Take a snapshot

One file with everything this helper keeps: its Matter pairings (fabrics), its settings, the HomeKit bridge and every device's file. Keep it somewhere safe, such as a password manager or an encrypted disk: it holds the setup codes, the keys and the device passwords.

The web page's password isn't in it, so each computer keeps its own. This page saves the helper only, not app data. Include its download in an iPhone, iPad or Mac app snapshot to keep both together. Avoid pairing, changing settings or signing in devices during a download: files are read individually, not as a transaction.

Restore a snapshot

Puts this helper back as it was in the snapshot, from the next start. It's how to move the helper to a new computer, or undo a change: it preserves the helper's identity and accessory IDs. The home's automations and cloud-account sign-ins may still need checking after a restore.

Run one copy of a helper at a time. Before restoring a snapshot from another computer, stop the helper there, or the home sees two of the same. A device sign-in that has changed since the snapshot (Ring's, for one) may need signing in again.