Bundle Format

Gandalf uses .gandalf bundles to move a saved setup between local stores or machines. Bundles are not profiles, sync state, or a cloud service.

Structure

A .gandalf file is a POSIX tar archive containing:

  • .gandalf/format-version — the bundle format version
  • manifest.json and checksum data — metadata and integrity information
  • snapshot/ — saved setup evidence and graph data
  • optional content/ — captured supported user-global files, omitted with --metadata-only

Usage

gandalf bundle export --name baseline --out backup.gandalf --project .
gandalf bundle inspect backup.gandalf
gandalf bundle import backup.gandalf --dry-run --project .

Security

Bundles omit or redact raw secret values. Gandalf validates paths and checksums before import; preview with --dry-run before applying captured content.