Secret Key

Meet Secret Key

Secret Key is a self-hosted system for arranging emergency access to a password database. The owner divides its master password into cryptographic shares and gives those shares to trusted people. A defined minimum number of participants must combine them to reconstruct the password; the system can then make the stored database file available through its recovery process.

SMS verification and a delayed release give the owner an opportunity to stop an unexpected access attempt. Shares can be distributed on paper, as PDFs, or on cards, while the database remains on the owner’s server. Secret Key is open source and requires technical setup, making it a tool for preparing a recovery plan rather than an everyday password manager.