Genesis Docs

Install / Maintenance

Migrating Genesis to a New Machine

This guide moves an Genesis gateway to a new machine without redoing onboarding.

What Gets Migrated

When you copy the state directory (~/.genesis/ by default) and your workspace, you preserve:

  • Config -- genesis.json and all gateway settings
  • Auth -- per-agent auth-profiles.json (API keys + OAuth), plus any channel/provider state under credentials/
  • Sessions -- conversation history and agent state
  • Channel state -- WhatsApp login, Telegram session, etc.
  • Workspace files -- MEMORY.md, USER.md, skills, and prompts

Run genesis status on the old machine to confirm your state directory path. Custom profiles use ~/.genesis-<profile>/ or a path set via GENESIS_STATE_DIR.

Migration Steps

Stop the gateway and back up

On the old machine, stop the gateway so files are not changing mid-copy, then archive:

genesis gateway stop
cd ~
tar -czf genesis-state.tgz .genesis

If you use multiple profiles (e.g. ~/.genesis-work), archive each separately.

Install Genesis on the new machine

Install the CLI (and Node if needed) on the new machine. It is fine if onboarding creates a fresh ~/.genesis/ -- you will overwrite it next.

Copy state directory and workspace

Transfer the archive via scp, rsync -a, or an external drive, then extract:

cd ~
tar -xzf genesis-state.tgz

Ensure hidden directories were included and file ownership matches the user that will run the gateway.

Run doctor and verify

On the new machine, run Doctor to apply config migrations and repair services:

genesis doctor
genesis gateway restart
genesis status

Common Pitfalls

Profile or state-dir mismatch

If the old gateway used --profile or GENESIS_STATE_DIR and the new one does not, channels will appear logged out and sessions will be empty. Launch the gateway with the same profile or state-dir you migrated, then rerun genesis doctor.

Copying only genesis.json

The config file alone is not enough. Model auth profiles live under agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json, and channel/provider state still lives under credentials/. Always migrate the entire state directory.

Permissions and ownership

If you copied as root or switched users, the gateway may fail to read credentials. Ensure the state directory and workspace are owned by the user running the gateway.

Remote mode

If your UI points at a remote gateway, the remote host owns sessions and workspace. Migrate the gateway host itself, not your local laptop. See FAQ.

Secrets in backups

The state directory contains auth profiles, channel credentials, and other provider state. Store backups encrypted, avoid insecure transfer channels, and rotate keys if you suspect exposure.

Verification Checklist

On the new machine, confirm:

  • [ ] genesis status shows the gateway running
  • [ ] Channels are still connected (no re-pairing needed)
  • [ ] The dashboard opens and shows existing sessions
  • [ ] Workspace files (memory, configs) are present