backup-config

name	backup-config
description	Back up the OBS Studio config directory (scenes, profiles, global settings, plugin configs) to a user-defined folder. Resolves the correct config path based on install type (native, Flatpak, Snap), creates a timestamped tarball, and prunes old backups based on a retention policy. Stores the user's chosen backup folder pointer in plugin config so subsequent runs don't re-prompt.

Backup OBS Config

Creates a timestamped tarball of the OBS config directory at a user-chosen location.

Prerequisites

• setup skill has run.
• detect-install resolves the active OBS config dir.

Backup folder resolution

Resolve the backup folder in this order:

1. $OBS_WORKSPACE/backups/ — default. The setup skill prompts for OBS_WORKSPACE and scaffolds the backups/ subfolder.
2. backup_folder override in $CLAUDE_USER_DATA/obs-mgmt/config.json — if the user explicitly set a non-default location (e.g. an external drive mount).
3. First-run prompt — if neither is set, ask for an absolute path. Suggest:
   • $OBS_WORKSPACE/backups/ (preferred — keeps everything in one workspace).
   • An external drive mount, e.g. /run/media/<user>/<drive>/obs-backups/.

Persist any override in config.json:

{
  "backup_folder": "/run/media/<user>/<drive>/obs-backups",
  "retention_count": 10
}

The backup folder is user-owned data. Store only the pointer under $CLAUDE_USER_DATA; the tarballs themselves live in $OBS_WORKSPACE (or the user's chosen override path).

Backup procedure

1. Resolve config dir via detect-install (Flatpak, Snap, and native paths all differ — see that skill).

2. Confirm OBS is not running (pgrep -x obs returns nothing). If it is, warn that hot-backups can capture mid-write state and ask the user whether to continue or close OBS first.

3. Build the archive name:

   obs-config-<install_type>-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSS.tar.gz
   

4. Create the tarball:

   TS=$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S)
   ARCHIVE="$BACKUP_FOLDER/obs-config-$INSTALL_TYPE-$TS.tar.gz"
   tar -czf "$ARCHIVE" -C "$(dirname "$CONFIG_DIR")" "$(basename "$CONFIG_DIR")"
   

5. Verify the archive: tar -tzf "$ARCHIVE" >/dev/null && echo OK.

6. Print the archive path and size.

Retention

After a successful backup, prune older archives in the backup folder beyond retention_count (default 10), oldest-first. Match only files following the obs-config-*-*.tar.gz pattern so user files in the same folder aren't touched.

ls -1t "$BACKUP_FOLDER"/obs-config-*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null \
  | tail -n +$((RETENTION + 1)) \
  | xargs -r rm -v

Restore (informational)

This skill only backs up. To restore:

1. Stop OBS.
2. Move the existing config dir aside: mv ~/.config/obs-studio ~/.config/obs-studio.bak.
3. Extract the tarball into the parent of the original config dir.
4. Start OBS and verify scenes/profiles load.

If the user asks to restore, do it explicitly under their supervision — never auto-restore.