WHAT IT IS
What is Vault Protocol, exactly?
Vault Protocol is a digital continuity system — a set of organized, secured information about how your family's important accounts, documents, and access work. It's the answer to the question: "If something happened to me tomorrow, would my family know what to do?"
It is not a password manager. It is not an estate planning service. It is not a software app you install and maintain. It is a structured setup process that produces a sealed, organized record — and runs automatically after that.
How is this different from a password manager?
A password manager (like 1Password or Bitwarden) stores your passwords. Vault Protocol uses a shared password manager as one of its components — but it also organizes your documents, designates your emergency contacts, builds your succession chain, sets up your secure communication channels, and delivers a sealed welcome packet that proves everything was done correctly.
A password manager answers one question: "What are my passwords?" Vault Protocol answers: "What does my family need to know if I'm gone — and do they have access to it?"
Is this the same as estate planning?
No. Estate planning is a legal process — wills, trusts, beneficiary designations — done with an attorney. Vault Protocol organizes your digital life: accounts, credentials, documents, emergency contacts, and succession instructions. The two complement each other. Estate planning handles what happens to your assets. Vault Protocol handles how your family accesses and manages everything during the process.
Vault Protocol does not replace legal, financial, or professional advice.
What does "sealed" mean?
Every document in Vault Protocol is sealed before storage with a cryptographic receipt — a unique code generated from the file's exact contents. If anyone alters the file after sealing, the receipt no longer matches. This makes tampering detectable.
The sealed welcome packet is proof that the document exists in the exact form it was created. It's the same principle used in document forensics and legal evidence — applied to your family's security configuration.
WHO IT'S FOR
Who actually needs this?
Anyone whose family would face real difficulty if they became unavailable. That's most people — but especially:
Parents with young children. Your children need access to everything you manage, but you've never organized it for someone else to find.
People with aging parents. You're starting to manage your parents' affairs and realizing there's no organized record anywhere.
Small business owners. Your business continuity plan cannot live in your head. If you're unavailable, who knows what to do and has access to what they need?
Estate-aware households. You've done the legal work. Now you need to organize the digital layer that makes it function.
Do I need to be technical to use this?
No. The guided setup session is designed for people with no technical background. You don't install anything, configure any systems, or manage any infrastructure. We walk through the setup together. The apps (Signal, Bitwarden, Proton) are all free, well-designed, and used by millions of people. If you can use a smartphone, you can complete this setup.
HOW IT WORKS
What actually happens during the setup session?
The 90-minute guided setup covers seven steps: creating a secure identity anchor (Proton email), setting up the four apps (Signal, Bitwarden, Proton, Vault Protocol), registering each household member, designating emergency contacts with specific access scopes, building the five-tier succession chain, organizing documents, and issuing the sealed welcome packet.
By the end of the session, your family's digital continuity system is complete. The welcome packet is sealed and delivered.
What does the system do after setup?
Almost nothing — by design. The calendar Worker sends you an annual review reminder. The security system monitors for unusual access. If something changes (a contact moves, an account closes), you update it. Otherwise, it runs automatically.
This is not a subscription that requires monthly engagement. It's infrastructure that runs in the background and surfaces when something needs attention.
What is the succession chain?
A five-tier escalation path that your family follows if you become unavailable. Tier 1: primary digital contact (Signal, Bitwarden emergency access). Tier 2: secondary digital contact. Tier 3: attorney or professional holding documents in escrow. Tier 4: physical safety deposit box. Tier 5: legal path of last resort.
Each tier has specific instructions, specific access, and a specific contact. Nothing is improvised when it matters most.
PRICING
What does it cost?
Personal — $15/month. One person, essential security configuration.
Family — $49/month. Up to 5 household members, full family vault.
Estate — $149/month. Full estate-tier succession chain, attorney integration, physical packet.
Business — $199/month. Multi-entity, business continuity layer, API access.
Guided setup session — $299 one-time. 90 minutes, walk through the full protocol together.
Done-For-You concierge — $499-$999. We handle the entire setup on your behalf.
Is there a free trial?
No. Vault Protocol is not software you evaluate for two weeks — it's a setup process that takes 90 minutes and produces a complete system. The better question is: what's the cost of not doing this?
One month of the Family plan costs less than a dinner out. One month of the Estate plan costs less than one hour of attorney billing. The setup session costs a fraction of what an estate attorney charges. And once it's done, it runs indefinitely.