AmberKey

Recovering without us

If you are reading this, someone you love probably prepared for this moment. They left you a way in. This page walks you through it, one small step at a time.

You do not need to be technical. You do not need an account with anyone. You do not need this company to still exist. And nothing here can be broken by a wrong click. If something doesn’t work, you can simply start over.

Take your time. There is no deadline on this page.

What you need

Three things:

  1. The printed cards. Small pages with numbered words on them. The person who prepared this gave one to each of a few trusted people. You don’t need all of the cards. The tool will tell you when you have enough.
  2. The bundle file. A single computer file, ending in .age. It may be on a USB stick that came with a card. It may be a download from AmberKey. It may be in the person’s own files or backups. Any copy works.
  3. The recovery tool. One file, called recover.html. It opens in an ordinary web browser, like a saved web page.

Getting the tool

Try these in order. Stop when one works.

  1. Go to recover.amberkey.app and save the page to the computer.
  2. If that site is gone, search the web for “amberkey github releases” and download recover.html from there.
  3. Still nothing? Try codeberg.org/amberkey/amberkey, or search the Software Heritage archive or the Internet Archive for “amberkey”.

The instruction sheet that came with each card lists these same places. If a family member was given a USB stick, the tool may already be on it.

If you have a technically inclined friend, this is a fine moment to call them. Hand them this page and the cards’ instruction sheet. But you can also do every step yourself.

Opening the tool

  1. Find the saved recover.html file on the computer and open it. Double clicking is enough. It opens in the browser, like any web page.
  2. You can turn off the internet first if you want. The tool works completely without it. It never sends anything, to us or to anyone.

If the page opens and you can see a place to type words, you’re in the right place.

Entering the cards

  1. Take the first card. Type its words into the tool, in order, exactly as printed. Lowercase is fine.
  2. The tool will tell you if a word was mistyped. That’s normal; just retype the line. Nothing is lost by a typo.
  3. Repeat with the next card. After each one, the tool shows your progress: which groups of cards are complete and whether you need more.
  4. If the tool says a card is from an older set, check the short code printed on each card (the “case number”). All the cards you use must show the same one. Set aside any card that doesn’t match.

You may not need every card that exists. The person who set this up chose how many are enough. The tool knows, and it will tell you the moment you get there.

Opening the bundle

When you have enough cards, the tool asks for the bundle file, the .age file. Choose it, and everything unlocks. This happens entirely on the computer in front of you.

What appears is called the packet. Start with the first page, the checklist. It was written for exactly this day, and it tells you what to do first, what can wait, and what to be careful about. One warning worth repeating here, because it matters most and is easiest to get wrong: do not cancel their mobile phone number yet. Many other accounts send their unlock codes to that number.

You can print any page, or save it. Do that for the checklist at minimum.

If something doesn’t work

  • A card won’t accept a word. A letter is misread or mistyped. The words are checked against a fixed list, so the tool catches it. Retype the whole line slowly. The printed word list uses only ordinary English words.
  • “You need more cards.” The progress panel names which group is missing. The sealed page of any instruction sheet says who the other card holders are and how to reach them.
  • The bundle file won’t open even with enough cards. The cards and the file are probably from different years. Look for a newer copy of the file (or older cards). Check the person’s computer, email, and any USB sticks.
  • Truly stuck. Nothing you did caused harm, and nothing is lost. Rest, and try again with another family member or a patient friend. The cards and the file will wait.

One more thing

However you came to this page — we’re sorry for your loss. The person who set this up did it so that today would be a little less hard for you. Go slowly, take breaks, and let the checklist carry the weight. It knows what to do next.