Social Recovery
A wallet recovery method where trusted guardians can restore access after a key is lost.
A wallet recovery method where trusted guardians can restore access after a key is lost.
entity.trust_high
Sep 2026 · Freshness Score: 50%
What is Social Recovery?
A wallet recovery method where trusted guardians can restore access after a key is lost.
- Category
- concept
- Type
- Authority Node
- Sources
- 1
The owner designates guardians (friends, family, institutions). To recover, a quorum of guardians approves a transaction that replaces the owner's keys. A waiting period protects against guardian collusion. The owner retains sole control in
Social recovery eliminates the "lost seed = lost funds" failure mode, a top barrier to adoption. It keeps self-custody while adding resilience. Widespread support (Safe, ERC-4337 wallets) makes it a realistic mainstream security model.
Knowledge Graph
41 relationsRelated
1. What Is Social Recovery
Social recovery is a wallet security model where trusted guardians can help a user restore access to their wallet if keys are lost — implemented in smart-contract wallets.
2. How It Works
The owner designates guardians (friends, family, institutions). To recover, a quorum of guardians approves a transaction that replaces the owner's keys. A waiting period protects against guardian collusion. The owner retains sole control in normal operation; recovery only activates when needed.
3. Why It Matters
Social recovery eliminates the "lost seed = lost funds" failure mode, a top barrier to adoption. It keeps self-custody while adding resilience. Widespread support (Safe, ERC-4337 wallets) makes it a realistic mainstream security model.
4. Key Facts
- Typical quorum: 2-3 of 3-5 guardians
- Recovery delay (e.g., 48h) guards against compromised guardians
- Guardians can be individuals, hardware keys, or services
- Unlike multisig, owners act alone in normal use
5. Related Concepts
- recovery-guardian
- smart-contract-wallet
- backup-plan
- key-management
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Social Recovery?
A wallet recovery method where trusted guardians can restore access after a key is lost.
How does Social Recovery work?
Social recovery is a wallet security model where trusted guardians can help a user restore access to their wallet if keys are lost — implemented in smart-contract wallets. The owner designates guardians (friends, family, institutions). To recover, a quorum of guardians approves a transaction that r
Why does Social Recovery matter in Web3?
- smart-contract-wallet - backup-plan - key-management