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How Automated Triggers Deliver Your Files Without You

February 10, 2026Vaulternal Team2 min read

The Core Problem

You've encrypted your important files and stored them securely. But what happens when you can't deliver them yourself? Maybe you're incapacitated, unreachable, or gone. The files need to reach specific people, at specific times, under specific conditions — automatically.

That's what triggers solve.

What Is a Trigger?

A trigger is an automated rule that monitors conditions and delivers encrypted files to designated recipients when those conditions are met. You define the rules; the system executes them.

Trigger Types Available Today

  • Inactivity — If you haven't logged in, confirmed via email, or interacted with your wallet for a set period
  • Time-Based — Deliver on a specific date or after a relative time period
  • Manual — You activate delivery yourself with one click
  • Gatekeepers — Trusted contacts verify a condition before delivery proceeds
  • Blockchain — Based on wallet activity, token balances, or price thresholds

Double-Layer Encryption

The security challenge with triggers is subtle: the system needs to deliver files to recipients without having access to the files itself. We solve this with double-layer secp256k1-ECIES encryption.

How It Works

Layer 1 — Recipient Layer: The file key is encrypted with the recipient's public key. Only they can decrypt it.

Layer 2 — Oracle Layer: The Layer 1 ciphertext is wrapped again with the oracle's public key. The oracle can only remove this outer layer — it never sees the file key or the plaintext.

The Flow

  1. Setup — You configure a trigger with conditions and recipients
  2. Encryption — Each recipient's access key is double-encrypted (oracle + recipient layers)
  3. Monitoring — The oracle watches for trigger conditions
  4. Activation — When conditions are met, the oracle unwraps the outer layer
  5. Delivery — The recipient receives a claim link and decrypts in their browser

At no point does the oracle, Vaulternal, or any intermediary have access to your plaintext files.

Why This Matters

Most "dead man's switch" services require you to trust a company with your unencrypted data. Vaulternal's trigger system is designed so that trust is distributed cryptographically — not concentrated in a single entity.

Your files stay encrypted end-to-end, from the moment you upload them to the moment your recipient opens them in their browser.

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