Crawl Cove is local-first, and your data is yours to take out at any time. There are two ways to get it out: targeted CSV exports for feeding a spreadsheet or another tool, and a full database backup for keeping a complete snapshot.
CSV exports (Reports page)
The client Reports page has two Export CSV buttons alongside the PDF builder:
| Export | Scope | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Findings CSV | One audit run | Open findings (open / in progress / regressed), sorted by impact, with severity, category, check id, URL, evidence, and recommendation. |
| Keywords CSV | The selected site | Per-keyword weekly + monthly rank deltas. |
Both open a native save dialog, where the main process owns the file path — the renderer never touches the filesystem — and show an inline success / cancel / error message. The row content is never logged.
Note
The two exports are scoped differently on purpose. Findings are tied to a single crawl run, so the CSV captures that exact audit. Keywords are tracked at the site level over time, so the CSV reflects the whole rank history for the selected site.
Full database backup (Settings page)
For a complete snapshot, the agency Settings page has a Back up database button. It writes a consistent copy of the entire SQLite database to a folder you choose.
It uses an online backup that flushes the write-ahead log first, so the copy is safe to take while the app is open and even mid-crawl — you don't have to quit or pause your work to back up.
Heads up
Your encrypted secrets — OAuth tokens and API keys — live separately under
<userData>/secrets/, not in the database. A DB backup deliberately does
not include them; secrets never leave safeStorage. After restoring a backup
on a new machine you'll re-enter and reconnect those keys.
The live database itself sits at <userData>/crawlcove.db, with the secrets
folder alongside it at <userData>/secrets/.
Why this matters
Nothing here phones home to a vendor backend. Your client data lives on your machine, and these two exports mean you can lift it out — a run's findings, a site's rank history, or the whole database — whenever you want, in formats you own. That's the local-first promise made concrete: no lock-in, no export quota, no permission to ask.
The white-label PDF report is the client-facing export; the CSVs and database backup above are for your own analysis, tooling, and archives.