I've Been Invited as a Guardian — What Now?

If you are reading this, someone you know—a family member, close friend, or client—has trusted you to act as a Guardian for their digital estate.

You do not need to be a technical expert to fulfill this role. This page explains exactly what you are agreeing to, what to expect, and your responsibilities in the event of an emergency or loss.

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1. What is a Guardian?

Inheribase operates as a sovereign digital vault. The vault owner's data is encrypted mathematically and cannot be unlocked by anyone else—including Inheribase's own engineers.

Instead of a single "master password" that could be stolen or lost, the owner's master key is split into multiple fragments (shares) using Shamir's Secret Sharing. As a Guardian, you hold one of these encrypted fragments.

When the vault owner passes away or loses access to their account, the designated heirs must contact the Guardians. If a certain threshold of Guardians (for example, 2 out of 3) approve the recovery request, the master key is reassembled, and the heirs are granted access.

2. What the Invitation Looks Like

You will receive an official email from security@inheribase.com stating that someone has designated you as a Guardian.

1. The Email: It will clearly display the name of the vault owner who nominated you.
2. The Secure Link: The email contains a secure, time-sensitive link to accept your role.
3. No Fees: You are a non-paying user. Guardians never pay to hold key shares or approve recoveries. Everything was prepaid by the vault owner.

3. How to Accept Your Role

As a Guardian, your primary interface is the secure Inheribase portal.

1. Click Accept Invitation in the email. You will be routed to a secure page at app.inheribase.com.
2. You will be prompted to create a free, non-paying Guardian identity using an email and a biometric Passkey (Face ID, Touch ID, or a device PIN).
3. Important: The fragment (key share) allocated to you is encrypted tightly against the passkey you create. Inheribase cannot read your key share.

By clicking accept, you agree to:

• Inform the family/heirs if you are contacted for a recovery request.
• Keep your Inheribase login (your Passkey or recovery codes) safe.

4. How to Approve a Recovery Request

In the event of the vault owner's passing, or if they lose complete access, a recovery event will be triggered.

1. You will receive an Urgent Recovery Notification via email.
2. Click the secure link contained in the alert, which takes you to app.inheribase.com/recovery.
3. Log in using your passkey.
4. Review the details of the recovery request (e.g., verifying who initiated it).
5. Click Approve Recovery. Your browser will securely decrypt your key share and submit it to the recovery smart contract.

Once the threshold of Guardians (e.g., you and one other Guardian) approve the request, the vault is unlocked for the heirs.

5. What Happens if You Lose Your Key Share?

Because Inheribase uses a threshold system (like 2-of-3 or 3-of-5), your single lost key share will not permanently lock the vault. The heirs can still reassemble the vault using the remaining Guardians.

However, if you lose your phone/computer and your emergency passkey recovery codes:

• You will lose access to your Guardian dashboard.
• You should notify the Vault Owner immediately so they can revoke your current key share and re-invite you or replace you with someone else.

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FAQ for Guardians

Q: Do I manage the owner's money or read their files? No. You do not have access to their encrypted files. You hold an inactive cryptograhic puzzle piece. Your only job is to provide that puzzle piece when an authorized recovery occurs.

Q: Does Inheribase contact me regularly? No. Aside from the initial invitation, you will only hear from Inheribase if a recovery request is triggered or if the vault owner revolves your guardian status.

Q: Do I need to download an app? No. All Guardian actions are taken securely within your standard web browser.