Import/export Raycast preferences with GIt history

_Importexport Raycast preferences with GIt history.md

Raycast has a feature to import/export preferences in a .rayconfig file format. This isn't ideal for use in a dotfiles-esque Git repository since it would be difficult to compare changes with a compressed file. Also, unfortunately, syncing is only possible on a pro subscription and only through Raycast's cloud service.

To get a more useful JSON file from the .rayconfig (example shown in example.rayconfig.json), you will have to first have to export a decrypted version. Go to Settings > Extensions > Raycast > Export Settings & Data and under "Export Password," which by default is 12345678, you will want to delete that.

After that, run the "Export Settings & Data" command. You should be able to export all of the preferences (Settings, Extensions, Floating Notes, Script Directories, Snippets) except Quicklinks without setting a password.

Then, in terminal, run gzip --decompress --keep --suffix .rayconfig NAME_OF_FILE.rayconfig and you should get a JSON file similar to example.rayconfig.json.

After that, you can get it back into .rayconfig format using gzip --keep --suffix .rayconfig NAME_OF_FILE and then run "Import Settings & Data" command to get it back.

As for syncing, I am not sure of a way to do it. Deeplinks may be a path but it still requires some input from the user (raycast://extensions/raycast/raycast/export-settings-data and raycast://extensions/raycast/raycast/import-settings-data). Let me know if you have any thoughts

example.rayconfig.json

{
  "builtin_package_typingPractice": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_default": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1,
    "didMigrateQuicklinkFallbackSearch": true,
    "disabledSiriShortcutIds": [],
    "installedNativeExtensionIdentifiers": ["builtin_package_media"],
    "disabledSiriShortcutNames": [],
    "enabledFallbackSearchIdentifiers": [
      "builtin_command_fileSearch_fallbackSearch",
      "builtin_command_extensionStore_fallbackSearch",
      "builtin_command_searchSnippets_fallbackSearch",
      "raycastQuicklink_9ACA6BC2-5986-429A-965B-79704979028E",
      "builtin_command_dictionary_defineWord_fallbackSearch",
      "builtin_command_translate_fallbackSearch",
      "builtin_command_searchEmoji_fallbackSearch",
      "builtin_command_open-ai-chat-gpt_fallbackSearch",
      "raycastQuicklink_7F5188EF-A84E-4A62-BF17-AF1752169F8B",
      "builtin_command_searchMenuItems_fallbackSearch"
    ],
    "didMigrateWebSearches": true
  },
  "builtin_package_raycastAccount": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_floatingNotes": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_fileSearch": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_github": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_quick-ai": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_calendar": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_dictionary": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_scriptCommands": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_emoji": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_snippets": {
    "snippets": [],
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_raycastExtensions": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1,
    "extensions": []
  },
  "builtin_package_navigation": {
    "pinnedMenuItems": [],
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_linear": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "raycast_onboarding": {
    "completedTaskIdentifiers": [],
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1,
    "showOnboardingItem": true
  },
  "builtin_package_clipboardHistory": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "raycast_version": "1.79.1",
  "builtin_package_webSearches": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_browserBookmarks": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_url": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_reminders": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_calculator": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_contacts": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_asana": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_translator": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_rootSearch": {
    "rootSearch": [
      {
        "frecencyDate": 749857956.5999999,
        "searchTerms": "export",
        "key": "builtin_command_configurationExport",
        "openedAt": 744105261.879,
        "type": "command"
      }
    ],
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_nodeExtension": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_developer": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_gSuite": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_raycastPreferences": {
    "preferencesAdvanced": {
      "mainWindowCaptureCopyToClipboard": true,
      "navigationCommandStyleIdentifierKey": "macos",
      "mainWindowCaptureOpenQuickAccessOverlay": false,
      "raycastAPIOptions": 0,
      "keepWindowVisibleOnResignKey": false,
      "popToRootTimeout": 90,
      "useHyperKeyIcon": false,
      "mainWindowCaptureShowInFinder": false,
      "raycastWindowPresentationMode": 0
    },
    "preferencesGeneral": {
      "raycastAlternativeEscape": false,
      "raycastGlobalHotkey": "Option-49"
    },
    "preferencesAppearance": {
      "statusBarIsVisible": true,
      "raycastUI_preferredTextSize": "medium",
      "raycastPreferredWindowMode": "default",
      "showFavoritesInCompactMode": true
    },
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_organizations": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "raycast_user_activity": {
    "activities": [
      {
        "type": "appOpen",
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:54:16.269Z",
        "id": 1
      },
      {
        "id": 2,
        "type": "openRaycastCommand",
        "infoId": 1,
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:54:21.879Z"
      },
      {
        "type": "appOpen",
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:54:29.432Z",
        "id": 3
      },
      {
        "id": 4,
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:54:35.940Z",
        "type": "appClose"
      },
      {
        "id": 5,
        "type": "appOpen",
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:54:47.765Z"
      },
      {
        "type": "appClose",
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:54:50.017Z",
        "id": 6
      },
      {
        "type": "appOpen",
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:54:54.218Z",
        "id": 7
      },
      {
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:54:58.181Z",
        "id": 8,
        "type": "appClose"
      },
      {
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:55:32.687Z",
        "id": 9,
        "type": "appOpen"
      },
      {
        "id": 10,
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:55:36.659Z",
        "type": "appOpen"
      },
      {
        "type": "appClose",
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:55:39.686Z",
        "id": 11
      },
      {
        "type": "appOpen",
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:55:43.646Z",
        "id": 12
      },
      {
        "type": "appOpen",
        "id": 13,
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:55:46.001Z"
      },
      {
        "type": "appClose",
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:55:51.255Z",
        "id": 14
      },
      {
        "type": "appOpen",
        "id": 15,
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:56:28.785Z"
      },
      {
        "id": 16,
        "type": "appOpen",
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:56:50.962Z"
      },
      {
        "type": "appClose",
        "id": 17,
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:57:29.094Z"
      },
      {
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:57:38.838Z",
        "type": "appOpen",
        "id": 18
      },
      {
        "date": "2024-07-31T07:57:43.118Z",
        "id": 19,
        "type": "appOpen"
      }
    ],
    "activityInfo": [
      {
        "key": "builtin_command_configurationExport",
        "title": "Export Settings & Data",
        "id": 1
      }
    ],
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1,
    "aiChatActivities": []
  },
  "raycast_app_defaults": {
    "firstKnownVersion": "1.79.1",
    "installationDate": "2024-07-31T07:53:51Z",
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1,
    "anonymousId": "9F6FF498-786B-4D66-90A9-15FE0698274D"
  },
  "builtin_package_systemCommands": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_jira": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_screenshots": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  },
  "builtin_package_zoom": {
    "provider_schemaVersion": 1
  }
}

Sorry friend, I spent some time trying to figure it out but couldn't figure out an elegant way to do it. I switched to Alfred which has reasonable configuration settings. I used gz at the time to decompress it — there are online tools to decompress with gzip if you have the plaintext.

Got it. Thanks for publishing your findings and responding to my feedback. I left this note in the Raycast Slack Channel:

I'd love a way to export all my Raycast Notes so I can edit them in other tools and reimport/round trip.

• How I tried to hack around the limitations to do this today:
• For a shining moment I thought I could do this with the Settings Export... command which includes Raycast notes. Folks in the community talked about exporting without a password and then uncompressing to access the raw JSON. eg https://gist.github.com/jeremy-code/50117d5b4f29e04fcbbb1f55e301b893.
• However, as of now Raycast REQUIRES a password to encrypt it, and I haven't found a way to decrypt the files.

➜  raycast-export openssl enc -d -aes-256-cbc -a -in "Raycast 2025-02-07 09.18.28.rayconfig" -out decrypted_config.gz -pass pass:12345678

error reading input file

I've been unable to find a way to access the raw JSON in an encrypted rayconfig file even if I know the password, so I think I'm stuck until Raycast build an explicit bulk export/import feature. 😞