Data, security and upgrades#

PacketBench stores application state under the current user's PacketBench data directory and keeps provider, git-host and optional SSH secrets in the operating-system credential store. Project memory can also be stored with the project when you explicitly use repository-backed notes.

Back up before upgrading#

Prerequisites#

• PacketBench is closed.
• No Flight attempt or terminal process is still writing state.
• Important attempt commits have been pushed or copied to a known repository.

1. Record the installed version.
2. Back up the PacketBench data directory for your user. It holds application state and your trusted-projects.json list.
3. Back up or push all project branches and worktrees you need.
4. Build or install the new version.
5. Open one noncritical workspace first and verify its layout and conversations.

Never restore only part of the data directory over a newer schema. Restore the complete backup while PacketBench is closed.

Security practices#

• A conversation that does not choose a posture runs as Manual: it asks before bash, write_file, edit_file and create_pull_request. Default, which runs those tools without prompting, and Yolo, which allows every tool, are explicit choices you make per conversation.
• A sub-agent can never hold those four tools, whatever a custom agent definition requests. Give a sub-agent read-only work.
• Repository-supplied automation — hooks, .mcp.json servers and .claude/agents definitions — runs only in a project you have listed as trusted. See Configuration.
• Treat approved shell commands and MCP tools as code execution under your account.
• Keep API keys out of prompts, project rules and memory notes.
• Provider and git-host tokens live in the operating-system credential store. Delete any plaintext token file you still keep in the data directory; it is no longer read and is only a credential left lying about.
• Pin SSH host keys and investigate unexpected changes.
• Use read-only permissions for repository discovery and planning.
• Inspect Git diffs and run project tests before integrating an attempt.
• Do not expose local MCP or application endpoints to an untrusted network.

Verify#

• The version shown in Settings is the version you installed.
• Existing workspaces open without launching unexpected processes.
• Provider keys remain usable without being displayed.
• Git host connections still refresh repositories, which proves the token was read from the credential store.
• Settings → Security & Diagnostics → Trust & Diagnostics reports the storage mirror state and how many keys were restored on this launch.
• Repository hooks and project MCP servers still load in the projects you trust.
• A terminal and one read-only agent turn work in a disposable project.
• Existing project Git status is unchanged.

If it does not work#