Workspace recovery

This page explains what to do if Roadmap Flow reports a problem opening your workspace.

What happened

When Roadmap Flow opens a workspace, it checks that the roadmap.json file is complete and valid. If the file is damaged — for example by an interrupted save, a disk problem, or an external edit — Roadmap Flow does not load it and does not overwrite it. It shows a recovery screen instead.

Roadmap Flow keeps three rolling backups beside your workspace file: roadmap.backup-1.json, roadmap.backup-2.json, and roadmap.backup-3.json. backup-1 is the most recent. The recovery screen uses these.

What to check first

• Read the recovery screen. It states which workspace file could not be opened.
• Confirm the workspace folder is the one you expect, and that it is available — not on a disconnected drive or an unsynced cloud folder.
• Note whether you made recent changes that may not have been saved. Saves are written a fraction of a second after a change.

Safe recovery steps

1. On the recovery screen, choose Restore latest backup. This loads roadmap.backup-1.json, the most recent good copy.
2. Review the restored roadmap. A backup may be slightly behind your most recent edits.
3. If the latest backup is not the right one, use the same screen to open another workspace or create a new workspace.
4. Once a good workspace is open, continue working. Roadmap Flow resumes saving and rotating backups normally.
5. If you keep a workspace backup file, you can also open that copy as a workspace.

What not to do

• Do not delete the roadmap.json or roadmap.backup-*.json files. They are the inputs the recovery screen needs.
• Do not edit the JSON files by hand to try to repair them.
• Do not keep reopening the damaged workspace expecting a different result. Restore a backup instead.

When to contact support

Contact support if the recovery screen cannot restore any backup, or if all backups appear damaged. Before you do, locate the workspace folder so you can describe which files are present. On the desktop app, a startup log is written to the operating system's application logs folder as roadmap-flow.log; have it ready.