Bitcoin inheritance —
real BTC, real Bitcoin blockchain.
Native multisig vaults with OP_CSV timelocks. Your Bitcoin stays as Bitcoin — no wrapping, no bridges, no trusted third parties.
Bitcoin doesn't do Ethereum-style smart contracts — and it doesn't need to. Its scripting language is powerful enough to encode inheritance rules directly on-chain.
HeirVault writes a Bitcoin script that combines native multisig (M-of-N) with OP_CSV (CheckSequenceVerify) timelocks. Owner spends anytime. Heirs can only spend after the timelock expires. That's the dead-man's switch, enforced by the Bitcoin network itself.
Key features
Native Bitcoin multisig
Taproot (P2TR) by default with a legacy P2WSH option when needed. No wrapping, no bridges, no custodial middlemen. Your Bitcoin stays on the Bitcoin blockchain.
OP_CSV timelocks
Relative timelocks using CheckSequenceVerify. Heirs can only claim after the owner's check-in deadline expires — enforced at the protocol level.
Hardware wallet support
Connect Ledger for maximum security. Also supports Unisat and Xverse browser extensions for convenient vault management.
Grace period protection
Configurable grace period gives you time to check in even after the initial deadline passes. Prevents premature claims from temporary inaccessibility.
How Bitcoin vaults work
The vault is a Bitcoin address controlled by a custom script that encodes ownership rules and timelock conditions — a real Bitcoin UTXO, not a wrapped token.
The owner can spend from the vault at any time using their signature. Heirs can only spend after the OP_CSV timelock expires — this is the dead-man's switch. The owner "checks in" by moving funds to a refreshed vault address, resetting the inheritance countdown.
For multi-heir setups, the vault uses standard Bitcoin multisig (M-of-N) to require consensus among heirs before funds can be claimed. All of this is enforced by the Bitcoin network itself — no external service required.
Questions
Frequently asked
How does Bitcoin inheritance work without smart contracts?
Bitcoin doesn't support Ethereum-style smart contracts, but its scripting is powerful enough. HeirVault uses native Bitcoin multisig combined with OP_CSV (CheckSequenceVerify) timelocks to create inheritance conditions directly on the Bitcoin blockchain.
What is OP_CSV and how does it enable Bitcoin inheritance?
OP_CSV (CheckSequenceVerify) is a Bitcoin opcode that enforces a relative timelock on a transaction output. HeirVault uses it so heirs can only spend Bitcoin after a specified number of blocks have passed since the last owner check-in — a dead-man's switch enforced at the protocol level.
Do I need to wrap my Bitcoin to use HeirVault?
No. HeirVault's Bitcoin vaults use native BTC on the Bitcoin blockchain. Your Bitcoin stays as real Bitcoin — no wrapping into WBTC, no bridges, no custodial intermediaries.
Which Bitcoin wallets are supported?
HeirVault supports Unisat, Xverse, and Ledger hardware wallets for Bitcoin vault management. You can connect directly through the HeirVault interface.
Put your Bitcoin on the Bitcoin blockchain — forever.
Create a native BTC inheritance vault with multisig and OP_CSV timelocks in minutes. Hardware wallet supported.
Create a Bitcoin vault