Plan a hardware-wallet recovery rehearsal

A recovery rehearsal is a way to find missing steps while your current wallet still works. It is not a challenge to prove courage by wiping a device. The most useful first exercise involves a written scenario, your non-secret records and time to investigate anything unclear before there is an emergency.

Begin with one failure, not every failure

Choose a scenario such as “the hardware wallet is broken and cannot be unlocked”. Leave that device untouched. Write down what you would need next: the backup location, a compatible replacement, official recovery instructions, any passphrase and enough account information to recognize the right wallet.

Then try a second scenario: the primary backup location is unavailable. This tests storage rather than device recovery. For multi-share arrangements, ask whether enough distinct shares remain reachable. For multisig, examine signer availability and wallet configuration as well as individual signer backups. A plan that works for one design may be incomplete for another.

Separate the questions you need to answer

Use backup checking for the narrow comparison task. The Safe 5 documentation, for example, describes a check that does not replace the current backup. A tabletop walkthrough cannot provide that technical comparison, while a successful comparison cannot establish that a family member can open the safe.

Document compatibility before shopping

Record the backup standard, not just the number of words. BIP-39 and SLIP-39 are different formats, and support for one does not imply support for the other. Consult the candidate replacement maker’s official documentation for the format and features you use. See 12, 20 or 24 words for the distinction.

Recovery also depends on account discovery. Keep private notes about networks, account types and any non-default derivation settings. A previously verified receiving address can help identify an account, but it reveals financial context and should not go in a public instruction sheet. Do not include recovery words in ordinary planning notes.

Make hands-on testing a separate decision

If a hands-on restoration test is justified, plan it separately using official instructions for a compatible spare hardware device. Do not make a working device your first test subject, and do not import the phrase into software for convenience. Consider the exposure created by handling secrets and the additional device that would now hold signing material.

A useful outcome may simply be a list of gaps. Stop when instructions become ambiguous rather than guessing. Leave useful instructions without sharing secrets, date the rehearsal and repeat it after significant changes. Success means a clearer, workable recovery path—not a reset or a transaction performed for its own sake.