes	Audit reports
`.agent/workflows/`	✅ Yes	Customized workflows
`.agent/rules/`	✅ Yes	Customized rules
`.agent/skills/`	✅ Yes	Customized skills

Per Project

Component	Backed up?	Reason
`sessions/`	✅ Yes	Session logs — unique, irreplaceable
`artifacts/`	✅ Yes	Plans, backlogs — user work product
`docs/`	✅ Yes	Internal documentation
`project.md`	✅ Yes	Project contract — YAML config + goals
`.agent/`	✅ Yes	Project-specific rules and overrides
`repo/`	❌ No	Source code — recoverable via `git clone`

Restore

# Restore workflows
cp .para/backups/YYYY-MM-DD/workflows/* .agent/workflows/

# Restore a project's user data
cp -r .para/backups/YYYY-MM-DD/projects/<name>/* Projects/<name>/

# Restore repo (from GitHub)
cd Projects/<name> && git clone <repo-url> repo

→ Workflow /install — Install from catalog → Workflow /para — Master workspace controller