0xDEAD.space
A cryptographic succession protocol for the AT Protocol
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What is 0xDEAD.space?
0xDEAD.space is a research project and proposed RFC for cryptographic digital succession that addresses what happens to your digital life when you die. It is an open cryptographic succession protocol extending the AT Protocol (the same infrastructure powering Bluesky), making mortality machine-readable so your repos and projects don't die with you. The protocol defines two custom lexicons, an inverted liveness model using blinded heartbeats, and a DID key rotation mechanism for succession.
The system works through an inverted heartbeat model where multiple independent sources (service logins, professional contacts, family, even strangers via encrypted BLE beacons) passively attest that you're alive through privacy-preserving blinded heartbeats. When all heartbeats go silent, the protocol escalates to designated death verifiers (attorney, family member, notary) who must submit actual death attestations backed by real evidence like death certificates or government registry records. Only after threshold verification does the DID PLC rotate to your designated successor.
Key features include proximity attestation using encrypted BLE beacons (like StreetPass meets Apple Find My) for anonymous liveness confirmation, a 72-hour recovery window where your DID PLC recovery key can override any succession, threshold death attestation (e.g., 2 of 3 verifiers), and full portability since you need only an AT Protocol identity (did:plc), not specifically a Bluesky account. The project is built by one sysadmin with no company or funding, open under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This tool is for open-source maintainers who are single points of failure for their projects, developers and creators concerned about their digital assets entering a legal black hole upon death, anyone with digital assets they want to transfer to successors, and the broader developer community that needs better handoff mechanisms for when maintainers die. It addresses the reality that 2.3-3.7M BTC is permanently lost because owners died without succession plans and zero domain registrars have a beneficiary field.
0xDEAD.space pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Free - 0xDEAD is an open research project and proposed RFC open under CC BY-SA 4.0 license. There is no company, no funding, and no paid tiers. The protocol specification is freely available, the research is open, and the playground is accessible to anyone. The building blocks are real and running in production on the AT Protocol infrastructure.
0xDEAD.space pros
- Built on production-ready AT Protocol infrastructure
- Privacy-preserving blinded heartbeats protect user data
- Anonymous proximity attestation via encrypted BLE beacons
- 72-hour recovery window prevents premature succession
- Threshold death attestation prevents single-point failure
- No Bluesky account required, only did:plc identity
- Multiple independent liveness sources required before escalation
- Real-world proof required before succession executes
- Human judgment required at every escalation step
- Open source under CC BY-SA 4.0 license
- Portable identity not tied to any single platform
- Heartbeat attesters don't need ATProto accounts
- Flexible verifier roles (attorney, family, notary)
- Configurable thresholds for liveness and death attestation
- Addresses real problem of 2.3-3.7M BTC permanently lost
0xDEAD.space cons
- Not an actual product yet, only a protocol specification
- Depends on others caring enough to help build it
- Documentation is incomplete, RFC is closest thing to docs
- Solo project with no company backing or funding
- Requires adoption by AT Protocol PDS providers
- Complex setup requiring multiple verifier relationships
- Relies on deceased's successor having recovery key access
- New protocol with unproven real-world deployment
Frequently asked questions about 0xDEAD.space
Is this a joke?
No. Maybe? The domain 0xDEAD.space seemed amusing so it was bought, and things spiraled from there. But the problem is very much not a joke. There have been notable deaths in the developer and creator community recently, and few had rock-solid succession plans for their important work. Every open-source maintainer is a single point of failure, and the community should get better at handing off the baton when maintainers die. The name is memorable and honest about what this is about.
Is this an actual product?
No. 0xDEAD is a protocol specification built on the AT Protocol, the same infrastructure that powers Bluesky. The RFC defines two custom lexicons, an inverted liveness model using blinded heartbeats, and a DID key rotation mechanism for succession. The building blocks are real and running in production, but the composition is new. Whether it becomes something real depends on whether anyone else cares enough to help build it.
Do I need a Bluesky account?
No. You need an AT Protocol identity (a did:plc), which you can get through Bluesky or any AT Protocol PDS provider in the Atmosphere. You could even create your own. Your heartbeat attesters—the people and services that prove you're alive—don't need ATProto accounts at all. They attest through any channel: an app, a web form, even an email link. The protocol is designed to be flexible, portable, and secure, just like your did:plc.
What if the protocol triggers and everyone thinks I'm dead when I'm not?
It can't execute without real-world proof. Silent heartbeats are a signal, not a trigger—they start an investigation, not a succession. Your successor might see 'professional contacts: inactive' and call your lawyer, but nobody touches your keys until designated verifiers submit actual death attestations backed by real evidence like a death certificate, an attorney with personal knowledge, or a government registry. Even then, your did:plc recovery key can override any succession within the 72-hour recovery window. The protocol escalates slowly, requires human judgment at every step, and gives you the last word.
What stops someone from faking death attestations?
Three layers of security. First, the inverted heartbeat model requires multiple independent sources (service logins, professional contacts, family) to passively attest to your liveness—all must go silent before escalation begins. Second, threshold death attestation lets you designate multiple verifiers (attorney, family, notary) and set a threshold like 2 of 3. Third, the 72-hour safety valve means your DID PLC recovery key can override any succession within 72 hours. If you're alive, you can stop it.
What's the deal with 0xDEAD?
In hexadecimal, 0xDEAD (57005 in decimal) is a hexspeak constant used in low-level programming as a marker for uninitialized or freed memory. It means 'this memory is dead—don't use it.' The creator thought it was appropriate for a protocol about what happens to your digital life when you die.
How does the inverted liveness model work?
Instead of you proving you're alive, others attest that you're alive through privacy-preserving blinded heartbeats. Your lawyer, family, phone, even strangers on the street quietly prove you're still here through service logins, professional contacts, or encrypted BLE beacon proximity attestation. When they stop—when all heartbeats go silent—the protocol notices and begins escalation. It's essentially a dead man's switch you don't have to remember to pull.
What are the custom lexicons?
The RFC defines two custom lexicons (AT Protocol record type schemas). One is space.0xdead.succession.declaration which includes fields for successor (DID), deathThreshold, deathVerifiers with roles like attorney/family/notary, livenessThreshold, heartbeatSources, and heartbeatWindow. These lexicons extend the AT Protocol to make mortality machine-readable and enable cryptographic succession.
How does proximity attestation work?
Proximity attestation uses encrypted BLE beacons (think StreetPass meets Apple Find My) so nearby users can passively confirm you're alive without either party revealing who they are or where they are. This enables anonymous liveness attestation where strangers on the street quietly contribute to proving you're still here without any privacy compromise.
What happens to my digital assets without a succession plan?
Your digital assets enter a legal black hole when you die. There are APIs for identity verification, credit scores, and package delivery, but 'is this person still alive?' has no standardized digital signal. There's no way to say 'transfer my domain to my business partner' in a format platforms can verify and act on. 2.3-3.7M BTC is permanently lost because owners died without succession plans, and zero domain registrars have a beneficiary field. 48+ US jurisdictions adopted RUFADAA with zero technical tooling to implement it.