The "backups" feature never backs up memory — ~/.agentmemory/backups/ holds only connect config snapshots; no memory backup/restore command exists

[Realinvestrepublic]

Summary

~/.agentmemory/backups/ implies memory protection, but it never contains a memory backup. It is written only by the connect/remove flow, which snapshots an editor/agent config file before editing it (plus connect-manifest.json) via backupFile() in src/cli/connect/util.ts. In practice the only file present can be an unrelated Claude Code settings snapshot (keys like numStartups, installMethod, tipsHistory, userID) — nothing recoverable if the memory store itself is lost.

There is no backup CLI command and no scheduled/automatic memory backup. Memory can only be exported via the manual GET /agentmemory/export (which has its own >16 MiB failure — #1142 / #1143) and re-imported via import-jsonl — neither is automated. Confirmed in 0.9.28 and on main.

This is distinct from the git-snapshots/ mechanism (#1006 / #1007 / #1158), which is a separate feature that those issues show is itself incomplete (interval not wired, no auto-restore).

Impact

Users reasonably assume a directory called backups/ means their memory is backed up. When a persistence bug empties the store (#913, #301, #843), there is nothing to restore from.

Suggested fix

• Add a real agentmemory backup command and/or a scheduled job that snapshots the memory store (the physical store directory and/or a logical export) to a location outside the store directory, with retention; document the restore path.
• Rename/clarify the connect config-snapshot directory so it isn't mistaken for a memory backup.

Environment

macOS (Apple Silicon), @agentmemory/agentmemory 0.9.28.

Refs: #1006 / #1007 / #1158 / #523 (the separate git-snapshot feature — for contrast), and #1142 / #1143 (the export size bug that limits the one manual dump path).