> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.inheribase.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Inheribase FAQ and Troubleshooting Guide

> Answers to common questions about Inheribase vaults, guardians, heirs, pricing, security, and AI integration, plus step-by-step troubleshooting.

This reference covers the most common questions across every area of the platform, organized by topic. If you cannot find what you need here, contact support at [support@inheribase.com](mailto:support@inheribase.com) or consult the [Glossary](/reference/glossary) for unfamiliar terms.

## General

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is Inheribase in one sentence?">
    Inheribase is a zero-knowledge digital inheritance platform that encrypts your files on your device, stores them permanently on Arweave, and delivers them to your designated heirs when configurable release conditions are met.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How is Inheribase different from Google Drive or Dropbox?">
    Three fundamental differences set Inheribase apart:

    1. **Encryption** — Inheribase encrypts files on your device before upload. Cloud providers hold the keys to your data; Inheribase does not.
    2. **Permanence** — Cloud storage requires ongoing subscriptions. Inheribase uses a one-time endowment for permanent storage on Arweave.
    3. **Succession** — Cloud providers have no built-in mechanism to transfer data to heirs. Inheribase has configurable release triggers with guardian-governed key reconstruction.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Inheribase require cryptocurrency knowledge?">
    No. Inheribase handles all blockchain interactions behind the scenes. You interact with a standard web application — uploading files, adding contacts, and configuring settings. There is no wallet management, no gas fees to calculate, and no seed phrases to remember.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to my data if the protocol maintainers shut down?">
    Your encrypted files live on the Arweave network, which is independent of Inheribase. Even if Inheribase ceases operations:

    * Your data remains on Arweave, retrievable via any Arweave gateway
    * Your Arweave Transaction IDs (TXIDs) allow direct file retrieval
    * Guardian shares can reconstruct your vault key without Inheribase's involvement
    * The decentralized storage endowment continues funding data persistence
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a mobile app?">
    Inheribase is a web application that works on all modern mobile browsers (Safari on iOS 16+, Chrome on Android 9+). A dedicated mobile app is not currently available.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Account and authentication

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I create an account?">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Visit the app">Visit [app.inheribase.com](https://app.inheribase.com).</Step>
      <Step title="Get started">Click **Get Started**.</Step>
      <Step title="Create a passkey">Create a passkey using your device's biometric sensor or PIN.</Step>
      <Step title="Vault identity minted">Your vault identity is minted automatically.</Step>
    </Steps>

    The process takes under 2 minutes. You receive \$1.00 in trial credits to start exploring.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is a passkey?">
    A passkey is a modern, phishing-resistant credential that replaces passwords. It is backed by your device's secure hardware (Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello, or a FIDO2 security key). Passkeys cannot be stolen through phishing, guessed through brute force, or reused across sites.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I lose access to my passkey device?">
    You have multiple recovery options:

    1. **Recovery codes** — One-time codes provided at signup. Store these in a physical safe.
    2. **Additional passkeys** — Register passkeys on multiple devices (phone + laptop + security key).
    3. **Trusted device recovery** — Previously authenticated devices may be used for recovery.

    <Warning>
      Inheribase cannot reset your authentication due to our zero-knowledge architecture. If you lose all access methods including recovery codes, your vault cannot be recovered. Always store recovery codes separately and securely.
    </Warning>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change my email address?">
    Yes, from **Settings → Profile** in your dashboard. Email changes require re-verification.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Vault and storage

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What file types can I store?">
    All file types are supported without restriction — documents, images, video, audio, archives, credentials, and any other format. Inheribase encrypts raw bytes regardless of file type.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a file size limit?">
    Individual files can be up to **5 GB**. Total vault capacity is unlimited and determined by your Vault Credits balance.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How much does storage cost?">
    Storage costs \*\*$46.50 per GB** as a one-time endowment fee. This covers permanent storage on Arweave with no recurring charges. With high-volume bonuses, the effective cost can drop to $37.20/GB at the Nexus tier.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I delete files from my vault?">
    You can remove files from your vault view, but data stored on Arweave is immutable by design. Removed files are no longer visible or accessible through Inheribase, but the encrypted blob persists on the Arweave network. Because the data is encrypted with your keys, it remains unreadable to anyone without them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I download my own files?">
    Yes. You have full read/write access to your vault at all times while it is in the `active` state.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Guardians

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Who should I choose as guardians?">
    Choose people who are:

    * **Trustworthy** — they hold a share of your vault key
    * **Reachable** — they need to respond to email when the time comes
    * **Diverse** — avoid choosing people who might all be unreachable simultaneously (for example, all living in the same location)

    Best practice: include at least one professional (attorney, notary, or financial advisor) alongside family members or close friends.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can a guardian access my vault?">
    No. Each guardian holds only one fragment of your vault key. A single fragment is mathematically useless — it reveals zero information about the original key. Only when the threshold number of guardians (for example, 2-of-3) collaborate can the key be reconstructed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if a guardian loses access to their email?">
    The threshold system is designed for this. In a 2-of-3 configuration, if one guardian becomes unreachable, the remaining two can still reconstruct the key. You can also rotate guardians at any time while your vault is active.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change my guardians later?">
    Yes. While your vault is in the `active` state, you can add, remove, or replace guardians from your dashboard. Changing guardians generates new key shares.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do guardians need to install anything?">
    No. Guardians interact through standard email and a web browser. They receive a secure link to accept their role and, later, to provide their share during the release process.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Heirs

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="When are heirs notified?">
    Heirs are notified only after:

    1. A release trigger fires
    2. The 30-day contestation period elapses without cancellation
    3. The release sequence completes

    Until then, heirs are not aware they have been designated.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I have multiple heirs?">
    Yes, up to **5 heirs** per vault. All heirs receive identical, full access to the entire vault contents.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does an heir need to claim the vault?">
    * Access to the email address you registered for them
    * A modern web browser
    * The ability to create a passkey on their device

    No cryptocurrency wallet, technical knowledge, or software installation is required.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Release triggers

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What if the Dead Man's Switch triggers accidentally?">
    You have a **30-day contestation period** to cancel any release. During this window:

    * You receive multiple escalating alerts (email, SMS, and push notifications) at days 0, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28
    * A single click in your dashboard cancels the release
    * No data is shared with heirs until the 30 days elapse
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I pause the Dead Man's Switch temporarily?">
    Yes. Log into your dashboard and extend the check-in window before a planned absence (for example, extended travel or a medical procedure). Any authenticated action resets the timer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What check-in frequencies are available?">
    | Frequency | Description                                  |
    | --------- | -------------------------------------------- |
    | Weekly    | Maximum vigilance                            |
    | Bi-weekly | Balanced frequency                           |
    | Monthly   | Recommended default for most users           |
    | Quarterly | For users who access Inheribase infrequently |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change my release trigger later?">
    Yes. While your vault is `active`, you can switch between Dead Man's Switch and Manual Release, or adjust your check-in frequency, at any time from the dashboard.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Pricing and credits

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do credits expire?">
    Never. Vault Credits are permanent, just like your vault data.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What can I do with the free trial credits?">
    Your \$1.00 trial credits let you:

    * Upload small files to test the encryption and storage flow
    * Configure guardians and heirs (free operations)
    * Set up a release trigger (free operation)
    * Perform check-ins (\$0.05 each)
    * Test MCP / API integration
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are there hidden fees?">
    No. Your deposit amount equals your credit balance. There are no activation fees, no percentage deductions, and no subscriptions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I run out of credits mid-operation?">
    * **Upload** — the upload fails with a 402 error before any partial data is stored. No credits are consumed for failed uploads.
    * **Check-in** — the check-in fails. Your Dead Man's Switch timer continues counting down. Top up credits and check in again immediately.
    * **Status reads and people configuration** — these operations are free and are never affected by credit balance.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Security

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can Inheribase employees see my files?">
    No. Inheribase uses a zero-knowledge architecture. All files are encrypted on your device with keys derived from your credentials. Inheribase servers store only encrypted blobs that are meaningless without your keys. This is a technical guarantee, not a policy promise.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What encryption does Inheribase use?">
    | Layer           | Standard                                                                       |
    | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
    | Data at rest    | AES-256-GCM                                                                    |
    | Data in transit | TLS 1.3 with perfect forward secrecy                                           |
    | Key management  | Client-side key derivation; keys are never transmitted or stored by Inheribase |
    | Key splitting   | Shamir's Secret Sharing for guardian share distribution                        |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Has Inheribase been audited?">
    Inheribase undergoes regular security audits and penetration testing by independent third parties. See the [Trust & Security](/trust/the-protocol) page for details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if Inheribase is hacked?">
    An attacker who breaches Inheribase servers would obtain only encrypted blobs — data that is computationally infeasible to decrypt without your keys. Your vault key fragments are distributed among your guardians, not stored on Inheribase infrastructure.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## AI and developer integration

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is MCP?">
    The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to external tools. Inheribase's MCP server lets your local AI (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.) interact with your vault — storing files, checking status, and performing check-ins.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is my data exposed to the AI?">
    Your AI assistant runs locally on your device. Sensitive data (files, keys) are encrypted on your device before being sent to Inheribase. The AI helps you manage your vault but never has access to unencrypted data stored on Inheribase servers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What API rate limits apply?">
    | Endpoint                | Rate limit          |
    | ----------------------- | ------------------- |
    | `store_asset`           | 60 requests/minute  |
    | `check_status`          | 120 requests/minute |
    | `check_in`              | 10 requests/minute  |
    | `GET /api/vault`        | 120 requests/minute |
    | `POST /api/vault/:id/*` | 60 requests/minute  |

    Rate limits are per API key. Exceeding a limit returns HTTP 429 with a `Retry-After` header.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Upload is failing">
    1. **Check your credit balance** — insufficient credits return a 402 error
    2. **Check file size** — files must be under 5 GB
    3. **Check your connection** — uploads require a stable internet connection
    4. **Try a different browser** — clear cache or switch to Chrome / Safari if you are on Firefox
    5. **Check for browser extensions** — ad blockers or privacy extensions may interfere with the Digital Airlock
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Passkey is not working">
    1. **Update your browser** — ensure you are on the minimum supported version
    2. **Check device support** — your device must support WebAuthn (biometric or PIN)
    3. **Try a different device** — if you registered multiple passkeys, try another
    4. **Use recovery codes** — if all passkeys fail, use a one-time recovery code
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Guardian did not receive their invitation">
    1. **Check the email address** — verify you entered the correct email in your dashboard
    2. **Check spam / junk folder** — invitation emails may be filtered
    3. **Resend the invitation** — from your dashboard, select the guardian and click **Resend**
    4. **Contact the guardian** — ask them to whitelist `noreply@inheribase.com`
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Dead Man's Switch triggered unexpectedly">
    1. **Check your email** — you should have received multiple alerts during the 30-day contestation period
    2. **Log into your dashboard** — if the contestation period is still active, click **Cancel Release**
    3. **Perform a check-in** — any authenticated action resets the timer
    4. **Review your check-in frequency** — consider switching to a longer interval if you access Inheribase infrequently
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="API returns 402 Payment Required">
    Your Vault Credits balance is insufficient for the requested operation. Top up credits from your dashboard under **Settings → Credits**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="API returns 429 Too Many Requests">
    You have exceeded the rate limit for this endpoint. Wait for the duration specified in the `Retry-After` response header before retrying. See the rate limits table in the AI & Developer Integration section above.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>