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MoatKey · Help

Emergency access (Legacy)

Last updated October 23, 2026

Name someone you trust. If something happens to you, they can ask for access to the Castles you choose. MoatKey cannot read your Castles, now or through Legacy. Your contact gets access only if you don’t deny the request within the waiting period you set. MoatKey’s servers enforce the waiting period.

What this does not do

Please read this before you set it up.

  • The waiting period and the Deny button are rules that MoatKey’s servers follow. They are not locked by math. You are choosing someone you trust, so choose carefully.
  • A server that colluded with your contact could release access earlier than the waiting period.
  • Revoking access after it has been granted cannot take back copies. Your contact may have saved copies of what they could see. Changing the key of those Castles stops them from reading anything new.
  • If a key change on a Castle got stuck, items added after it may be missing for your contact. MoatKey shows “Items added after (date) may be missing.”
  • Dungeon items stay hidden from your contact unless you choose to include them.
  • Only Castles you created can be included. Shared Castles you do not own cannot.
  • Your contact cannot see Castle names until they have access.

Set it up (you, the owner)

  1. Setting up Legacy needs a Family or Team plan. Your contact can be on any plan. The plan is checked when you set up or change Legacy, not when your contact asks for access.
  2. Name a contact. Enter their email. They need to open the latest MoatKey once before you can name them. An invitation expires after 14 days.
  3. Compare safety numbers with them to finish setting up. See Safety numbers.
  4. Choose the Castles your contact can ask for.
  5. Choose the waiting period. It can be 3 to 30 days. The shortest is 3 days. The default is 7.
  6. Decide about the Dungeon. By default, MoatKey’s servers keep Dungeon items hidden from your contact. If you switch them on, your contact will be able to see Dungeon items too. MoatKey’s servers note in your activity log when they open one of your Castles, at most once a day for each Castle. They do not note each Dungeon item.

Your contact can look at what is inside and copy it to their own Castle. They cannot change your Castles.

If you are the contact

  1. Accept. You will get an invitation saying the person wants you as their Legacy contact, and how many days they have to say no. Choose Accept or Decline. You are then their Legacy contact.
  2. Ask for access. If something happens to them, choose Ask for access to (name)’s Castles. They are emailed right away. You also get a receipt email. The waiting period starts once the first email to them is sent. If MoatKey cannot email them, the waiting period has not started and you will see that.
  3. Wait. A countdown shows “Access opens in (n) days unless the owner says no.”
  4. Read. If the owner does not deny, you can look at their Castles. They are read-only. Use Copy to my Castle to keep what you need in your own Castle, or export an encrypted backup.

Access lasts until you or the owner ends it.

If you are the owner and a request arrives

You are emailed when your contact asks, about halfway through the waiting period, 24 hours before it ends, and when access is granted.

  • Deny stops the request. You can do it with one tap after signing in, or from a single-use link in the email.
  • Allow now gives access right away.
  • Signing in does not cancel a request. Choose Deny to stop it.
  • After a denial, your contact can ask again after 7 days.

Ending access

After access is granted, you can revoke it. MoatKey then offers to change the key of those Castles. That stops your contact from reading anything new, but it cannot take back what they already saved.

Still need help? Email support@moatkey.com.