A safety-first utility that creates automatic rollbacks and backups before modifying critical configuration files.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install safe-edit
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install safe-edit using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is safe-edit?
The safe-edit skill is an essential security layer for AI-driven system administration and developer workflows. It ensures that any modifications to sensitive configuration files—such as system services, application settings, or core agent parameters—are reversible. By implementing a time-based rollback mechanism, it prevents Openclaw Skills from inadvertently causing service outages or permanent data loss during automated editing tasks.
This utility acts as a safety net for Openclaw Skills by creating a temporary restoration point before any changes are applied. It is designed to be cross-platform, offering native support for Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, and Windows environments, making it a versatile tool for maintaining system stability during complex configuration updates.
safe-edit Use Cases
- Modifying core agent configuration files like openclaw.json to ensure the agent remains functional.
- Updating system-level services including crontab, nginx.conf, or docker-compose.yml files.
- Managing scheduled tasks and cron jobs securely without risking syntax errors.
- Adjusting sensitive user data, permissions, or authentication profiles.
- Changing network settings such as ports or domain configurations where a mistake could lead to a system lockout.
How safe-edit Works
- The user or agent initiates a modification by calling the start command with the target file path.
- The skill automatically creates a secure backup of the existing configuration file.
- A scheduled rollback task is initialized (defaulting to a 15-minute window) to restore the backup if changes are not confirmed.
- The agent performs the required configuration edits on the live file.
- Upon successful verification of the changes, the user or agent issues a confirm command to cancel the pending rollback timer.
- If an error occurs or the service fails to start, the rollback can be triggered manually or allowed to execute automatically when the timer expires.
safe-edit Setup
The safe-edit skill is typically bundled within the environment for Openclaw Skills. To use it via the CLI or within a workflow, ensure the underlying script is accessible in your path.
# Start a safe editing session for a specific config file
safe-edit start /path/to/config.json
# Confirm changes and cancel the automatic rollback timer
safe-edit confirm
# Manually trigger an immediate rollback if something goes wrong
safe-edit cancel
# Check the status of current backups and active timers
safe-edit status
safe-edit Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill manages temporary backup files and utilizes system-level task schedulers to maintain the rollback lifecycle.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Backup File | A hidden copy of the original configuration file stored safely before modification. |
| Rollback Timer | A background process (using at, schtasks, or sleep) tracking the 15-minute safety window. |
| State Metadata | Tracks which files are currently under protection by Openclaw Skills to prevent overlapping edits. |
safe-edit Advanced Features
- Multi-platform support using native system schedulers like at (Linux/FreeBSD) or schtasks (Windows).
- Automatic 15-minute safety window designed specifically to prevent permanent system lockouts during remote edits.
- Seamless integration with Openclaw Skills workflows to enforce safe editing as a mandatory prerequisite for critical file operations.
- Background process management for systems lacking dedicated persistent task schedulers.
- Immediate manual cancellation and restoration capabilities for rapid recovery.
SKILL.md
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