Auditing My Bitcoin Wallet
Self-Audit Methods for Custody Survivability
This memo is published by CustodyStress, an independent Bitcoin custody stress test that produces reference documents for individuals, families, and professionals.
What Self-Audit Means
A holder believes a bitcoin wallet is set up. The holder wants to audit it. The phrase "audit my bitcoin wallet" describes a self-check done by the holder. The holder is present and calm. No emergency exists.
What follows covers what a bitcoin wallet self audit reveals. It also describes what remains hidden. The self audit captures a single point in time.
What Self-Audit Means
When a holder says "I want to audit my bitcoin wallet," the holder usually means a personal check. The holder looks at the wallet. The holder confirms access. The holder reviews what exists.
This differs from a professional audit. A professional audit involves an outside party. The outside party examines records against standards. The outside party does not share the holder's memory or context.
A self audit bitcoin wallet check uses the holder's own knowledge. A professional audit does not.
What Self-Audit Observes
When a holder decides to audit my bitcoin wallet, the self-audit observes certain things. The holder can see whether the wallet opens. The holder can see whether the balance appears. The holder can see whether backup materials exist.
The self-audit confirms that access works for the holder at that moment. The holder set it up. The holder remembers how it works. The holder can fill in gaps from memory.
The behavior reflects what the holder knows and can reach. It does not reflect what another party would experience.
What Self-Audit Cannot Observe
A bitcoin wallet self audit run by the holder excludes certain conditions. The holder is present. The holder is calm. The holder remembers everything.
Self audit bitcoin wallet checks cannot observe what happens when the holder is absent. They cannot observe what happens when years have passed. They cannot observe what happens when a spouse, child, or executor attempts the same access without the holder's memory.
The self-audit excludes incapacity. The self-audit excludes death. The self-audit excludes confusion under stress. These conditions change what is observable.
The Holder Audits Access
The system in a scenario involves a holder who wants to audit my wallet bitcoin holdings. The holder observes access under conditions where prior knowledge is already present.
The self-audit reflects holder-present understanding. The holder sees what they expected. The holder understands what they see. No failure is observed under the tested conditions.
A designated heir does not have this context. The heir does not know which application to open. The heir does not know which device to use. Recovery in a scenario where the heir attempts the same check would start from a different position.
Memory Fills Gaps
The system in a scenario involves a holder conducting a bitcoin wallet self audit. The holder looks at backup notes. The notes say "24 words in fireproof box." The holder knows which box. The holder knows where the box is stored.
The self-audit does not reveal that these details are missing from the notes. The holder's memory fills the gaps. The audit feels complete because the holder's knowledge completes it.
Without the holder's memory, the gaps remain. "Fireproof box" does not say which one. It does not say where. It does not say what else is needed. The self-audit did not test whether the notes alone are enough.
A Snapshot in Time
A self audit bitcoin wallet check happens at a specific moment. The holder remembers everything at that moment. Passwords are fresh. Locations are known. Context is complete.
Time changes these conditions. Memory fades. Details blur. What seemed obvious becomes unclear. An audit conducted today does not show what happens five years from now.
The holder may forget which wallet the notes describe. The holder may forget where backups are stored. The holder may forget passwords that once seemed unforgettable. The self-audit captured a moment. It did not capture the future.
Self-Audit Versus Professional Audit
When a holder decides to audit my bitcoin wallet, the holder checks against their own memory. The holder asks: can I still access this? The answer is usually yes, because the holder set it up.
A professional audit looks at the system from someone who did not build it. A professional audit asks: do records match standards? The professional audit shows what documentation supports or fails to support.
Self-audit confirms holder access. Professional audit examines against external standards. These are different activities with different results.
What Third Parties Would Experience
The holder audits and sees a complete picture. A third party would see something different. Steps that seem obvious to the holder may confuse an heir. Access that seems simple to the holder may puzzle an executor.
A third party attempting the same access would start from a different position. They would not know terminology. They would not know which device matters. They would not know which application to use.
The holder's self-audit does not predict a third party's experience. Different starting knowledge produces different outcomes.
Authority and Access
The system in a scenario involves a holder who names an executor. The holder decides to audit my bitcoin wallet. No failure is observed under the tested conditions.
The executor has legal authority to manage the estate. The executor does not have the holder's memory. The executor does not know passwords or PINs. The executor does not know which device contains the wallet.
Legal authority does not create operational access. The self-audit confirmed holder access. It did not test executor access.
The Confidence Gap
A bitcoin wallet self audit often produces confidence. The holder sees the wallet. The holder observes access paths functioning. The outcome is interpreted as sufficient by the holder.
This confidence reflects what the holder observed. It does not reflect what remains unobserved. The holder checked access using holder knowledge. The holder did not check access using heir confusion or executor unfamiliarity.
A self audit bitcoin wallet check conducted by the holder reveals holder access at one moment. It does not reveal third-party access at a future moment.
Assessment
When a holder decides to audit my bitcoin wallet, the self-audit captures what the holder knows at that moment. The wallet opens for the person who set it up. Access works for the person who remembers the context.
Self-audit does not include other situations. It does not include the holder's absence. It does not include time passing and memory fading. It does not include third-party discovery without holder knowledge.
The result of a bitcoin wallet self audit conducted by the holder shows what happens when the holder checks it. It does not show what happens after the holder is gone. What works for the holder today may not work for others later.
System Context
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