Back up and restore

Choose the command that matches what you need to preserve:

Goal	Commands	Image files included?
Preserve or move all local Aven data	aven backup and aven backup restore	Yes, for images available on this device when the backup is created
Move task data through JSON	aven export and aven import	No

Create and restore a complete backup

aven backup
aven backup --output backup.aven-backup.tar.zst
aven backup restore backup.aven-backup.tar.zst --yes

Without --output, Aven writes a timestamped backup beside the active database. Use --output when you need a specific destination.

A backup archive contains the complete SQLite database and every attachment image available on the device. Recurring schedules, future-task settings, completed, skipped, and missed history, pauses, conflicts, task fields, notes, and attachments remain intact.

Images that have not downloaded cannot be included. Run aven sync first when the sync server may have files this device lacks. Restore checks the archive and images before replacing local data.

Local data replacement

Restore replaces local data and requires confirmation with --yes. Aven creates a safety backup first and preserves the previous attachment directory.

Export and import portable JSON

aven export --output tasks.json
aven import tasks.json --yes

A JSON export includes tasks, recurring schedules, future-task settings, history, pauses, conflicts, and attachment information. It sets blobs_included: false and leaves out image files.

Import validates recurring schedules, generated tasks, history, and recurring state before replacing local data. Older task-only exports import every task as nonrecurring data. Import keeps this installation’s client identity and clears server-specific sync state.

Local data replacement

Import replaces local data and requires confirmation with --yes. Aven creates a safety backup first.

Restore attachment images

After importing JSON, attachment labels remain visible while the TUI shows unavailable-image placeholders. Run sync or restore a backup archive to supply the files. Until then, attachment get --output cannot save them.

A complete backup includes only images available locally when it is created. If you synchronize attachments, confirm that sync is complete before creating the archive. See Image attachments during sync.

See Data safety commands for every backup, restore, export, and import option.