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Heirs are the people you designate to receive your vault contents when the succession event occurs. Inheribase delivers your digital estate to them directly — without probate delays, without IT departments, and without anyone needing to guess a password. This page covers how heirs work, the four-stage succession sequence, and how to manage your heir list over time.

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How it works

An heir is a named individual — identified by name and email — who is authorized to receive your entire vault upon release. The protocol handles delivery automatically when the release conditions are met.
Key properties of the heir system:
  • Heirs receive full access to all vault contents. There are no per-file permissions to manage.
  • You can designate up to 5 heirs per vault.
  • Heirs are not notified that they have been designated until the release sequence completes.
  • Heirs require no technical expertise — only email access and a modern web browser.

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The succession sequence

Succession is a four-stage process with multiple safety checks to prevent accidental or malicious release.
1

Trigger event

Your chosen release condition is met — for example, your Dead Man’s Switch fires after a missed check-in, you manually trigger a release, or your guardians reach a majority consensus on a Guardian Claim.
2

Contestation period

A 30-day window begins (configurable). During this time, Inheribase sends you escalating alerts and you can cancel the release with a single authenticated action. Your heirs know nothing yet.
3

Guardian key reconstruction

Once the contestation window closes without cancellation, your guardians contribute their key shares. When the threshold is reached, the vault key is reconstructed.
4

Delivery

Your heirs are notified for the first time. Each heir receives a secure claim link, verifies their identity by creating a passkey on their device, and downloads the decrypted vault contents.
Privacy note: Heirs cannot see your vault contents — or even know they are heirs — until the release sequence actually concludes. Your designations remain completely private as long as your vault is active.

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Managing heirs

Manage your heirs through the dashboard at People → Heirs. Because heirs are kept uninformed during your lifetime, you can add, remove, or replace heirs at any time without awkward conversations. For each heir, provide the following:
  1. Name — used for identification within your dashboard.
  2. Email address — the primary way Inheribase contacts them during delivery.
  3. Wallet address (optional) — if you are bequeathing on-chain assets, providing their wallet address ensures a smoother transition.
If a designated heir predeceases you, remove them from your heir list manually. If they remain listed, the secure access link will be delivered to an unattended inbox when the release sequence completes.