From ae66e73d7cc5990e02dfb01f8461596e73fc8661 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Konstantinos Paparas Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:59:46 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] docs: warn against copying sqlite db while rotki is running Filesystem copies of an open SQLite database can capture an inconsistent state due to pending WAL/journal writes. Point users to the in-app backup feature as the safe alternative. --- usage-guides/advanced/data-directory.md | 5 +++++ 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+) diff --git a/usage-guides/advanced/data-directory.md b/usage-guides/advanced/data-directory.md index cbe992c..9392cc8 100644 --- a/usage-guides/advanced/data-directory.md +++ b/usage-guides/advanced/data-directory.md @@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ Before v1.6.0, rotki was saving data in `$USER/.rotkehlchen`. From v1.6.0, that A very good idea for the rotki data directory would be to make frequent backups of it as it contains all of the data of all of your rotki accounts and cache data for historical price queries. +> [!WARNING] +> Do not copy the SQLite database files while rotki is running. The database may have pending writes in its WAL/journal files, so a filesystem copy can capture an inconsistent state that fails to open or is silently corrupted. Always fully close rotki before copying the data directory. +> +> For a safer alternative, use the [in-app backup feature](/usage-guides/settings/account#database-info-user-database-backups), which creates a consistent snapshot while rotki is running. + ## Data directory for unreleased development code If you are running rotki from unreleased code from git branches,