Pass your bitcoin on.
Not lose it.
Free, open-source tools to help your family inherit your bitcoin. No custodian, no KYC, no token. Your seed stays offline, split into encrypted shares only your heirs can put back together.
Help review the codeView on GitHubHow it works
Four steps, all offline where it matters.
Create shares offline
Run vault.js on Tails with networking off. Your seed is split 3-of-5 with Shamir, and each share is encrypted with AES-256-GCM using an Argon2id key from your passphrase.
Store 5 shares apart
Keep the shares in different places or with different trusted people. One or two shares alone reveal nothing.
Heirs recover with 3
Any 3 shares plus the passphrase rebuild the seed, offline on Tails, following the plain-English heir runbook.
Restore to a hardware wallet
The recovered seed goes onto a new hardware wallet, and the funds are moved under the heir's own control.
Works now / Not yet
Honest about where it is.
Works now
- 3-of-5 Shamir shares of a BIP39 seed
- Argon2id + AES-256-GCM encryption
- Fully offline use on Tails
- Heir runbook in plain English
- Own archival Bitcoin Core node (proofs)
- Private, LAN-only Mempool explorer
Not yet
- Multisig
- Timelocks / on-chain rules
- PSBT signing
- Miniscript inheritance (being tested on testnet)
- Independent review completed
vault.js is an unaudited prototype. Do not trust real funds to it yet. Test with fake data only.
How it compares
Great projects already exist. Here is where this one fits.
| Project | Custody | KYC | Inheritance approach | Cost | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTCGuardiansHQ | Non-custodial | None | Off-chain: seed split 3-of-5 (Shamir), Argon2id + AES-256-GCM, offline on Tails | Free, MIT open source | Unaudited prototype, volunteer review wanted |
| Liana | Non-custodial | None stated | On-chain: multisig + timelock recovery path | Varies | Released wallet |
| Nunchuk | Non-custodial | Zero KYC | On-chain: multisig with timelocks | Varies | Released platform |
| Bitcoin Keeper | Non-custodial | No signups (desktop) | On-chain: multisig, wallet timelock, inheritance tools | Free desktop app, open source | Released wallet |
| Casa | Non-custodial | Varies | Multisig with inheritance features | Varies | Commercial service |
| Unchained | Collaborative multisig; also offers qualified custody | Varies | Multisig plus trust / legal setups | Varies | Commercial service |
On-chain tools such as Liana, Nunchuk and Keeper enforce inheritance rules in Bitcoin itself. BTCGuardiansHQ does not do that yet: it protects the seed off-chain. Each approach has trade-offs; pick what fits you.
Why it matters
A lot of bitcoin is lost because nobody planned for what happens next. Free, open, verifiable tools mean any family can plan an inheritance without handing their keys or identity to a company.
Get involved
Report a security issue
Please report privately. See SECURITY.md.
Read the heir runbook
Step-by-step recovery for non-technical heirs.
Sponsor
Keeps the work free. No perks, just thanks. GitHub Sponsors, or send bitcoin to:1sXyCoMdHmPi2axsmXqLeNSkRi7RXkfPQ