$ cat README.md
The most important things you've ever stored — why would you trust a server you've never met?
Most people have information they only want a specific person to see, at a specific time. Private keys, passwords, letters, final words — these aren't ordinary files. If lost, they're gone forever. If leaked, the cost is catastrophic.
// PingVaults' approach: encrypt recovery instructions in the browser and send the save API ciphertext rather than plaintext. Access depends on a recovery phrase you arrange offline with your trusted contact.
Contact notification
Sent only after every check-in reminder goes unanswered. Delivers recovery instructions to your contact.
// example_scenarios[]
Common continuity gaps PingVaults can help address
You hold significant crypto — but only you know where the seed phrase is
You bought Bitcoin in 2021. The seed phrase is on a piece of paper locked in a drawer. If something happened to you tomorrow, your family wouldn't even know the assets exist — let alone how to recover them.
WITHOUT PINGVAULTS
Assets locked forever. Your family doesn't know the seed phrase, which wallet to use, or how to operate it. The value is gone — sleeping on-chain indefinitely.
WITH PINGVAULTS
Encrypted recovery clues stored on-chain, with an inactivity switch configured. After 90 days of silence, your family receives a detailed recovery guide — wallet type, steps, and your own notes.
You manage all the household accounts — but no one else knows the passwords
You handle everything online: banking, insurance, mortgage portal, email. If you were suddenly hospitalized for three months, your family couldn't even check the bills.
WITHOUT PINGVAULTS
Your family is locked out of everything. No passwords, no access. Bills go overdue, accounts get locked, important notices go unread.
WITH PINGVAULTS
Store access clues — not plaintext passwords, but guidance on how to recover them — encrypted and ready. Your emergency contact can follow a clear sequence instead of scrambling in chaos.
Some things you only want to say to a specific person, at a specific time
A letter for your child to open at 18. An apology and a thank-you to your partner. Words for your parents you could never say out loud. You've thought about all of this, but never had a place you truly trusted to store it.
WITHOUT PINGVAULTS
That letter was never written. Or it was, but it sat on a hard drive that crashed, or an account that got hacked.
WITH PINGVAULTS
Encrypt the message and keep the exported JSON, offline decryptor and recovery instructions with the right person. The export includes ciphertext and does not depend on gateway availability.
You're the technical core of your company, and only you know the critical credentials
Domain account, server root password, core API keys, database backup decryption key — all of it lives in your head. If you suddenly go dark, the business starts breaking down within 72 hours.
WITHOUT PINGVAULTS
The company goes into crisis. Can't reach you, can't get the credentials. Co-founders watch helplessly as services stop, domains expire, data becomes inaccessible.
WITH PINGVAULTS
Store critical credential clues encrypted in your vault. Designate a trusted co-founder as emergency contact. Once inactivity exceeds your configured threshold, they receive a detailed takeover guide.
$ ./simulate_trigger.sh --days=120
How the Inactivity Switch actually works
You create your vault and configure the Inactivity Switch
// Initial waiting period: 90 days
You log in normally and update your vault
// Timer resets to Day 0
System sends check-in email #1
// Subject: PingVaults — Are you still there? (1/3)
No reply — reminder #2 sent
// 7-day interval, subject: (2/3)
Reminder #3, still no response
// Final check (3/3)
Inactivity Switch fires — emergency contact notified
// Sends decryption clues, question schema, offline decryptor links
You click any link in any check-in email
// Timer resets immediately. Everything returns to normal.
// comparison_table[]
How it compares to the alternatives
| Feature | Paper record | Lawyer / notary | Password manager | PingVaults |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protected against single point of loss | ⚠ | ⚠ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Persistent public ciphertext storage | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auto-notifies contacts on inactivity | ✗ | ⚠ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Client-side encryption before storage | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Offline recovery without provider account | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Accessible and updatable anytime | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Legal enforceability | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
// ⚠ = depends on setup ✗ = not supported ✓ = supported
PingVaults provides technical recovery instructions and notification. It does not transfer ownership, establish authority, or replace a will, trust, executor, lawyer, or tax adviser.
// what_contact_receives[]
What your emergency contact receives — and what they don't
Contacts receive recovery metadata and guidance, not the recovery phrase. Share and store that phrase separately, offline, so delivery of one message does not disclose everything needed to decrypt.
✓ Sent to emergency contact
- ✓Key field types and order (e.g. Name → Custom question)
- ✓The recovery prompt text (for example, 'Enter the phrase on our sealed recovery card')
- ✓The storage TxID and recovery metadata
- ✓Links to English and Chinese offline decryptors, plus step-by-step instructions
✗ Not included in the notification
- ✗The answer to any question
- ✗The AES decryption key or any derived material
- ✗Any plaintext fragment of the vault contents
// The intended vault save request does not include the recovery phrase.
$ sudo ./create_vault.sh
Start a recovery plan you can actually test.
Create your vault for free. Review the browser-side encryption flow, on-chain storage, and open-source crypto core.