---
title: "export"
description: "Copy a companion into a new directory, to move it to another machine or keep a copy."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://clanka.jfa.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# export

```sh
clanka export <soul> <dir>
```

Writes three files into a new directory:

| File           | What it is                                                                        |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `soul.md`      | The companion's soul.                                                             |
| `companion.db` | A snapshot of the encrypted database. Safe to take while the companion is in use. |
| `key`          | The database key, in plain text.                                                  |

> **Caution**
>
> Whoever has the directory can read every memory. Move it over a channel you
> trust and delete it afterwards.

It changes nothing here. A companion that was never opened gets its empty
database first.

It needs no embedding model, so it also works after `[embedding] model`
changed and before `clanka doctor reembed`.

Set the companion up on the other machine with
[`clanka import`](/cli/import/).

## Arguments

### `<soul>`

The companion's `soul.md`, as printed by `clanka init`.

### `<dir>`

The directory to create. It must not exist yet.

```sh
clanka export ~/.config/clanka/souls/<id>.md ~/nova-export
scp -r ~/nova-export other-machine:
```

Source: https://clanka.jfa.dev/cli/export/index.mdx