Problem

Git backs up the knowledge files, but the SQLite database contains state that doesn't rebuild from `pyrite index sync`: settings, user preferences, starred entries, collection configuration, and other user-generated data. Losing the database means losing personalization and configuration.

Vectors and the FTS index do rebuild from `index sync` — those don't need backup.

Solution

```bash

Backup non-rebuildable tables

pyrite db backup --output backup-2026-03-01.json

Restore from backup

pyrite db restore --input backup-2026-03-01.json

List what's in a backup

pyrite db backup --dry-run ```

What Gets Backed Up

Settings (user preferences, AI provider config)

Starred entries

API keys (hashed)

Collection user state (view preferences, sort orders)

Any future application-layer state

What Does NOT Get Backed Up (rebuildable)

Entry index (rebuilt by `pyrite index sync`)

FTS index (rebuilt by indexing)

Embedding vectors (rebuilt by embedding pipeline)

Block table (rebuilt by indexing)

Format

JSON export for portability. Works across SQLite and Postgres backends. Includes schema version for forward compatibility.

Prerequisites

None — straightforward export/import of specific tables

Success Criteria

`pyrite db backup` exports all non-rebuildable state

`pyrite db restore` imports cleanly

Round-trip preserves all data

Works on both SQLite and Postgres backends

Documented in operations runbook

Launch Context

Nice-to-have for 0.8. Becomes important for demo site (periodic reset to clean state) and any production deployment.

Database Backup and Restorebacklog_item