Import an Account Export

This example preserves a ChatGPT export and renders its supported conversations. The same sequence applies to a Claude export using claude_web as the import source and claude_web_export when selecting parsed imports.

Obtain the Export

Request your export using the provider's account controls. Follow the current ChatGPT export instructions or Claude export instructions; availability depends on your account and organization. Save the downloaded ZIP locally.

Preserve and Parse

aesop import chatgpt ~/Downloads/chatgpt-export.zip
aesop parse --source chatgpt_export
aesop verify --local-only
aesop browser

The import retains the original export and safely extracts ZIP members. Source identity comes from chatgpt, not from a generic filename such as conversations.json. The importer rejects absolute paths and parent-directory traversal in ZIP members.

Assess the Result

In Archive, select the imported source and inspect a known conversation. ChatGPT rendering follows the active branch; alternate branches and attachments remain available in the original export. Numbered conversation JSON files are supported.

Review data/parsed/manifest.json or Logs & Recovery for failed, partial, and opaque records. A ZIP that imports successfully may still contain unsupported formats. Import success measures preservation, not completeness of the provider's account export.

Include Later Exports

Import another downloaded export with the same command. For collection-time import, place files in <repo_root>/imports/chatgpt/ and keep chatgpt enabled in your configuration. Export contents may contain sensitive conversations and attachments; review Privacy and Data before copying the archive elsewhere.