skills.rest
barefootford
barefootfordCOMMUNITY
Explore all skills by this author →
GitHub

backup-library

Backs up ButterCut video libraries into timestamped per-library archives and restores them.

589|97|Updated Nov 10, 2025
Search Tags:#library#restore#backup#archive#video editing#buttercut#apple archive
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/barefootford/buttercut --skill backup-library
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: backup-library
Source: https://github.com/barefootford/buttercut/tree/main/skills/backup-library
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/barefootford/buttercut --skill backup-library

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Video editing libraries accumulate hours of processed footage and metadata, and losing them means redoing that work. This Skill automates per-library backups so each library gets its own timestamped archive without duplicating everything on every run.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Per-Library Timestamped Backups: Each library gets its own subdirectory under the backups folder, and each run writes a timestamped archive of just that one library.
  • Configurable Destination: Reads backups_dir from libraries/settings.yaml, prompting the user to choose the default (~/Documents/buttercut-video-editor-backups) or a custom folder when unset.
  • Apple Archive with Zip Fallback: Uses the hardware-accelerated macOS aa CLI to produce .aar archives on Apple Silicon, falling back to .zip when unavailable.
  • Restore Support: Provides commands to extract a per-library archive back into libraries/ using aa extract or unzip.
  • Use Case: After adding new clips to a wedding footage library, run the backup so only that library's archive is written, then later restore it after a disk failure.

Quick Start

Ask the agent to back up the library you just worked on, and it will resolve the backup destination and write a timestamped archive for that library.

Frequently Asked Questions about backup-library

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I back up a ButterCut video library?▼

Run the backup script with ruby lib/buttercut/backup_libraries.rb --library <library-name> to archive a single library. Omitting the flag backs up every library, which should only be done when explicitly requested.

Where are ButterCut library backups stored?▼

Backups default to ~/Documents/buttercut-video-editor-backups, with each library getting its own subdirectory containing timestamped archives. You can override this by setting backups_dir in libraries/settings.yaml or passing --backups-dir to the script.

How do I restore a ButterCut library from a backup?▼

Extract the per-library archive back into the libraries/ directory. Use aa extract -i <archive.aar> -d libraries/<library> for Apple Archives, or unzip <archive.zip> -d libraries/ for zip files, which already contain the library folder.

Does the backup work without the macOS aa command?▼

Yes, the script falls back to creating standard .zip archives when the macOS aa CLI is unavailable. Apple Archive (.aar) is preferred on Apple Silicon because it is hardware-accelerated and Finder can extract it with a double-click.

Does backing up one library duplicate all my other libraries?▼

No, each run writes a timestamped archive of only the targeted library into its own subdirectory. Adding a clip to one library only writes that library's archive, not a full duplicate of everything.

Related Skills

Explore More Design & Creative Skills→
whyiloveher2411whyiloveher2411

talking-head-recut

Overlay transcript-synchronized graphic cards onto talking-head videos.

Community
Intermediate
anavvanzinanavvanzin

agency-short-video-editing-coach

Coach short-video editors through post-production workflows in CapCut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Final Cut Pro.

Community
Advanced
wjlmrzdwjlmrzd

openclaw-backup

Backup and restore OpenClaw data with compressed tar.gz archives.

Community
Intermediate
ortus-docsortus-docs
16

boxlang-zip

Automate ZIP archive creation, extraction, and modification in BoxLang via bx:zip.

Official
Intermediate