Testing a Bitcoin Custody Setup
Self-Testing Limits in Custody Verification
This memo is published by CustodyStress, an independent Bitcoin custody stress test that produces reference documents for individuals, families, and professionals.
What Self-Testing Observes
A holder-initiated attempt to test a bitcoin custody setup occurs. The system is exercised under calm conditions. The holder is present and able. No emergency exists. No third party is involved.
What follows covers what such testing reveals. It also describes what remains hidden.
What Self-Testing Observes
When a holder tests their own bitcoin custody setup, certain system behaviors become observable. The system is exercised when the holder is present and recovery knowledge is already known.
The holder already knows where things are stored. The holder knows their own passwords. The holder has their own memory. The bitcoin custody test confirms that access paths work for the holder at that moment.
The behavior reflects what the holder knows and can reach. It does not reflect what another party would experience.
What Self-Testing Cannot Observe
A bitcoin custody test run by the holder excludes certain conditions. The holder is present. The holder is calm. The holder remembers everything.
Self-testing bitcoin custody cannot observe what happens when the holder is absent. It cannot observe what happens when time has passed. It cannot observe what happens when a spouse, executor, or child attempts the same steps without the holder's knowledge.
The test excludes incapacity. The test excludes death. The test excludes confusion under stress. These conditions change what is observable.
Recovery in a Scenario
The system in a scenario involves a holder-initiated test of bitcoin custody. The system is exercised when the holder is present and recovery knowledge is already known. The result reflects successful access when the holder is present.
The system behavior occurred because recovery knowledge was already present. The holder knew the location. The holder knew the combination. The holder knew which application to use. The holder remembered which words belonged to which wallet.
A designated third party does not know these things. Recovery in a scenario where the third party attempts the same steps would start from a different position. The test revealed that the holder can access the system. It did not reveal whether anyone else can.
Testing Under Calm Conditions
The system in a scenario is exercised when the holder is present and recovery knowledge is already known. No failure is observed under the tested conditions.
The test occurred under calm conditions. Time was available. No pressure existed.
An executor attempting the same steps six months after the holder's death would face different conditions. The executor would not know the PIN. The executor would not know which computer was used. The executor would not know whether the device found was the correct one. The calm-condition test did not model these differences.
Authority Without Access
A man names his brother as executor in his will. He decides to test my bitcoin setup, he thinks. All recovery methods work when he tries them.
His brother has legal authority to manage the estate. His brother does not know the PIN, the seed phrase location, or which devices matter. Legal authority does not create operational access.
The holder's test confirmed holder access. It did not test executor access. The executor's experience would differ from the holder's experience.
The Confidence Gap
Self-testing often produces confidence. The holder sees the system work. 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 tested access paths available to themselves. They did not test access paths available to others.
A bitcoin custody test conducted by the holder reveals holder access under holder conditions. It does not reveal third-party access under third-party conditions.
Time and Memory
A test 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. Locations are forgotten. Context is lost. A test conducted today does not model comprehension five years from now.
The holder may forget which seed phrase belongs to which wallet. They may forget where backups are stored. They may forget passwords they once knew perfectly. The test captured a moment. It did not capture the future.
What Third Parties Would Experience
A holder who wants to test my bitcoin setup tests from the holder's position. They already possess knowledge that others lack.
A third party attempting the same steps would start from a different position. They would not know terminology. They would not know locations. They would not know which instructions apply to which devices.
The holder's successful test does not predict a third party's experience. Different starting knowledge produces different outcomes.
Review Versus Test
A review looks at the system from someone who did not build it. A third party reads documentation. A third party attempts to understand the system. The review shows what others may not understand.
Self-testing does not include this outside perspective. The holder already understands their own system. They cannot observe their own blind spots. They cannot model another person's confusion.
Testing a bitcoin custody setup differs from reviewing it. Testing confirms holder access. Review examines whether documentation communicates to others. The distinction between review vs test bitcoin setup matters for understanding what each reveals.
Outcome
When a holder decides to test my bitcoin setup, they observe whether access paths work for themselves under calm conditions. They confirm that devices function, PINs work, and seed phrases produce expected wallets.
Self-testing does not include other situations. It excludes the holder's absence. It excludes time delay and memory loss. It excludes third-party discovery without holder knowledge.
The result of a bitcoin custody test conducted by the holder shows what happens when the holder tests 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
Examining Bitcoin Custody Under Stress
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