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toni stores all data in a single SQLite file, making backups simple and portable. No external database server is required.

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Finding Your Database

By default, toni stores its database at: 
~/.toni/toni.db
You can verify the location by checking the config directory: 
ls -la ~/.toni/
If you specified a custom database path with --db, use that path instead.

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Creating Backups

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Simple File Copy

The easiest way to back up your data is to copy the SQLite file: 
# Make sure toni is not running
cp ~/.toni/toni.db ~/.toni/toni.db.backup
Always close toni before backing up the database file to avoid copying a partially-written database.

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Timestamped Backups

Create backups with timestamps for version control: 
cp ~/.toni/toni.db ~/.toni/toni.db.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
This creates files like toni.db.20260304_143022.

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Automated Backups with Cron

Schedule daily backups: 
# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add this line (runs daily at 2 AM)
0 2 * * * cp ~/.toni/toni.db ~/.toni/backups/toni.db.$(date +\%Y\%m\%d)
Create the backup directory first: 
mkdir -p ~/.toni/backups

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Using SQLite’s Backup Command

For more robust backups while toni is running, use SQLite’s .backup command: 
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni.db ".backup ~/.toni/toni.db.backup"
This method is safe even if toni is actively writing to the database.

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Restoring from Backup

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Full Restore

Replace the current database with a backup: 
# Make sure toni is not running
cp ~/.toni/toni.db.backup ~/.toni/toni.db

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Verify Integrity

Before restoring, verify the backup is not corrupted: 
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni.db.backup "PRAGMA integrity_check;"
Expected output: 
ok
If you see errors, try an older backup.

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Exporting Data

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Export to SQL

Export the entire database as SQL statements: 
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni.db .dump > toni_export.sql
This creates a text file with all CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements.

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Export to CSV

Export individual tables to CSV format: 
sqlite3 -header -csv ~/.toni/toni.db \
  "SELECT * FROM visits;" > visits.csv

sqlite3 -header -csv ~/.toni/toni.db \
  "SELECT * FROM restaurants;" > restaurants.csv

sqlite3 -header -csv ~/.toni/toni.db \
  "SELECT * FROM want_to_visit;" > want_to_visit.csv

# Export visits with restaurant names
sqlite3 -header -csv ~/.toni/toni.db \
  "SELECT v.visited_on, r.name, r.city, v.rating, v.notes 
   FROM visits v 
   JOIN restaurants r ON v.restaurant_id = r.id 
   ORDER BY v.visited_on DESC;" > visits_detailed.csv

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Export to JSON

Use SQLite’s JSON output mode (requires SQLite 3.33+): 
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni.db \
  -json "SELECT * FROM visits;" > visits.json

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Importing Data

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Import from SQL Dump

Restore from a SQL dump file: 
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni.db < toni_export.sql
This assumes an empty database. If restoring to an existing database, you may encounter primary key conflicts.

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Import CSV Data

Import CSV files back into the database: 
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni.db <<EOF
.mode csv
.import visits.csv visits
EOF
Make sure the CSV file includes a header row matching the table column names.

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Migration Considerations

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Moving to a New Machine

Transfer your entire toni configuration: 
# On the old machine
tar -czf toni_backup.tar.gz ~/.toni/

# Transfer toni_backup.tar.gz to the new machine

# On the new machine
tar -xzf toni_backup.tar.gz -C ~/
This preserves:
  • Database (toni.db)
  • Onboarding settings (onboarding.json)
  • Yelp API key (yelp_api_key)
  • UI preferences (ui_prefs.json)

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Schema Compatibility

toni does not currently support schema migrations. Backing up before upgrading to a new version is recommended.
If schema changes occur between versions, you may need to:
  1. Export data from the old database
  2. Install the new version of toni
  3. Let it create a fresh database with the new schema
  4. Manually import your old data

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Database Size Management

Compact the database to reclaim unused space: 
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni.db "VACUUM;"
Check database size: 
du -h ~/.toni/toni.db
Typical database sizes:
  • 100 visits: ~50-100 KB
  • 1,000 visits: ~500 KB - 1 MB
  • 10,000 visits: ~5-10 MB

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Syncing Across Devices

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Using Cloud Storage

Store your database in a synced folder: 
# Dropbox example
mkdir -p ~/Dropbox/toni
toni --db ~/Dropbox/toni/toni.db
SQLite does not support concurrent writes. Only run toni on one device at a time, or you risk database corruption.

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Git-Based Sync

For version-controlled backups: 
cd ~/.toni
git init
echo "*.db-journal" > .gitignore
git add toni.db onboarding.json ui_prefs.json
git commit -m "Backup toni data"
git remote add origin <your-repo-url>
git push -u origin main
Consider encrypting your repository if it contains sensitive restaurant notes or API keys.

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Disaster Recovery

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Corrupted Database

If toni reports database errors: 
# Check integrity
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni.db "PRAGMA integrity_check;"
If corruption is detected: 
# Attempt to dump and restore
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni.db .dump | sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni_recovered.db

# Verify the recovered database
sqlite3 ~/.toni/toni_recovered.db "PRAGMA integrity_check;"

# If successful, replace the original
mv ~/.toni/toni.db ~/.toni/toni.db.corrupted
mv ~/.toni/toni_recovered.db ~/.toni/toni.db

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Lost Database

If you’ve lost your database file:
  1. Check for automatic backups in ~/.toni/backups/ (if you set up cron)
  2. Search for SQLite journal files: ~/.toni/toni.db-journal
  3. Check cloud storage sync folders
  4. Restore from your most recent backup

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Backup Best Practices

Essential files:
  • ~/.toni/toni.db (main database)
  • ~/.toni/onboarding.json (settings)
  • ~/.toni/yelp_api_key (API key, if you want to preserve it)
Optional:
  • ~/.toni/ui_prefs.json (UI preferences like column visibility)
Suggested retention:
  • Keep daily backups for 7 days
  • Keep weekly backups for 1 month
  • Keep monthly backups for 1 year
  • Delete older backups to save space
Example cleanup script:
# Keep only backups from last 7 days
find ~/.toni/backups/ -name "toni.db.*" -mtime +7 -delete

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