> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.worksong.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Board snapshots > Keep a copy of a board, compare it with today, and put back only the changes you pick. A **snapshot** is a copy of a board at one moment. Compare it with the board as it is now, then put back **only the changes you pick**. Use it after a bad import, a wrong bulk edit or an Agent that went too far. ## What a snapshot keeps | Kept | Not kept | | - | - | | The board's name, columns (with their rules and summaries) and groups | Comments, files and docs attached to items | | Every live item: its group, its place in the group and its cells | Automations, forms and dashboard cards (they sit beside a board, not in it) | | The board's saved views | Cells that are worked out for you (Formula, Lookup, Created at, Updated at) and File and Doc cells | | Subitems, up to 20,000 | | Items in the Recycle bin are not copied. A board with more than 20,000 items cannot be copied. A board with more than 20,000 subitems is copied without them, and Work says so. ## When a snapshot is taken | Kind | When | How long it is kept | | - | - | - | | Manual | You take one. You need Manage on the board. Up to 100 per board. | Until you delete it | | Daily | Work copies a board once a day, if it changed. | 30 days | | Before an import | Right before rows are added to an existing board. | 30 days | | Before a big change | An Agent, automation or API token changes more than 20 items. | 30 days | | Before a restore | Every restore saves the board first. | 30 days | Work keeps at most 60 automatic snapshots per board and drops the oldest first. If a board is too big to copy, the import or the change still goes ahead. ## Compare and restore Open the board's options and choose **Snapshots**. Choose **Take snapshot** to make a copy, with a name if you like. Open a copy to see how it differs from the board today. Each change has a tick: * **A cell holds another value now.** Restore writes the value from the snapshot. If someone changed that cell after the comparison was made, Work skips it. * **An item was deleted.** If it is still in the Recycle bin, Work recovers it. If it was purged, Work creates it again from the snapshot. * **An item was added.** Restore **archives** it. Nothing is deleted. Tick the changes you want, or choose **Select all**, then **Restore N selected**. Restore never silently overwrites newer work. The result lists everything it left alone and why, for example "changed since" or "item is gone". A restore holds at most 2,000 changes. Before each restore Work takes a snapshot of the board as it was, so a restore can itself be undone by restoring that copy. After a restore, the comparison is read again before you can restore a second time. Each comparison has its own link, so a reload or a shared link opens the same screen. An item with no name shows as "Untitled item". ## Restore as a new board **Restore as a new board** builds a new board from the snapshot and leaves the current board alone. It brings back items, saved views, subitems, summaries and column rules. The dialog lists what is not copied: comments, files, automations, forms and dashboard cards. You need Manage on the source board. ## Column permissions A snapshot holds every cell. If a [column is hidden or read-only for you](https://docs.worksong.ai/work/teams-and-access.md#hide-or-lock-a-column), you cannot compare snapshots or restore them. You can still list them and take one. ## Agents Agents use four tools: `boardy_list_snapshots`, `boardy_take_snapshot`, `boardy_diff_snapshot` and `boardy_restore_snapshot`. A restore takes exactly one of: the changes picked from the comparison, `all: true`, or `asNewBoard: true`. A restore of cells and items answers with the id of the safety copy. See [Work MCP tools](https://docs.worksong.ai/work/mcp-tools.md). ## API | Call | Needs | | - | - | | `GET /v1/boards/{id}/snapshots` | Read | | `GET /v1/boards/{id}/snapshots/{snapshotId}/diff` | Read | | `POST /v1/boards/{id}/snapshots` with `{ "label": "..." }` | Manage | | `DELETE /v1/boards/{id}/snapshots/{snapshotId}` | Manage | | `POST /v1/boards/{id}/snapshots/{snapshotId}/restore` with `{ "changes": [...] }` | Write | | `POST /v1/boards/{id}/snapshots/{snapshotId}/restore-as-board` with `{ "name": "..." }` | Manage | Source: `worksong-ai/worksong:services/work/docs/board-snapshots.md@956ab3b`. Docs version: Worksong 2.0 with Work 1.2. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.