#Data Export & Import

Your data, your rules. Export everything you've ever added to ambientChat — inventory, documents, conversations, preferences, the lot — as a portable archive you can keep, inspect, or bring to another platform. It's your digital life in a ZIP file.

#What It Does

Data Export creates a downloadable archive of your entire ambientChat account. Everything goes in: inventory items, documents (receipts, manuals, warranties), conversation history, folder structures, preferences, and settings. You get it all in one tidy package, because your data belongs to you and you should be able to walk away with it at any time.

Two formats are available:

• JSON — A machine-readable archive that can be imported back into ambientChat. This is the format you want for backups and portability. It preserves every field, every relationship, every document ID.
• CSV — A spreadsheet-friendly export for humans who want to browse their data in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers. Great for reviewing what you've got, but it's read-only — you can't import CSV back into the app.

Data Import does the reverse: take a previously exported JSON archive and restore it into your account. You can choose to overwrite existing data or skip items that already exist. Handy for restoring from a backup, migrating between accounts, or recovering from that time you accidentally deleted everything. (Not that you would. But just in case.)

#How to Use It

#iOS App

#Exporting Your Data

1. Go to Account (tap your profile icon)
2. Scroll to Data Export/Import
3. Tap Export My Data
4. Choose your format:
   • JSON for a full backup you can re-import later
   • CSV for a spreadsheet you can browse
5. The export starts as a background job — you'll see a progress indicator
6. When complete, you'll receive a notification with a download link
7. Tap the link to download your ZIP archive

The export runs server-side, so you can close the app and come back later. It won't lose your place.

#Importing Your Data

1. Go to Account > Data Export/Import
2. Tap Import Data
3. Select your previously exported ZIP file
4. Choose a merge strategy:
   • Overwrite — existing items are updated with the imported data
   • Skip Existing — items that already exist in your account are left unchanged; only new items are added
5. Tap Start Import
6. The import processes in the background and you'll be notified when it's done

#Via Claude Desktop (MCP)

If you've connected ambientChat to Claude Desktop, you can export and import using MCP tools:

Exporting:

1. Use the export_user_data tool, optionally specifying format: "json" or format: "csv"
2. This starts an async export job and returns a job ID
3. Use get_export_status with the job ID to check progress
4. When the status shows "completed," you'll get a download URL in the response

Importing:

1. Use get_import_upload_url to get a secure upload URL
2. Upload your ZIP archive to that URL via PUT request
3. Use import_user_data with the returned storagePath to start the import
4. Optionally set mergeStrategy: "skip_existing" to protect existing data, or remapIds: true for cross-account imports

Example Claude Desktop prompts:

• "Export all my ambientChat data as JSON."
• "Check the status of my export job."
• "Import my backup archive into ambientChat."

#Tips & Tricks

• Export regularly as a backup. Set a mental reminder (or ask your AI to remind you) to export every month or so. If anything ever goes wrong, you'll have a recent snapshot to restore from. Think of it as flossing for your data hygiene.
• JSON format preserves everything for re-import. If you might ever want to restore your data, always export as JSON. CSV is lovely for browsing but it's a one-way trip — you can look but you can't go back.
• CSV exports open beautifully in spreadsheet apps. Want to see how much you've spent at Costco this year? Export as CSV, open in Sheets, and sort to your heart's content. Pivot tables optional but encouraged.

#Options

#Known Limitations

• Large accounts may take a minute to export. If you've cataloged thousands of items and uploaded hundreds of documents, the export job needs time to gather and package everything. The background job handles this gracefully — you just need a bit of patience.
• CSV is read-only. You cannot import a CSV file back into ambientChat. It's an export-only format designed for human consumption. For round-trip portability, use JSON.
• Import replaces or skips — no per-field merge. When importing with the "overwrite" strategy, the entire item is replaced with the imported version. There's no way to merge individual fields (e.g., keep the current price but update the notes). If you need that level of control, edit items individually after import.
• Cross-account imports require ID remapping. If you're importing data from one account into a different account, use the remapIds option. Otherwise, document ID collisions may cause unexpected behavior.
• Export download links expire. The download URL provided after export has a time limit. If you wait too long, you'll need to run the export again. Download promptly, like milk from the doorstep.

#Version History