# Trello Backup Bot - Export Boards, Cards & Checklists (`scrapeworks/trello-backup-bot`) Actor

Back up any Trello board to clean JSON: every card with its list, labels, members, checklists, attachments and due dates, plus a full raw board snapshot. Works on public boards with zero setup; private boards via your Trello API key.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapeworks/trello-backup-bot.md
- **Developed by:** [Nicolas van Arkens](https://apify.com/scrapeworks) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Integrations
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.001 / result

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

## Trello Backup Bot — Export Trello Boards, Cards & Checklists to JSON

Back up any Trello board in one run. Paste a board URL and get **every card as a clean JSON/CSV row** — with its list, labels, members, due dates, checklists and attachments already resolved to readable names — plus an optional **full raw board snapshot** saved as a downloadable backup file.

- **Public boards need zero setup** — no Trello account, no API key, nothing to install.
- **Private boards** work too: paste your free Trello API key + token (30-second setup, instructions in the input form; stored encrypted).
- Trello's own export is Atlassian-gated and gives you one giant raw JSON blob. This Actor gives you both: the raw snapshot **and** tidy per-card rows you can open in Excel, load into a database, or feed to another tool.

### What data you get

One row per card:

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `boardName`, `boardUrl`, `boardId` | The board the card belongs to |
| `listName`, `listId`, `listArchived` | The column the card sits in |
| `name`, `description` | Card title and full Markdown description |
| `labels` | Label names (or colors when unnamed) — empty when the card has no labels |
| `members` | Full names of assigned members |
| `due`, `dueComplete`, `start` | Dates and completion state — `null` when the card has no due date set |
| `checklists` | Every checklist with each item's name and complete/incomplete state |
| `attachments` | Name + URL of every attachment |
| `commentCount`, `dateLastActivity` | Activity signals |
| `archived`, `position`, `url`, `cardId` | Card state, ordering and permalink |

Plus **one summary row per board** (counts of cards, lists, labels, members, checklists, and the key of the raw backup file), and — when `saveFullJson` is on (default) — the **complete untouched board JSON** in the run's key-value store as `board-<shortlink>.json`.

### Input example

```json
{
    "boards": ["https://trello.com/b/nC8QJJoZ/trello-development"],
    "includeArchived": false,
    "saveFullJson": true
}
````

`boards` accepts full URLs, short links (`nC8QJJoZ`) or 24-character board IDs — and you can back up many boards in one run. For private boards, also fill in `apiKey` and `apiToken`.

### Output sample (real run)

```json
{
  "type": "card",
  "boardName": "Trello Development Roadmap",
  "boardUrl": "https://trello.com/b/nC8QJJoZ",
  "listName": "Live (Jan-March 2021)",
  "name": "More Butler Automation Types For All!",
  "description": "",
  "archived": false,
  "due": null,
  "dueComplete": null,
  "labels": [],
  "members": [],
  "checklists": [],
  "attachments": [
    {
      "name": "image.png",
      "url": "https://trello.com/1/cards/60141421ca6a79294c060174/attachments/601414679f7df478eee3c95f/download/image.png"
    }
  ],
  "commentCount": 0,
  "dateLastActivity": "2021-01-29T13:58:14.500Z",
  "url": "https://trello.com/c/lny8eJ0c"
}
```

And the per-board summary row:

```json
{
  "type": "board",
  "boardName": "Trello Development Roadmap",
  "cardsExported": 174,
  "cardsOnBoard": 188,
  "listCount": 75,
  "labelCount": 8,
  "memberCount": 13,
  "fullJsonBackupKey": "board-nC8QJJoZ.json"
}
```

### Use cases

- **Scheduled backups** — run it daily/weekly on a schedule and keep restore-grade snapshots of your team's boards outside Trello, safe from accidental deletions and plan downgrades.
- **Migration & reporting** — export cards to CSV/Excel/JSON to move into Notion, Jira, Airtable or a data warehouse, or to build progress reports across boards.
- **Archiving finished projects** — snapshot a project board once before closing it, then archive or delete it in Trello without losing anything.

### FAQ

**Do I need a Trello account or API key?**
Not for public boards. For private boards you need a free Trello API key + token — the input form explains the 30-second setup (create a Power-Up at trello.com/power-ups/admin, copy the key, generate a token). Both fields are stored encrypted and only ever sent to Trello.

**Does it modify my boards?**
No. The Actor is strictly read-only — it never writes, moves or deletes anything in Trello.

**Are archived cards included?**
Only if you enable `includeArchived`. Archived cards and cards in archived lists are then included and marked `archived: true`.

**How do I restore from the backup?**
The `board-<shortlink>.json` file in the key-value store is the complete board export — the same shape Trello itself produces — so it works with the usual Trello import/restore tooling and scripts, and it preserves fields the per-card rows summarize.

**How much does it cost?**
You pay a tiny fee per exported row ($0.001 per card/board-summary row). A 200-card board costs about $0.20 per backup. Failed or inaccessible boards are never charged.

**What about Trello rate limits?**
One board = one API call, with automatic backoff and retries on rate-limit responses — even backing up dozens of boards stays comfortably within Trello's limits.

# Actor input Schema

## `boards` (type: `array`):

One entry per board. Each entry can be a full board URL (e.g. https://trello.com/b/nC8QJJoZ/trello-development), just the short link (nC8QJJoZ), or a 24-character board ID. Public boards need no credentials; private boards require the API key + token fields below.

## `apiKey` (type: `string`):

Your personal Trello API key. Only needed to back up PRIVATE boards - public boards work without it. Get it free in ~30 seconds: log in to Trello, open https://trello.com/power-ups/admin, create a Power-Up (any name), then copy the API key it shows. Stored encrypted, never logged.

## `apiToken` (type: `string`):

The token that authorizes the key above to read your boards. On the same Power-Up admin page, click the 'Token' link next to your API key and approve read access - then paste the token here. Stored encrypted, never logged.

## `includeArchived` (type: `boolean`):

If enabled, archived (closed) cards and cards in archived lists are included in the backup as well, marked with closed=true. Disabled by default so the export matches what you see on the board.

## `saveFullJson` (type: `boolean`):

If enabled (default), the complete untouched board export (every field Trello returns, including actions/comments on public boards) is also saved to the run's key-value store as board-<shortlink>.json - a true restore-grade backup file you can download. The dataset always contains the clean per-card rows regardless.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "boards": [
    "https://trello.com/b/nC8QJJoZ/trello-development",
    "nC8QJJoZ"
  ],
  "includeArchived": false,
  "saveFullJson": true
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "boards": [
        "https://trello.com/b/nC8QJJoZ/trello-development"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapeworks/trello-backup-bot").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "boards": ["https://trello.com/b/nC8QJJoZ/trello-development"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapeworks/trello-backup-bot").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "boards": [
    "https://trello.com/b/nC8QJJoZ/trello-development"
  ]
}' |
apify call scrapeworks/trello-backup-bot --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=scrapeworks/trello-backup-bot",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Trello Backup Bot - Export Boards, Cards & Checklists",
        "description": "Back up any Trello board to clean JSON: every card with its list, labels, members, checklists, attachments and due dates, plus a full raw board snapshot. Works on public boards with zero setup; private boards via your Trello API key.",
        "version": "0.1",
        "x-build-id": "rUlTdFx1rM4CH50WQ"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/scrapeworks~trello-backup-bot/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-scrapeworks-trello-backup-bot",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/scrapeworks~trello-backup-bot/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-scrapeworks-trello-backup-bot",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/scrapeworks~trello-backup-bot/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-scrapeworks-trello-backup-bot",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "required": [
                    "boards"
                ],
                "properties": {
                    "boards": {
                        "title": "Trello boards to back up",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "One entry per board. Each entry can be a full board URL (e.g. https://trello.com/b/nC8QJJoZ/trello-development), just the short link (nC8QJJoZ), or a 24-character board ID. Public boards need no credentials; private boards require the API key + token fields below.",
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "apiKey": {
                        "title": "Trello API key (only for private boards)",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Your personal Trello API key. Only needed to back up PRIVATE boards - public boards work without it. Get it free in ~30 seconds: log in to Trello, open https://trello.com/power-ups/admin, create a Power-Up (any name), then copy the API key it shows. Stored encrypted, never logged."
                    },
                    "apiToken": {
                        "title": "Trello API token (only for private boards)",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "The token that authorizes the key above to read your boards. On the same Power-Up admin page, click the 'Token' link next to your API key and approve read access - then paste the token here. Stored encrypted, never logged."
                    },
                    "includeArchived": {
                        "title": "Include archived cards and lists",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "If enabled, archived (closed) cards and cards in archived lists are included in the backup as well, marked with closed=true. Disabled by default so the export matches what you see on the board.",
                        "default": false
                    },
                    "saveFullJson": {
                        "title": "Save full raw board JSON to the key-value store",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "If enabled (default), the complete untouched board export (every field Trello returns, including actions/comments on public boards) is also saved to the run's key-value store as board-<shortlink>.json - a true restore-grade backup file you can download. The dataset always contains the clean per-card rows regardless.",
                        "default": true
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```