Shell Commands

It is possible to run shell commands before and after backups. To configure them, open Menu ▸ Backup Preferences. Use the start button to try out the command without running a backup.

The pre-backup shell command will be executed right before starting the backup. It can be used to perform database dumps, create file system snapshots and much more.

The post-backup shell command is executed after the borg create invocation, but before old archives are being deleted. This can be used to tear down the actions done by the pre-backup command, or run actions like sending a notification based on the outcome of the backup.

Both commands are being executed through a bash shell and have context about the backup available as environment variables. The working directory is the user home directory. The post-backup command also has information about the success or failure of the backup and includes backup statistics. See the tooltip in preferences for available environment variables.

Exiting with a non-zero exit code will abort any further backup operations with an error. The standard error output will be visible in the Backup Info window on the Backup tab.