digital-legacy

Digital Legacy

Your digital life outlives you. Plan for it.

Digital Legacy is a skill that helps you create a complete digital inheritance plan. It inventories your accounts, subscriptions, crypto wallets, and important files; configures social media legacy contacts; and generates a sealed, encrypted instruction document that trusted family members can access in an emergency.

When to Use

Activate this skill when:

• You want to create a digital will or inheritance plan
• You need to inventory online accounts and subscriptions
• You want to document crypto wallet access for heirs
• You're setting up emergency access for a trusted person
• You need a printable emergency access guide
• You're helping someone else organize their digital legacy

What It Produces

The skill generates three deliverables:

1. Account Inventory (accounts.json)

A structured inventory of all digital accounts:

• Email, social media, banking, subscriptions
• Crypto wallets and exchange accounts
• Cloud storage and backup locations
• Domain registrations and hosting
• Status: active, dormant, to-close

2. Encrypted Digital Will (digital_will.enc)

A sealed instruction document containing:

• Access instructions (where to find passwords, recovery keys)
• Wishes for each account (archive, memorialize, delete, transfer)
• Crypto wallet seed phrases and access paths
• Location of important local files
• Contact information for services with legacy/deceased policies

Encrypted with AES-256 using a passphrase you choose. Only someone with the passphrase can open it.

3. Emergency Access Guide (emergency_guide.html)

A printable one-page guide for your trusted person:

• The passphrase hint (NOT the passphrase itself)
• Where to find the encrypted will file
• Immediate steps to take
• Key contacts (lawyer, financial advisor, tech-savvy friend)
• Services that require death certificates

Quick Reference

Security Model

This skill uses a passphrase-based encryption model:

1. You choose a strong passphrase and give a hint (not the passphrase) to your trusted person.
2. The will document is encrypted with AES-256-GCM using a key derived from your passphrase via PBKDF2 (100,000 iterations).
3. The encrypted file can only be opened with the passphrase.
4. The passphrase is never stored anywhere in plaintext.

Important: If you lose the passphrase, the encrypted will cannot be recovered. Store the passphrase securely (password manager + physical copy in a safe deposit box). See references/security-best-practices.md.

Workflow

Phase 1: Inventory (setup or individual add-* commands)

1. List all your online accounts (email, social, banking, shopping)
2. List recurring subscriptions (streaming, software, memberships)
3. Document crypto wallets (type, access method, approximate value)
4. Note important local files (taxes, deeds, insurance, will)
5. Record legacy contact settings (Google, Facebook, Apple)

Phase 2: Specify Wishes

For each account, specify what should happen:

• Archive: Save data, then close
• Memorialize: Convert to memorial page (Facebook, Google)
• Delete: Close and delete all data
• Transfer: Transfer ownership to a specific person
• Maintain: Keep active (e.g., domain, email forwarding)

Phase 3: Generate Documents

1. Run generate-will to create the encrypted instruction document
2. Run emergency-guide to create the printable HTML guide
3. Share the guide with your trusted person
4. Store the encrypted will in a location your trusted person can access

See references/workflow-guide.md for a detailed step-by-step process.

Files

• references/security-best-practices.md — encryption, passphrase, storage
• references/account-checklist.md — comprehensive list of account types
• references/platform-policies.md — Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. legacy policies
• references/workflow-guide.md — full step-by-step setup process
• scripts/digital_legacy.py — the main inventory and encryption tool
• scripts/templates/template_will.md — plaintext will template
• scripts/templates/template_guide.html — emergency guide HTML template

Common Pitfalls

1. Storing the passphrase with the encrypted file. The passphrase must be stored separately. If someone finds both, the encryption is useless.

2. Forgetting to update. Your digital life changes constantly. Re-run the inventory at least annually, or after major life events (new accounts, marriages, deaths).

3. Not testing decryption. After generating the will, test that you can decrypt it with your passphrase. A typo in the passphrase is a common, catastrophic error.

4. Crypto wallet seed phrases. Never store seed phrases in a plain text file. The encrypted will is acceptable, but also store a physical copy in a secure location (safe deposit box).

5. Assuming family knows your accounts. Most people have accounts their family doesn't know about (old email addresses, dormant exchanges, digital purchases). Be thorough in the inventory.

6. Legal validity. This tool creates an informational document, not a legally binding will. For legal estate planning, consult a lawyer. See references/workflow-guide.md.

Verification Checklist

• All significant accounts inventoried (not just the ones you use daily)
• Subscriptions documented with billing cycle and cost
• Crypto wallets documented with access method (NOT seed phrase in plaintext)
• Wishes specified for each account (archive/delete/transfer/maintain)
• Will encrypted with a strong passphrase you've tested
• Passphrase stored securely (password manager + physical copy)
• Emergency guide printed and shared with trusted person
• Trusted person knows where to find the encrypted will file
• Plan reviewed and updated within the last 12 months

License

MIT © Denis Voronin