Frequently Asked Questions

seQRets is an open-source tool that encrypts secrets (like crypto seed phrases) with XChaCha20-Poly1305, splits them using Shamir's Secret Sharing into multiple shares, and outputs each share as a printable QR code called a Qard. No single Qard reveals any information about the original secret.

The web app at app.seqrets.app is free and always will be. The Desktop App (Rust/Tauri) is a paid product that adds smart card support, inheritance planning, code signing, and native Rust cryptography.

Yes. The full source code is publicly available on GitHub under the AGPLv3 license. You can audit the encryption, the splitting logic, and every dependency.

Any text-based secret: crypto seed phrases (BIP-39), private keys, passwords, recovery codes, API keys, or personal notes. The maximum input size is constrained by QR code capacity (approximately 2,953 bytes at the highest error correction level).

XChaCha20-Poly1305 for authenticated encryption (256-bit key, 192-bit nonce) and Argon2id for key derivation (64 MB memory cost, 4 iterations). Your password and optional keyfile are concatenated before key derivation. These are the same primitives used in Signal, WireGuard, and libsodium.

A keyfile is an optional binary file that acts as a second authentication factor. When provided, the keyfile bytes are concatenated with your password before Argon2id key derivation. seQRets can generate a 32-byte (256-bit) keyfile using your device's cryptographic random number generator, or you can supply your own .bin or .key file (up to 2 MB). A generated keyfile makes brute-force attacks infeasible regardless of password strength, and defends against keyloggers and shoulder surfing since the file is never typed or displayed.

If you encrypted with a keyfile and lose it, your secret cannot be decrypted. There is no recovery mechanism — this is by design. Back up your keyfile separately from your shares and your password. Treat it with the same care as any other critical credential.

A mathematically proven threshold scheme where a secret is split into N shares, and any K of those shares (the threshold) can reconstruct it. Fewer than K shares reveal zero information about the original — this is information-theoretic security, not computational. It is also quantum-resistant.

No. There are no analytics, no tracking pixels, no error reporting services. The app makes exactly one optional network call — to fetch the current Bitcoin price for display. Even that can be disabled by going offline.

Yes, with two explicit caveats: (1) The Bob AI assistant optionally sends your question to Google's Gemini API if you provide your own API key. (2) The app optionally fetches the current BTC price. Neither of these transmits any secret data. All encryption, splitting, and QR generation happens locally with no server communication.

Not yet by a third-party firm. The code is open source and uses well-audited cryptographic primitives (noble/ciphers, noble/hashes by Paul Miller for web; RustCrypto crates for desktop). A formal audit is on the roadmap. Independent review is encouraged — the codebase is intentionally small and readable.

Web: @noble/ciphers and @noble/hashes by Paul Miller — audited, zero-dependency JavaScript implementations. Desktop: Native Rust crates — argon2, chacha20poly1305, and zeroize from the RustCrypto project.

You create a Shamir split with a threshold (e.g., 3-of-5), distribute shares to trusted people or locations, and provide instructions for how to reconstruct the secret. The Desktop App includes a dedicated Inheritance Plan builder that guides you through this process.

No. The Inheritance Plan is encrypted and exported as a file or written to a JavaCard. seQRets does not store any copy. If you lose all copies of your encrypted plan, it cannot be recovered.

No. seQRets has no server, no account system, and no backup of your data. If you lose enough shares to fall below your chosen threshold, your secret is gone. This is by design — it means nobody else can recover it either.

Both use the same encryption and splitting logic. The desktop app adds native Rust cryptography, memory zeroization (compiler-fence), browser extension immunity (Tauri WebView loads no extensions), code signing, and features like the Inheritance Plan builder and JavaCard smart card support.

macOS, Windows, and Linux. The app is built with Tauri (Rust backend + web frontend) and ships as a code-signed binary with automatic delta updates.

Your secrets remain recoverable. We maintain a separate open-source recovery tool called seQRets Recover — one HTML file, no install, no network, works offline in any modern browser. Save a copy of recover.html alongside your Qards and it will keep working long after this website is gone. The seQRets share format is documented, and the recovery tool lives in its own repository (github.com/seQRets/seQRets-Recover) with its own release chain, independent of the main app. Any developer could also reimplement it from scratch in an afternoon.

Yes. Every release of seQRets Recover publishes a SHA-256 hash of recover.html on the GitHub releases page. Before trusting a copy — especially one received through an untrusted channel — run `shasum -a 256 recover.html` (macOS/Linux) or `Get-FileHash recover.html -Algorithm SHA256` (Windows PowerShell) and compare the output to the hash published on the release page. If they don't match exactly, don't use the file. The tool also ships with a strict Content-Security-Policy that blocks network requests at the browser level as defense-in-depth.

JCOP-based Java Cards, dual-interface (ISO 7816 contact + ISO 14443 NFC). The seQRets applet is pre-installed on branded cards sold in the shop. The desktop app communicates via a standard USB smart card reader in contact mode.

Yes, if they are JCOP-compatible Java Cards that support the GlobalPlatform standard for applet installation. You would need to install the seQRets applet yourself using a GP-compatible tool.

Ensure the card is fully inserted in the USB reader (the desktop app uses contact mode). Check that the USB reader is recognized by your OS (it should appear as a CCID device). On Linux, you may need to install pcsclite. Try a different USB port. Restart the desktop app after connecting the reader.

Ensure adequate lighting and contrast. If printing Qards, use a high-resolution printer (300 DPI minimum) on white paper. Avoid scaling the QR code below the recommended minimum size displayed in the app. Try different scanner apps — some handle high-density QR codes better than others.

No. The password (and optional keyfile) are used to derive the encryption key via Argon2id. Without them, the encrypted data cannot be decrypted. There is no password reset, keyfile recovery, or backdoor. This is by design.

The desktop app binary is code-signed. On macOS, Gatekeeper verifies the signature automatically. On Windows, SmartScreen checks the Authenticode signature. You can also verify the SHA-256 hash of the downloaded file against the hash published on the GitHub release page.

Locally on your device only. On the desktop app, the key is stored in the OS keychain (macOS Keychain / Windows Credential Store). On the web app, it is kept in localStorage with an optional "Remember this key" toggle — unchecked, the key is session-only. It is sent only to Google's Gemini API when you ask Bob a question, and is never included in any other request.

Yes. Any secret copied from seQRets (password, recovered plaintext, share text) is automatically cleared from the system clipboard 60 seconds after copy.

Intentional inversion. For a security app, being online means being exposed to the network — the riskier state. Green = offline (safer). The dot pulses red while online and stays solid green while offline. Behind the scenes it pings a tiny 1-byte file every 5 seconds because browser navigator.onLine is unreliable.

Yes. The web app is a Progressive Web App (PWA). Use your browser's install prompt or "Add to Home Screen" on mobile to install it. Once installed, it runs fully offline after first load. For higher-assurance use, install the Desktop app instead (native Rust crypto, memory zeroization, code signing, isolated WebView).