restore
Restore a target from a backup.
skillshare restore # Interactive TUI (browse + restore)
skillshare restore claude # Latest backup
skillshare restore claude --from 2026-01-19_10-00-00 # Specific backup
skillshare restore claude --dry-run # Preview
When to Use
- A sync went wrong and you need to revert a target to its previous state
- You accidentally removed skills from a target
- Browse backup versions interactively and compare against current state
Interactive TUI
On a TTY, skillshare restore with no arguments first asks whether to restore from a backup or from the trash. For a backup, pick a target and browse its backup versions: each shows its date, size, and what it would add or remove compared with the target now, and old versions can be deleted from there. Trash opens the trash TUI. The keys are listed at the bottom of the screen.
Use --no-tui to skip the TUI and show a plain backup list instead.
What Happens
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--all | Restore both skills and agents |
--project, -p | Use project mode (.skillshare/backups/); agents only |
--global, -g | Use global mode (default for skills) |
--from, -f <timestamp> | Restore from specific backup |
--force | Overwrite without confirmation |
--dry-run, -n | Preview without making changes |
--no-tui | Skip interactive TUI, show backup list instead |
restore also accepts a positional kind argument: skillshare restore agents claude restores the agent backup for the claude target.
Finding Backups
List available backups:
skillshare backup --list
Backups ~/.local/share/skillshare/backups
2026-01-20_15-30-00 claude, cursor · 4.2 MB
2026-01-19_10-00-00 claude · 2.1 MB
2026-01-18_09-00-00 claude, cursor · 4.0 MB
3 backups, 10.3 MB
Next
skillshare restore <target> --from <timestamp> roll a target back
Examples
# Restore from latest backup
skillshare restore claude
# Restore from specific backup
skillshare restore claude --from 2026-01-19_10-00-00
# Preview restore
skillshare restore claude --dry-run
# Force restore (skip confirmation)
skillshare restore claude --force
After Restoring
restore replaces the target directory with the snapshot's contents. Because backups capture only local content — symlinked skills are excluded, see What Gets Backed Up — run sync afterwards to bring synced skills back:
skillshare restore claude # Restore local content from backup
skillshare sync # Recreate symlinks for synced skills
Restored content is regular files, not symlinks. If the target only ever held local skills, the restore alone is enough.
Use Cases
Accidental Deletion
If you accidentally deleted a skill:
skillshare restore claude --from 2026-01-19_10-00-00
Reverting Changes
If a sync went wrong:
skillshare restore claude # Go back to pre-sync state
Testing
Restore to test old skill versions:
skillshare restore claude --from 2026-01-15_10-00-00
# Test old skills...
skillshare sync # Return to current state
Agent Restore
Agent restore mirrors skill restore but operates on the parallel <target>-agents backup entries created by backup agents (and the auto-backup that runs before sync agents):
skillshare restore agents claude # Latest agent backup for claude
skillshare restore agents claude --from 2026-01-19_10-00-00
skillshare restore agents -p # Project agents (the only project mode allowed)
skillshare restore --all claude # Skills + agents in one shot
In project mode, restore — like backup — only operates on agents. Without the agents argument it errors:
restore is not supported in project mode (except for agents)
When listing backups via skillshare backup --list, agent backups show as separate entries with the -agents suffix (e.g. claude-agents).