Skill: IDEA Config Backup

Create and restore rolling backups of IntelliJ IDEA .idea/ configuration.

When to Use

• Before major structural changes
• Before module reorganization
• When experimenting with settings
• After making working configuration

When NOT to Use

• For VCS operations (use git)
• For module management (use /idea sync-modules)
• For changelist work (use /idea changelist)

Quick Start

1. Create backup: /idea backup - Snapshot current config
2. List backups: /idea restore - Show available backups
3. Restore: /idea restore 3 - Restore backup #3

Commands

/idea backup

Create timestamped backup of .idea/ directory:

1. Create ZIP archive:

   • Filename: idea-backup-{timestamp}.zip
   • Location: .backups/idea/

2. Update backup log:

   • Add entry to backup-log.xml
   • Include timestamp, ID, description

3. Rolling cleanup:

   • Keep last N backups (default: 10)
   • Delete older archives

Output:

Created backup #7: idea-backup-2026-01-31-143022.zip
Location: .backups/idea/

/idea restore

List available backups:

Available IDEA Backups:
  #1  2026-01-28 09:15:22  Before module reorg
  #2  2026-01-29 14:30:45  After scope setup
  #3  2026-01-30 11:22:33  Pre-experiment
  #4  2026-01-31 14:30:22  Current config

/idea restore [id]

Restore specific backup:

1. Verify backup exists
2. Confirm with user (destructive operation)
3. Create safety backup of current state
4. Extract ZIP to .idea/
5. Notify reload required

Output:

Restored backup #3 (2026-01-30 11:22:33)
Please restart IDEA to apply changes.

Backup Structure

Directory Layout

.backups/
└── idea/
    ├── backup-log.xml
    ├── idea-backup-2026-01-28-091522.zip
    ├── idea-backup-2026-01-29-143045.zip
    └── idea-backup-2026-01-31-143022.zip

backup-log.xml Format

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<backups>
  <backup id="1" timestamp="2026-01-28T09:15:22"
          file="idea-backup-2026-01-28-091522.zip"
          description="Before module reorg" />
  <backup id="2" timestamp="2026-01-29T14:30:45"
          file="idea-backup-2026-01-29-143045.zip"
          description="After scope setup" />
</backups>

ZIP Contents

idea-backup-*.zip
├── workspace.xml
├── modules.xml
├── misc.xml
├── vcs.xml
├── *.iml
└── ...

Configuration

Rolling Backup Count

Default: Keep last 10 backups

Configurable via .claude/idea-tools.local.md:

---
backup_count: 10
backup_location: .backups/idea
---

Exclusions

Files excluded from backup:

• workspace.xml cache sections
• shelf/ (uncommitted changes)
• usage.statistics.xml
• tasks.xml (ephemeral)

Failure Modes & Recovery

Security & Permissions

• Required tools: Read, Write, Bash (zip/unzip)
• Confirmations: Before restore (destructive)
• Safety: Auto-creates safety backup before restore

References

• Backup Format - XML and ZIP specification

Metadata

author: Christian Kusmanow / Claude
version: 1.0.0
last_updated: 2026-01-31
migrated_from: idea-automation v1.1.0