free excerpt · vol. 2 · the recovery test

a backup you’ve never restored is a hope

margin note: the boxer’s rule: you don’t find out if the lid fits the bowl when it’s already on the floor.

you find out a backup has a typo, a missing word or a wrong passphrase on the worst possible day: after the device is gone.

the test proves one thing: the words (and passphrase) on your backup recreate the same wallet. it should do that without moving any coins and without the real words ever touching an internet-connected device.

the one rule: a real seed phrase is only ever typed into a signing device (a hardware wallet or similar dedicated device). never into a phone, a computer, a browser or any app on an internet-connected device, not even “just to check”.

two ways to test

one common approach. adapt it to your wallet’s own documented recovery process.

option a · the built-in backup check. some hardware wallets have a built-in backup check that lets you enter the words on the device and verifies them against the wallet it holds, without wiping anything. follow the maker’s documentation.

option b · a spare signing device.

1. write down a reference from the working wallet: the first receive address and the account’s public key (often shown as an “xpub”), for the same address type or derivation path. the public key lets a wallet see addresses, never spend. it is not safe to share: anyone with it can see every balance and the full history of that account. keep it private, and store this reference note as privately as the wallet itself.
2. use a spare signing device you can trust, ideally of the same kind, bought new from the maker or an authorised seller. if you can’t vouch for the spare, use option a instead.
3. restore on the spare device from the backup exactly as written. read from the paper or metal, not from memory. if you use a passphrase, enter it exactly as stored.
4. compare. the first receive address(es) on the same address type or path should match your reference.
5. wipe the spare device afterwards, unless you deliberately keep it as a backup device.
6. log the test: date and result. no secrets in the log.

what not to do

• don’t reset your only signing device to test the backup. if the backup turns out to be wrong after a reset, the coins are gone.
• don’t “fix” a backup by guessing. if the address doesn’t match, stop, figure out why (wrong order? wrong word? passphrase?), and treat the backup as broken until you know.

nfa. education, not financial advice. you can lose all the money you put into crypto. interests: see /disclosure.

what’s inside the full guide (pdf · 20 pages): five chapters (what “not your keys” actually means · hot, cold and the wallet in between · seed phrases: steel, paper, never a screenshot · do a recovery test before you need one · common mistakes, with made-up people and real patterns), plus an example backup card, a recovery test log, a one-page checklist, a glossary and the technical standards as sources.

ad · our own product. the full guide, “the lazy guide to self-custody” (vol. 2, pdf, 20 pages), is $3.99: rektnotrich.com/courses/self-custody

source: the lazy guide to self-custody, vol. 2, v1.1 (oct 2026). chapter 4 · 4.1 “why test” (page 11), 4.2 “a simple test procedure” (pages 11–12) and 4.3 “what not to do” (page 12). margin note: 4.5, page 12. contents: page 3.