Migrating to Simplified Architecture (v2.0)

SovSeal v2.0 introduces a streamlined architecture designed for maximum reliability and ease of use. This document outlines the key changes from v1.x and how they affect your existing vaults.

What Changed

Terminology

• "Heir" is now "Heir".
• "Protection Layer" and "Succession Layer" have been merged into a single "People" concept.
• "Assets" replaces general "Secrets" for clarity.

Guardians

• All guardians are now contact-type (email-based).
• Complexity removed: No more Hardware, Institutional, or Platform-specific guardian types.
• Choose between Standard (2-of-3) or Enhanced (3-of-5) presets.

Heirs

• All heirs receive full download access to the entire vault upon maturity.
• Removed: View-only access levels and per-asset access scopes.

Release Triggers

• Only 3 reliable options: Dead Man's Switch, Manual, and Guardian Claim.
• Removed: Oracle triggers, Fixed Date triggers, and complex AND/OR logic.
• All releases now have a fixed 14-day contestation period.

Vault States

• Simplified to 3 states: active, releasing, released.
• Removed: locked and archived states.

For Existing Users

Your existing vaults continue to work seamlessly. Our protocol has mapped your v1.x configurations to the new standards:

• Vault States: If you had "locked" or "archived" vaults, they are now "active."
• Guardian Types: All existing guardians are treated as contact-type. Email verification remains the primary identity bridge.
• Heir Access: All existing heirs have been upgraded to "Heir" status with full download access.
• Complex Triggers: If you had Oracle or Combined triggers, they have been migrated to the closest equivalent (usually Dead Man's Switch or Guardian Claim). We recommend reviewing these in your dashboard.

API Changes

Developers should update their integrations to use the new simplified endpoints. Many v1.0 endpoints are now deprecated.

See the API Reference for the full list of supported endpoints and updated TypeScript types.

MCP Server

The SovSeal MCP server has been updated to v2.0.0. Please update your local installation:

npm install @sovseal/mcp-server@latest

The tool names store_secret, check_dead_man_switch, and log_life_proof will continue to work as aliases until v3.0, but we recommend migrating to the new names immediately.