diff --git a/backupdb.go b/backupdb.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b40c24b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backupdb.go
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"database/sql"
+	"fmt"
+	"log"
+	"os"
+	"time"
+
+	"strings"
+)
+
+func qordie(db *sql.DB, s string, args ...interface{}) *sql.Rows {
+	rows, err := db.Query(s, args...)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("can't query %s: %s", s, err)
+	}
+	return rows
+}
+
+func scanordie(rows *sql.Rows, args ...interface{}) {
+	err := rows.Scan(args...)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("can't scan: %s", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func svalbard(dirname string) {
+	err := os.Mkdir(dirname, 0700)
+	if err != nil && !os.IsExist(err) {
+		log.Fatalf("can't create directory: %s", dirname)
+	}
+	now := time.Now().Unix()
+	backupdbname := fmt.Sprintf("%s/honk-%d.db", dirname, now)
+	backup, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", backupdbname)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("can't open backup database")
+	}
+	for _, line := range strings.Split(sqlSchema, ";") {
+		_, err = backup.Exec(line)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatal(err)
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	tx, err := backup.Begin()
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	orig := opendatabase()
+	rows := qordie(orig, "select userid, username, hash, displayname, about, pubkey, seckey, options from users")
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var userid int64
+		var username, hash, displayname, about, pubkey, seckey, options string
+		scanordie(rows, &userid, &username, &hash, &displayname, &about, &pubkey, &seckey, &options)
+		doordie(tx, "insert into users (userid, username, hash, displayname, about, pubkey, seckey, options) values (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)", userid, username, hash, displayname, about, pubkey, seckey, options)
+	}
+	rows.Close()
+
+	rows = qordie(orig, "select honkerid, userid, name, xid, flavor, combos, owner, meta, folxid from honkers")
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var honkerid, userid int64
+		var name, xid, flavor, combos, owner, meta, folxid string
+		scanordie(rows, &honkerid, &userid, &name, &xid, &flavor, &combos, &owner, &meta, &folxid)
+		doordie(tx, "insert into honkers (honkerid, userid, name, xid, flavor, combos, owner, meta, folxid) values (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)", honkerid, userid, name, xid, flavor, combos, owner, meta, folxid)
+	}
+	rows.Close()
+
+	rows = qordie(orig, "select convoy from honks where flags & 4 or whofore = 2 or whofore = 3")
+	convoys := make(map[string]bool)
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var convoy string
+		scanordie(rows, &convoy)
+		convoys[convoy] = true
+	}
+	rows.Close()
+
+	honkids := make(map[int64]bool)
+	for c := range convoys {
+		rows = qordie(orig, "select honkid, userid, what, honker, xid, rid, dt, url, audience, noise, convoy, whofore, format, precis, oonker, flags from honks where convoy = ?", c)
+		for rows.Next() {
+			var honkid, userid int64
+			var what, honker, xid, rid, dt, url, audience, noise, convoy string
+			var whofore int64
+			var format, precis, oonker string
+			var flags int64
+			scanordie(rows, &honkid, &userid, &what, &honker, &xid, &rid, &dt, &url, &audience, &noise, &convoy, &whofore, &format, &precis, &oonker, &flags)
+			honkids[honkid] = true
+			doordie(tx, "insert into honks (honkid, userid, what, honker, xid, rid, dt, url, audience, noise, convoy, whofore, format, precis, oonker, flags) values (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)", honkid, userid, what, honker, xid, rid, dt, url, audience, noise, convoy, whofore, format, precis, oonker, flags)
+		}
+		rows.Close()
+	}
+	fileids := make(map[int64]bool)
+	for h := range honkids {
+		rows = qordie(orig, "select honkid, chonkid, fileid from donks where honkid = ?", h)
+		for rows.Next() {
+			var honkid, chonkid, fileid int64
+			scanordie(rows, &honkid, &chonkid, &fileid)
+			fileids[fileid] = true
+			doordie(tx, "insert into donks (honkid, chonkid, fileid) values (?, ?, ?)", honkid, chonkid, fileid)
+		}
+		rows.Close()
+		rows = qordie(orig, "select ontology, honkid from onts where honkid = ?", h)
+		for rows.Next() {
+			var ontology string
+			var honkid int64
+			scanordie(rows, &ontology, &honkid)
+			doordie(tx, "insert into onts (ontology, honkid) values (?, ?)", ontology, honkid)
+		}
+		rows.Close()
+		rows = qordie(orig, "select honkid, genus, json from honkmeta where honkid = ?", h)
+		for rows.Next() {
+			var honkid int64
+			var genus, json string
+			scanordie(rows, &honkid, &genus, &json)
+			doordie(tx, "insert into honkmeta (honkid, genus, json) values (?, ?, ?)", honkid, genus, json)
+		}
+		rows.Close()
+	}
+	chonkids := make(map[int64]bool)
+	rows = qordie(orig, "select chonkid, userid, xid, who, target, dt, noise, format from chonks")
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var chonkid, userid int64
+		var xid, who, target, dt, noise, format string
+		scanordie(rows, &chonkid, &userid, &xid, &who, &target, &dt, &noise, &format)
+		chonkids[chonkid] = true
+		doordie(tx, "insert into chonks (chonkid, userid, xid, who, target, dt, noise, format) values (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)", chonkid, userid, xid, who, target, dt, noise, format)
+	}
+	rows.Close()
+	for c := range chonkids {
+		rows = qordie(orig, "select honkid, chonkid, fileid from donks where chonkid = ?", c)
+		for rows.Next() {
+			var honkid, chonkid, fileid int64
+			scanordie(rows, &honkid, &chonkid, &fileid)
+			fileids[fileid] = true
+			doordie(tx, "insert into donks (honkid, chonkid, fileid) values (?, ?, ?)", honkid, chonkid, fileid)
+		}
+		rows.Close()
+	}
+	filexids := make(map[string]bool)
+	for f := range fileids {
+		rows = qordie(orig, "select fileid, xid, name, description, url, media, local from filemeta where fileid = ?", f)
+		for rows.Next() {
+			var fileid int64
+			var xid, name, description, url, media string
+			var local int64
+			scanordie(rows, &fileid, &xid, &name, &description, &url, &media, &local)
+			filexids[xid] = true
+			doordie(tx, "insert into filemeta (fileid, xid, name, description, url, media, local) values (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)", fileid, xid, name, description, url, media, local)
+		}
+		rows.Close()
+	}
+
+	rows = qordie(orig, "select key, value from config")
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var key string
+		var value interface{}
+		scanordie(rows, &key, &value)
+		doordie(tx, "insert into config (key, value) values (?, ?)", key, value)
+	}
+
+	err = tx.Commit()
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("can't commit backp: %s", err)
+	}
+	backup.Close()
+
+	backupblobname := fmt.Sprintf("%s/blob-%d.db", dirname, now)
+	blob, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", backupblobname)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("can't open backup blob database")
+	}
+	doordie(blob, "create table filedata (xid text, media text, content blob)")
+	doordie(blob, "create index idx_filexid on filedata(xid)")
+	tx, err = blob.Begin()
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("can't start transaction: %s", err)
+	}
+	origblob := openblobdb()
+	for x := range filexids {
+		rows = qordie(origblob, "select xid, media, content from filedata where xid = ?", x)
+		for rows.Next() {
+			var xid, media string
+			var content sql.RawBytes
+			scanordie(rows, &xid, &media, &content)
+			doordie(tx, "insert into filedata (xid, media, content) values (?, ?, ?)", xid, media, content)
+		}
+		rows.Close()
+	}
+
+	err = tx.Commit()
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("can't commit blobs: %s", err)
+	}
+	blob.Close()
+}