---
title: "Exporting your data"
description: "The local JSON export bundle, what's included, where it goes, and how to use it for backup or migration."
slug: guides/memory-and-learning/exporting-your-data
section: guides
subsection: memory-and-learning
canonical_url: https://cerevisor.com/docs/guides/memory-and-learning/exporting-your-data
last_verified: 2026-05-18
last_verified_version: "1.2.0"
updated_at: 2026-05-18T15:08:18.053416+00:00
---

Cerevisor's data is local-first. To back it up, migrate to a new machine, or just see exactly what's stored, use the export bundle.

## The export button

Open the **Memory view → Consent** tab. Click **Export everything as JSON**.

You'll be prompted for a save location. Cerevisor writes a single JSON file.

## What's in the bundle

The bundle (`bundleVersion: 2`) contains:

- **`consent`**: your current consent flags + the full consent history (append-only audit log).
- **`inventory`**: every record in the metadata table, with classification, provenance, and timestamps.
- **`documents`**: the byte-for-byte content of every memory document (profile.md, profile.json, harness/self.md, harness/self.json, harness/corrections.ndjson, meta-cognition/observations.md, meta-cognition/harness-self-portrait.md, entries/MEMORY.md, etc.).
- **`quality`**: per-record reinforcement count + maturity.
- **`facets`**: your structured user facets (seniority, country, industries, etc.).
- **`workflowShapes`**: the last 200 workflow runs' structural metadata (agent count, providers used, costs).
- **`outcomeAlignments`**: outcome alignment scores per session.
- **`bundles`**: memory bundles you've created (Phase 3 marketplace primitive; usually empty in v1).

The bundle is intentionally complete. Nothing about your Cerevisor memory state is missing.

## What's NOT in the bundle

- API keys (those live in the OS keychain, not the memory subsystem).
- Workflow files (`.cerevisor` / `.cerevisor-world`: back those up separately).
- Skills (those live in `~/.claude/skills/` and `~/.cerevisor/skills/`: back those folders).
- Audit logs (`~/.cerevisor/audit-logs/`: append-only NDJSON, back up the folder).

For a complete machine backup, copy the whole `~/.cerevisor/` folder. The memory bundle is a focused export of just the memory subsystem, useful for sharing with another person or auditing.

## Use cases

### Backup

Run the export monthly. Keep the file in your usual backup location (cloud storage, external drive). If your machine dies or you need to roll back, you can restore.

### Migration to a new machine

1. Export on the old machine.
2. Install Cerevisor on the new machine.
3. (Manual step until v2's import flow lands:) place the bundle at `~/.cerevisor/memory/import.json`.
4. Restart Cerevisor; it'll prompt to import.

Today, the cleanest migration is just copying `~/.cerevisor/` wholesale. The export bundle's import path is a Phase 2 feature.

### Audit

Open the JSON in any text editor. Search for "containsThirdPartyPii", "consentScope", or any specific term. Confirm Cerevisor is storing what you think it is, and nothing else.

### Sharing with auditors / compliance

The bundle is structured enough that an auditor can verify what data Cerevisor stores about a user without needing direct machine access.

## Privacy

The bundle is **never** sent anywhere by Cerevisor. The export is purely local: you click the button, Cerevisor writes a file to disk. No telemetry. No background upload. If the file leaves your machine, you put it there.

## File size

For a heavy user (months of daily use, hundreds of runs), the bundle is typically 1–10 MB. Most of the size is the workflow-shape rollup and the run logs: the rest is small.

## Bundle versioning

`bundleVersion` in the JSON declares the schema. v1.0.x ships `bundleVersion: 2`. Future versions will add fields. Importers that only understand v1 will read v2 bundles successfully (additive changes only); they just won't see the new fields.

## Other backup paths

If you don't want to use the export bundle:

| Want | Do |
|---|---|
| Full backup | Copy `~/.cerevisor/` to your backup destination. |
| Just memory | Copy `~/.cerevisor/memory/`. |
| Just skills | Copy `~/.cerevisor/skills/` and `~/.claude/skills/`. |
| Just audit logs | Copy `~/.cerevisor/audit-logs/`. |
| Just workflows | Find your `.cerevisor` files (wherever you saved them). |