DeadSwitch – Local dead man's switch

A dead man's switch for solo dwellers and freelancers that never leaves your machine

Problem

People worry that if they suddenly go offline, family or clients won't know what to do, but most existing dead man's switches require hosting passwords and sensitive data in the cloud, which feels risky. A recent Show HN for a virtual dead man's switch confirms the demand, yet trust remains the blocker.

Solution

A fully local dead man's switch: you set a periodic check-in button, and after a timeout it sends pre-written messages and encrypted attachments through your own email or SMS channel. Everything is encrypted locally; the relay only stores ciphertext and timing state. Supports multiple contacts and a grace period.

Users

Solo developers, freelancers, frequent travelers, and people who want a low-profile digital estate plan

MVP

Local encrypted message and attachment storage; configurable check-in interval and grace period; sends via user-provided SMTP or Twilio; multiple contacts with priority; offline single-file desktop app

Revenue

One-time desktop license; optional cloud relay subscription that only forwards ciphertext; or per-message pricing

Why now

End-to-end encryption and local-first tools are mainstream, and users increasingly distrust handing passwords to cloud services; one person can ship a cross-platform desktop MVP in weeks