Backup and restore#

DevDesk can export and import versioned local application data. The recommended pre-uninstall export is a Reinstall Recovery Kit.

Export#

• Export Reinstall Recovery Kit: save independent DevDesk data plus a safe workspace reconnection catalog as JSON outside DevDesk.
• Copy Backup JSON: copy a conservatively redacted backup.

Protected secret values, Android permission URIs, execution trust, and AI connector access keys are excluded.

Import#

1. Select a backup file or paste backup JSON.
2. Review the import preview.
3. Choose Replace or Merge.
4. Confirm the operation.
5. Reopen important tools and verify their state.
6. Open Reconnect Recorded Workspaces.
7. Review the workspace names and location hints, then select Reconnect a workspace.
8. Select the original folder. Repeat for any other recorded workspace.
9. Re-enter protected secrets and re-approve trust only when needed.

Imports are staged and use rollback protection if mutation fails.

What a backup does not include#

External project folders, exported files, Git repositories, and protected secrets remain separate. The recovery kit records a workspace ID, name, portable status, platform, and human-readable location hint; it does not copy the folder or restore operating-system permission grants.

The current version-3 recovery format includes the reconnection catalog. Older supported backups can still import their independent records, but they may not contain a workspace list; reconnect those folders manually. The stored reconnection list is replaced by the catalog from the most recently imported kit, even when the independent records are merged.

Before uninstalling on Android or Windows#

Settings shows a Recovery readiness card with the date of the last completed file export and the number of registered external workspaces. Open its Pre-uninstall checklist before removing the app.

1. Open Settings > Data backup > Export Reinstall Recovery Kit.
2. Save the kit outside DevDesk and verify that the file exists.
3. Back up workspace folders independently using a normal file copy or Git.
4. After reinstall, import the kit.
5. Open Reconnect Recorded Workspaces, then select Reconnect a workspace for every recorded folder. Windows requires you to select the folder again; Android also requires the system folder permission again.

An app cannot safely create a last-minute backup after the operating system has already started uninstalling it. Export first.

Windows and Android handoff#

The recovery kit restores supported independent DevDesk data and a reconnection catalog; it does not move external project folders. Copy or sync those folders separately, reopen project.devdesk, and grant permission again.

Android supports editing, graph, Canvas, agent context, and reviewed proposals. Windows provides local Git CLI actions and allowlisted verification adapters after explicit workspace execution trust. Continue verification on Windows when a mobile change requires project commands.

Safety#

Keep backups private. Redaction cannot guarantee that every confidential value is recognized.

Before a major operation#

1. Export a backup.
2. Save it to a private location.
3. Verify the file exists and is not empty.
4. Keep external project folders under their own backup or version-control strategy.
5. After import, reopen important tools and verify state.

Replace versus merge#

• Replace uses the imported supported records as the new local set.
• Merge combines supported records according to the import rules.

Always read the preview because conflicts and duplicate identifiers can produce different outcomes.