Family continuity
Leave useful crypto instructions without sharing secrets
By Jolly Ledger editorial · Published · Reviewed · 4 min read
Short answer
Separate an accessible overview from controlled recovery details and the secrets themselves. Explain how an authorized person can follow the route, without putting everything needed to spend in the same document.
Useful instructions tell someone how to proceed. Secrets give them the technical ability to proceed. Those are different functions, and combining them carelessly can turn a helpful family document into a spending credential. The aim is a discoverable route with deliberate access controls, not a puzzle only you can solve.
Use three layers of information
| Layer | What belongs there | What to keep out |
|---|---|---|
| Discoverable overview | Scope, responsible contacts, review date and the authorized next step. | Recovery words, passphrases and unnecessarily precise secret locations. |
| Controlled instructions | Wallet identifiers, dependencies and the process for locating recovery material. | Unneeded copies of the recovery material itself. |
| Recovery material | The actual backup, shares or additional secrets required by the setup. | Casual circulation with ordinary household notes. |
This is a documentation pattern, not a prescribed storage system. Choose controls that the intended person can actually use. A locked document is not useful if its only password is in your memory. An overview is not safe merely because it omits recovery words if it gives a stranger easy access to everything else.
Describe dependencies precisely
Record which wallet each instruction concerns, what backup format it uses and whether recovery also requires a passphrase, a threshold of shares or several signers. Do not label an optional passphrase as a PIN. Trezor explains that a different passphrase produces a different wallet, so an apparently empty result may reflect a mismatch rather than missing funds.
BIP-39 documents one common mnemonic-based system. Do not assume its rules cover every backup. Preserve relevant setup records and references to the maker’s official recovery documentation. The backup storage checklist can help identify what needs protection beyond the written overview.
Write actions a non-specialist can follow
Prefer clear verbs: locate, contact, verify and pause. Replace “restore as usual” with a reference to the official procedure for the recorded model and backup type. Explain that instructions are a starting point, not permission to act. Access and legal ownership need separate consideration.
Review the draft
- Can the intended reader find the overview without your help?
- Does each wallet have an unambiguous label?
- Are extra recovery requirements documented without casually exposing them?
- Can an authorized person obtain the controlled instructions?
- Have obsolete copies been identified and withdrawn where practical?
- Is there a clear warning against unsolicited recovery assistance?
Test the route without revealing the destination
Ask someone to follow the document up to, but not through, access to secrets. No transaction or device reset is needed. If they encounter a suspicious recovery request, stop and consult independently located official support. An odd message is not proof of compromise; disclosed recovery material is a different situation. Fold the result into your family emergency plan.
Sources
- BIP-39: Mnemonic code for generating deterministic keys — Bitcoin BIPs repository
- Passphrase FAQ: What every passphrase user should know — Trezor
Reported facts are attributed to their sources. Spotted an error? Read our corrections approach.
Leave instructions your family can actually use
The free checkup produces a separate family briefing with offline blanks to fill in by hand — explaining where to look and whom to trust, without your secrets.