wechat-archive-cli

macOS-first CLI to archive local WeChat files (DBs + media) to an external disk and export readable chat logs (via SQLCipher decryption), while also preserving the original encrypted databases.

Safety

• This tool is designed for local personal backup.
• It does not upload your data anywhere.
• Destructive operations (wipe cache / reinstall) are opt-in and require explicit flags.

Requirements (macOS)

• Python 3.10+
• sqlcipher installed (recommended via Homebrew): brew install sqlcipher
• WeChat for macOS installed and logged in at least once (so local data exists)

Install (from source)

cd wechat-archive-cli
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -U pip
pip install -e .

Quick start

1) Discover local WeChat data

wechat-archive discover

2) Archive everything to an external disk

wechat-archive archive --dest /Volumes/MyDisk/WeChatArchive

3) Extract DB key (assisted)

This command prints step-by-step instructions and can parse the key from pasted lldb output:

wechat-archive key-extract assisted --dest /Volumes/MyDisk/WeChatArchive

4) Export readable logs

wechat-archive export --dest /Volumes/MyDisk/WeChatArchive --format json

Commands

• discover: detect DB + media roots and show candidate accounts
• archive: copy all detected data into a timestamped snapshot + write a manifest
• key-extract assisted: guided lldb flow + parser; stores key under state/ in the archive destination
• export: decrypt message DBs to plaintext SQLite and export chats to JSON (v1)
• clear-cache: safe cache clear; optional --reinstall (Homebrew cask if available)

Output layout

Within --dest:

• snapshots/<timestamp>/... copied original directories/files
• exports/<timestamp>/json/... readable exports
• manifests/<timestamp>.json snapshot manifest
• state/ local state (including key file); never commit

Disclaimer

WeChat’s local database formats and encryption can change across versions. This tool aims to be robust, but may require updates for future WeChat releases.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Legal note

Use this tool only with WeChat data you own and are allowed to access. The format of local databases can change without notice; exports may be incomplete after WeChat updates. This project is not affiliated with Tencent or WeChat.