bal-docs/docs/index.md

Bitcoin After Life BAL Protocol — decentralized Bitcoin inheritance

Bitcoin After Life

Bitcoin After Life (BAL) is an open-source plugin for Electrum that makes decentralized Bitcoin inheritance possible: no notary, no lawyer, no custodian.

You set your heirs and a delivery date. The plugin builds a time-locked transaction, Electrum signs it with your key, and a network of independent Will-Executor servers holds it and broadcasts it to the Bitcoin network on that date.

!!! info "This manual covers" Plugin v{{ bal.plugin_version }} on Electrum {{ bal.electrum_latest }}. Both the plugin and the protocol are under active development — check the releases page for the version you are running.

Core ideas in one minute

• Your keys never leave your device. The plugin never signs on your behalf: it asks, you decide — password or hardware wallet.
• The transaction is pre-signed and time-locked. Bitcoin nodes reject it until the delivery date arrives, so nobody can execute it early.
• Will-Executors cannot steal or alter anything. They only store the signed transaction and broadcast it at the right time.
• Redundancy is the guarantee. The plugin creates one transaction per selected Will-Executor. Only one of them has to still be alive on the delivery date.
• The incentive is on-chain. Each transaction carries a fee for its Will-Executor, paid only when that server successfully broadcasts and the transaction confirms.

Where to start

• New here? → Installation, then create your first will.
• Want the details? → Heirs and shares, Delivery time, The WILL tab.
• Curious about the servers? → What Will-Executors are.
• Want to run one? → Running a Will-Executor.
• Just have a question? → FAQ — costs, hardware wallets, what happens if a server disappears, and more.

Read the FAQ{ .md-button .md-button--primary }

!!! warning "Test before you trust it with real funds" BAL builds real Bitcoin inheritance transactions with time-locks. Try it on testnet, or with a small-amount wallet, before setting up an inheritance that matters. You can always review the generated transactions before broadcasting.

Project links

Resource	Link
Website	bitcoin-after.life
Plugin source & releases	bal-electrum-plugin
Will-Executor server source	bal-server
Public Will-Executor directory	WeList
All repositories	Gitea
Contact	info@bitcoin-after.life