Documentation

Everything you need to back up, restore, and share your Claude Code environment.

Getting Started

Choose your setup

Install the CLI globally, authenticate, then push your environment — including CLAUDE.md, agents, slash commands, MCP servers, and plugins.

npm install -g respawn-cli

respawn login

respawn global push -m "my setup"
# backs up:
#   ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
#   ~/.claude/agents/code-reviewer.md
#   ~/.claude/commands/deploy.md
#   ~/.claude/settings.json  (MCP servers, hooks)
#   ~/.claude/plugins/

CLI Reference

Command	Description
respawn login	Authenticate with Respawn
respawn global push -m "msg"	Back up ~/.claude/ — CLAUDE.md, agents, commands, settings
respawn global pull	Restore ~/.claude/ — skills, commands, MCP config and all
respawn global log	View global backup history
respawn push -m "msg"	Back up .claude/ in current directory
respawn pull	Restore .claude/
respawn log	View project backup history
respawn share	Generate a shareable link
respawn clone [token]	Clone someone's setup
respawn status	Show current backup status

Backup profiles

Control how much of your environment gets included in each backup. Set your profile during respawn init.

Profile	What's included	Typical size
essential (default)	settings.json, plugins/installed_plugins.json	~5 KB
standard	+ CLAUDE.md, agents/ (skills), commands/ (slash commands)	~50 KB
full	+ CLAUDE.md, agents/, commands/, conversation history	~5 MB

MCP Setup

Add the Respawn MCP server to your Claude Code settings to back up and restore directly from within Claude.

Configuration

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "respawn": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "respawn-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Available MCP tools

Tool	Description
backup	Back up your current environment
restore	Restore your environment from a backup
list_backups	View your backup history
share	Generate a shareable link

Plugin Setup

Install the Respawn plugin to access backup commands directly from the Claude Code slash command menu.

Install

In Claude Code, run:

/plugin install respawn@rubric-dev

Available commands

Command	Description
/respawn:backup [message]	Back up your current environment
/respawn:restore	Restore your environment
/respawn:share	Generate a shareable link
/respawn:status	Show current backup status

Note: The plugin requires respawn-cli to be installed globally.

Share & Clone

Share your setup

respawn share
# → https://respawn.run/s/abc123

Anyone with the link can browse your files in the browser — no account needed.

Clone a setup

respawn clone abc123

Applies the shared environment to your local .claude/ directory. Existing files are auto-backed up first.

Customize what's shared

respawn share --files "CLAUDE.md,settings.json"

Omit sensitive files by specifying exactly which files to include.

FAQ

What files does Respawn back up?

By default (essential profile): settings.json, plugins/installed_plugins.json, and .claude.json. Use the standard or full profile to include more.

Is my data private?

Yes. Only you can access your backups. Shared links only expose the specific files you choose to share.

Does Respawn back up my conversation history?

Not by default. Use --profile full during init to include conversation history in your backups.

How is this different from just copying ~/.claude/?

Respawn gives you version history, cloud storage, shareable links, and one-command restore on any machine. No more zipping folders and sending them over Slack.

What about .env files?

Respawn never includes .env files or any file matching .env*. Your secrets stay local.