Custodian Roles¶
Pick three (or more, if you adjust the threshold) people you trust independently. They don't need to trust or know each other. That's actually a feature: it reduces the odds of collusion and means no single relationship is a point of failure.
| Custodian | Role | Holds |
|---|---|---|
| Custodian A | Independent trusted person | Share A (recovery), Share A (destruction) |
| Custodian B | Independent trusted person | Share B (recovery), Share B (destruction) |
| Custodian C | Independent trusted person | Share C (recovery), Share C (destruction) |
Custodians do not need to know what their share unlocks, or that the other custodians exist, until the triggering event is verified. Their contact details for each other are distributed only after that point, typically by the executor or attorney.
Sample custodian instruction letter¶
Adapt this and give a copy to each custodian along with their share:
You have been designated as one of several independent custodians of a confidential estate recovery mechanism. You are not expected to understand or act on this material under normal circumstances.
- Do not attempt to use, test, reproduce, photograph, or disclose your recovery material to anyone.
- Store it somewhere private and durable (safe deposit box, personal safe, etc.).
- Upon verified notification of my death, confirmed through [executor / attorney / family, see Verifying the Triggering Event], you will be contacted with instructions and the contact details of the other designated custodians.
- You will be asked to combine your material with theirs through the documented recovery process. You are not being asked to make any decisions about what happens to any account, asset, or piece of data.
- If you are ever contacted about this outside of a verified death notification, do not act. Contact [executor/attorney] directly to confirm.
Keep this letter short. Custodians are a delivery mechanism, not decision-makers. The actual instructions for what happens with reconstructed secrets live in the recovery and destruction packages, not with them.