Claude Cowork + xCloud

Back up and stage sites with Claude Cowork on xCloud

Backing up and staging sites with Claude Cowork means handing Anthropic's desktop agent a whole backup job, such as auditing every site or protecting one before a change, and letting it work through xCloud's operations and come back with a result.

Skill: xcloud:sites
Toolsets: sites
Free with every xCloud account

Set up Claude Cowork All Claude Cowork guides

YouAudit backups on every site. Read-only, report back.

sites_indexread-only

sites_backupStatusread-only

AgentChecked 9 sites. 6 are fine. blog.example.com has no schedule, docs.example.com last backup failed 3 days ago, and the reports Docker app has never been backed up. I changed nothing.

YouBack up docs now and list the reports app for me to decide.

sites_backup

Last updated: October 2026. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.

Setup

How Do You Set Up Claude Cowork to Back up and stage sites on xCloud?

Connect Claude Cowork once; every job on this account uses the same connection. Then ask in plain words.

1
Add xCloud as a custom connector
In Cowork, open Customize, then Connectors, and choose Add custom connector. If you already added xCloud to your Claude account, look for it in that list first. Name it xcloud, use this URL and sign in when the xCloud approval page opens.
URL
```
https://app.xcloud.host/mcp
```
2
Check the connection
Start a task and ask this first. Claude Cowork calls xCloud and names your account and the teams you approved, so you know the connector works before you delegate real work.
Prompt
```
Who am I on xCloud?
```
3
Match the access level to the job
Optional. On the xCloud approval screen, Full access lets a delegated job deploy, update plugins and renew certificates; Read-only is enough for audits and reports. To change the level later, reconnect the connector and approve again. A Team or Enterprise owner adds the same URL under Organization settings, then Connectors.
URL
```
https://app.xcloud.host/mcp
```

Check it worked

Then ask Claude Cowork for the job itself, for example:

Prompt

Audit backups across all my xCloud sites. List every site with no schedule, a failed last backup or no backup in the last 7 days. Do not change anything.

In practice

How Does Backups and staging Work from Claude Cowork?

Cowork suits backups because the job is the same small check repeated across many sites. Instead of asking about the shop, then the blog, then the docs site, you describe the outcome: find every site whose last backup is missing, failed or older than a week, and report them. Cowork works through the list on its own, using the xcloud connector to read backup settings, status and recent backups for each site, and picks the right operation for native sites and Docker apps. You can leave it running and come back to a finished summary: one row per site, what it found and what, if anything, needs your decision. That is a different rhythm from Claude chat, where you steer each turn.

The access level you chose when you added the connector decides what the task can do. A Read-only approval is enough for the whole audit, which makes it the sensible choice for a task you will not watch. When you want Cowork to act, for example take a backup of every site that has none from the last seven days, you reconnect with Full access, and the backups start without an xCloud approval prompt because xCloud treats them as routine. Say in the task that Docker apps are stopped for a moment while their volumes are captured, and tell Cowork to skip production Docker apps and list them for you instead. It will carry that instruction through the run, and a queued backup is only reported as done after Cowork has read a completed result.

Staging is where a delegated task stops and asks. For a Git site such as Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP or Lovable, Cowork can propose a staging environment from a branch you name, but creating it needs your approval and a paid plan, so the task pauses with a clear question rather than going ahead. WordPress staging, restores, native schedule changes and storage providers are dashboard steps. When a task runs into one of them, Cowork records it in its summary with the exact path, such as Site > Site Backup > Previous Backups > Restore, so the follow-up is a short list of clicks for you.

Claude Cowork specific: Cowork inherits the xcloud connector from your Claude account, and it connects from Anthropic's cloud rather than your computer. The access level is fixed at sign-in, so a task cannot take a backup if you approved Read-only. Reconnect the connector and approve Full access first, and keep unattended audit tasks on Read-only so a long run can never change a site.

What xCloud does for backups and staging

xCloud lets the agent read every site's backup state, start a backup on demand for native and Docker sites, and create a staging environment for Git sites. Restores, storage providers and WordPress staging stay in the dashboard, and the agent tells you the exact path when you ask for one.

Find the site. The agent resolves the site by name or domain, restates which one it is about to act on, and reads whether it is a native site or a Docker app, because the two use different backup operations.
Read the protection state. It reads the backup settings, status, count and recent backups. That answers whether the site has a schedule, when the last backup ran, whether it succeeded and where it is stored, before anything is changed.
Back up now. A backup starts without an approval prompt. A native site takes a local backup by default or a remote one when a storage provider is connected. A Docker app is stopped briefly while its volumes are captured, so the agent says so before it backs up a production app.
Wait for the result. xCloud queues the backup and returns straight away. The agent follows the backup task or row until it is terminal, then reports completed or failed instead of treating the queued response as done.
Stage the change. For a Git site such as Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP or Lovable, the agent creates a staging environment from the branch you name, after you approve, and gives you its URL. A WordPress staging site is a dashboard step, and the agent gives you the path.
Hand off restores and settings. If you ask to restore a backup, change a native site's schedule or add a storage provider, the agent explains that these are dashboard-only and gives the path and the site's dashboard link. It never improvises a workaround.

Reference

Backups and staging Settings and Limits on xCloud

The facts Claude Cowork works within when it backs up and stage sites. Where a row names the dashboard, that step stays yours to take there.

Setting or limit	What applies
Native site backup	On demand through the API; the type is local (the default) or remote. A remote backup needs a storage provider with a working connection, otherwise xCloud refuses it with a 422 before anything is queued
Docker app backup	On demand through the API for Compose deploys and most one-click apps. The app is cold-stopped for a moment while volumes are captured. A remote copy goes to an S3-compatible or SFTP provider; Google Drive and pCloud are not supported for Docker apps
Reading backups	Backup list, count, status and settings are readable for every site. Docker apps also expose one backup's detail
Docker backup housekeeping	The agent can label a Docker backup with a note and delete one. Deleting is irreversible, so it names the exact backup by date and note first
Native schedule and retention	Read-only through the API. Change them in the dashboard under Site > Site Backup > Backup Settings
Docker backup settings	Writable through the API: automatic backup on or off, daily, weekly or monthly frequency, and the number of days to keep backups
Restores	Dashboard-only for every site type: Site > Site Backup > Previous Backups > Restore. A backup can also be restored to another site from the same page
Storage providers	Dashboard-only, under Integrations > Storage Provider. Backup settings return a provider's identifier and status, never its credentials
Team-wide backup policy	Applying one backup policy to many sites is dashboard-only, under Global Settings > Site Backup
Git staging	Created through the API for Git sites on paid plans. On the free plan xCloud answers 403 because it is a plan limit, not a permission
WordPress staging	Dashboard-only: xCloud answers 422 when the API is asked for it. Push and pull between staging and production also happen in the dashboard
Snapshots	Snapshots are listed per site. The server-wide snapshot list holds site snapshots, not a server image. Taking or restoring a snapshot, and a whole-server provider backup, stay in the dashboard

Rules Claude Cowork has to follow

A backup runs without an approval prompt, but the agent says when it briefly stops a Docker app and does not trigger one on a busy production app without telling you.
A queued backup is not a finished backup: the agent reports completed or failed only after it has read the result.
Restoring a backup, changing a native site's schedule, adding a storage provider and creating WordPress staging are dashboard steps; the agent gives you the path instead of guessing an operation.
Creating a staging environment stops for your approval, and deleting a backup names the exact backup first.
Before you push staging data to production in the dashboard, take a backup of the production site so you can recover if the push goes wrong.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask Claude Cowork to Do for Backups and staging?

Type these as written and swap in your own repository, site and server names. Reads and routine actions such as backups, cache purges, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan stops and asks first.

Prompt

Audit backups across all my xCloud sites. List every site with no schedule, a failed last backup or no backup in the last 7 days. Do not change anything.

Prompt

Before Friday's release, take a backup of the shop site and the API site, wait for both to finish and report the result for each.

Prompt

Create a staging environment for the API site from the release/2.4 branch. Stop and ask me before you create it.

Prompt

When was the last backup of the shop site, did it succeed, and where is it stored?

Prompt

Check the backup settings on every site and list the ones with no schedule.

Prompt

Take a backup of the n8n Docker app now, before I upgrade it, and tell me when it is done.

Prompt

Switch the n8n Docker app to a daily backup and keep backups for 14 days. Show me the change before you apply it.

Prompt

Create a staging environment for the API site from the feature/checkout branch and give me its URL.

Prompt

List the snapshots of the shop site and tell me which is newest.

Prompt

I need to restore the shop site to last night's backup. Tell me where to click.

Claude Cowork and Backups and staging: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let Claude Cowork back up and stage sites through xCloud.

Can I leave Claude Cowork running a backup audit on its own?

Yes, a Read-only connector is enough. Cowork reads each site's backup settings, status and recent backups and returns a summary of sites with no schedule or a failed backup, and it cannot change anything on your account.

Will Cowork stop before it creates a staging site?

Yes. Creating a staging environment stops for your approval, and it needs a Git site such as Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP or Lovable on a paid plan. Cowork pauses the task with the branch and site named and waits for your answer.

Can an AI agent restore a backup for me?

No. Restoring a native or Docker backup is a dashboard step, under Site > Site Backup > Previous Backups > Restore. The agent can list the backups, tell you which one is newest and completed, and give you the site's dashboard link so you can start the restore yourself.

Does the agent ask before it takes a backup?

No. A backup is a routine action, so xCloud runs it without a confirmation prompt. For a Docker app the agent tells you first that the app stops briefly while its data is captured, and it reports the result only after the backup has finished.

Can the agent change my backup schedule?

For Docker apps, yes: it can turn automatic backups on or off, set daily, weekly or monthly, and set how many days backups are kept. For native sites the schedule, retention and destination are read-only through the API, so you change them in the dashboard under Site > Site Backup > Backup Settings.

Can the agent connect my S3 bucket or other storage?

No. Storage providers are added in the dashboard, under Integrations > Storage Provider, so credentials never pass through a chat. Once a provider exists, the agent can read which one a site's backup settings point at and use it for a remote backup.

Can the agent create a staging site for WordPress?

Not through the API. xCloud answers 422 for WordPress staging, so you create it in the dashboard from the site overview. For Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP and Lovable sites the agent can create a staging environment, which needs a paid plan.

Other agents