How to Migrate Character.AI Bots and Chats to SillyTavern

SillyTavern’s documentation says to import Character.AI chats and bots with the CAI Tools browser extension. SillyTavern is free, open-source software that you run on your own computer and connect to an AI model. Cards import from the Characters panel. This page lists the steps and the checks.

Updated 2026-10-21

Exporting Character.AI data for SillyTavern

SillyTavern’s documentation, in the Chat File Management page, says: “Import chats from Character.AI into SillyTavern. To import Character.AI chats and bots, use the CAI Tools browser extension.” It does not mention the official Export Data file from Character.AI.

CAI Tools is not made by SillyTavern or by Character.AI. Read what to check before you install a browser extension first, and keep in mind that Character.AI’s Terms restrict automated data gathering.

The CAI Tools guide says its chat download comes in several formats and tells you: “If you have Tavern or Silly Tavern, use that button instead.” It says a character can be downloaded as a character card (an image file) or as a JSON file, and that “definitions/example messages may be hidden” on characters made by others.

Converting exported JSON to SillyTavern chat format

If you use the Tavern or SillyTavern download button, you should not need to convert anything. After you download, check the file. An older page of the CAI Tools guide lists a known issue that the user and the character names were reversed in Tavern chat files. Open one chat after import and check who is speaking.

We found no official converter for the official Character.AI export, and SillyTavern’s documentation does not say it reads that file. If that is all you have, see how to open and read the export file.

SillyTavern’s own chat export is a .jsonl file that “can then be re-imported as is.” It says this keeps all the chat’s metadata, except images and file attachments. The plain text export “can’t be re-imported again as it loses important metadata!”

Importing PNG character cards (V2 spec) into SillyTavern

A character card is a PNG picture with the character’s text stored inside it, or a JSON file with the same text. The Character Card V2 specification is published on GitHub, and SillyTavern’s documentation says it lets you import characters created by other people.

Open the Characters panel from the top bar.
Use Import Character, which loads a character from a file, or External Import, which imports from a URL.
Pick the PNG or JSON file. Keep the file exactly as it was saved.
Open the new character and check the description, the first message and any alternate greetings.

If SillyTavern says a PNG card is invalid, its FAQ gives two reasons. Either the card had no definitions stored in it and was just a normal image, because some programs strip them when they save a file. Or the file was really a WEBP picture with a .png name, and renaming it to .webp before import may help.

Step-by-step SillyTavern setup for ex-Character.AI users

Install SillyTavern. Its documentation has guides for Windows, macOS and Linux, Android (Termux) and Docker. On Windows, the Git method asks for NodeJS (latest LTS version recommended) and Git, and the page tells you not to install into a folder controlled by Windows and not to run start.bat as an administrator.
Connect it to an AI model. SillyTavern is an interface that talks to AI models. Its FAQ says the options are web services, which are cloud-based and usually paid, and self-hosted models, which are local and free. Which model you pick changes how your characters sound.
Import your characters, as described above.
Import your chats. SillyTavern keeps the chat history for each character, and its documentation describes the chat file options under Chat File Management.
Check a few chats against what you remember before you rely on the move.

SillyTavern is run by you, on your own computer or device. That means no company holds your chats for you, and no company will fix a problem for you.

Questions and answers

How do I export Character.AI data for SillyTavern?

SillyTavern’s documentation points to the CAI Tools browser extension for Character.AI chats and bots. Its guide says to use the Tavern or SillyTavern button for chats.

How do I move Character.AI bots to SillyTavern?

Save each bot as a character card (PNG) or JSON file, then use Import Character in the Characters panel. You can also copy a bot’s fields by hand. See how to back up your characters.

How do I import a PNG character card into a chat app?

In SillyTavern, use Import Character in the Characters panel and pick the PNG. If it says the card is invalid, the picture may have lost the text stored inside it.

How do I convert a Character.AI chat to Tavern format?

The CAI Tools guide says to use its Tavern or SillyTavern download button. We found no official converter for the official export file.

How do I import a Character Card V2?

Import it like any card: use Import Character in the Characters panel and pick the PNG or JSON file.

Is there a tool to convert Character.AI JSON?

We found no official one. If you use a third-party tool, check where it runs and whether it uploads your chats. See what to check before you install a browser extension.

Related guides

Sources

We opened these pages on 2026-10-21. Pages can change after that.

This guide is not affiliated with Character Technologies, Inc. Corrections, and requests from services to be listed or changed, go to hello@castmanor.com.