Setting up a deadman switch for delayed wishes

A deadman switch is a wish (a note, an account-handoff, a piece of evidence, a recording for someone) that releases automatically only if you stop checking in for a set period. While you're alive and active, the wish stays sealed; if you go silent for long enough to mean you're incapacitated or gone, the wish releases to the named recipient.

The use case:

- "If I don't sign in for 14 days, give my photo album to my daughter."
- "If I don't check in for 90 days, hand off the family business records to my brother."
- "If I'm out of contact for 6 months, send my final letters to the people on this list."

How it works:

1. Open /me/afterlife → Wishes → "+ New wish."
2. Pick the release mode: **Deadman switch (inactivity)**.
3. Set the inactivity threshold: 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, or custom.
4. Write or attach what gets released: a letter, a folder of files, account handoff instructions, a video recording.
5. Pick the recipient(s) — by name (people you've added to your identity graph) or by email (will be routed once the recipient creates an account, or via direct email).
6. Save. The wish is now armed.

How "inactivity" is measured:

- Any sign-in to your Turtini account counts as activity, including the mobile app.
- Any explicit "I'm still here" tap on the After Life dashboard counts as activity (you can do this without a full sign-in flow on your phone).
- Inactivity is computed against your most-recent activity timestamp.

When the threshold approaches:

- 7 days before the threshold, you get a friendly "Hey, your deadman switch is about to fire. Tap here if you're still around" email.
- If you tap, the timer resets.
- If you don't tap, the email re-sends every day for the final 7 days.
- On the threshold day, if you've still been silent, the wish releases.

What "release" actually does:

- The recipient gets an email with the wish content (or a link to the wish content if it's a folder of files).
- The platform writes an audit record (deadman switch fired at X for wish Y, recipient Z notified).
- The wish status changes from "armed" to "released."

Cancelling vs disarming:

- **Disarm** — the wish stays in your dashboard but doesn't fire. Use when you're going on a long retreat and don't want false-positives.
- **Cancel** — the wish is deleted. Use when the situation that motivated the wish has changed.

K-of-N attestation alternative:

If the wish is important enough that you want extra safeguarding (multiple people have to agree you're incapacitated, not just an inactivity timer), use K-of-N attestation mode instead of deadman switch. N named trustees can vote that you're incapacitated; once K of them agree, the wish releases. See the K-of-N attestation article for details.

Combining modes:

You can use both for the same wish. The wish releases when either (a) the deadman timer fires OR (b) K-of-N trustees attest. Belts and suspenders.

What this is NOT:

- It's not a legal substitute for a will or trust. Talk to an estate attorney for legal-grade transfers of significant assets.
- It's not detection of "death" — it's detection of "stopped checking in." A long hospital stay (where the patient can't access the platform) would fire a deadman wish; that's why a 7-day pre-notification email exists.
- It's not for time-critical messages. The inactivity threshold has to give you reasonable time to come back. Don't use deadman switch for "if I die tonight, post this video tomorrow."