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Backup Guide

FrostDAO backups are per-party backups. A backup must never contain the full group private key.

What To Back Up

Each party should store:

  • the 24-word share mnemonic
  • the public backup manifest printed by dkg-generate-mnemonic
  • wallet name
  • party index
  • rank, for HTSS
  • threshold and total party count
  • group public key, public party-rank map, public shared-key polynomial, and address fingerprint
  • recovery instructions

The mnemonic is secret. The manifest is public metadata that helps verify the mnemonic belongs to the correct wallet and party. Its party-rank map and shared-key polynomial are restore metadata for the FROST wallet, not private shares.

Generate A Backup

After keygen-finalize, run:

frostdao dkg-generate-mnemonic --name treasury

The command prints:

  • a 24-word BIP-39 mnemonic for the local secret share
  • a public JSON backup manifest
  • a backup ID

Store the mnemonic offline. Store the manifest with it or in a separate inventory system.

Verify A Backup

Before relying on a backup, verify the written mnemonic against the local wallet:

frostdao dkg-verify-mnemonic --name treasury --words '<24 words>'

The command checks:

  • BIP-39 checksum and wordlist
  • 32-byte share entropy
  • wallet metadata binding
  • party index and rank binding
  • group public key binding
  • backup ID integrity
  • share fingerprint match

Verification does not publish or restore the share.

Storage Rules

  • Keep the mnemonic offline.
  • Do not paste the mnemonic into Nostr, chat, email, issue trackers, or shared notes.
  • Do not store all party mnemonics in one place.
  • Store at least one copy in a tamper-evident physical location.
  • For organizations, require two-person access to backup storage.
  • Run a testnet or signet backup verification drill before mainnet use.

Lost Device Path

If a device is lost but the party has their mnemonic:

  1. Rebuild or reinstall FrostDAO.
  2. Verify the mnemonic against the public backup manifest.
  3. Restore the local wallet files:
frostdao dkg-restore-mnemonic --name treasury --words '<24 words>' --manifest backup-manifest.json
  1. Verify the wallet address against the manifest.
  2. Sign a small testnet/signet transaction before using mainnet.

If the mnemonic is lost too:

  1. Use recover-round1 and recover-finalize with helper parties.
  2. Verify the recovered wallet address matches the original.
  3. Reshare immediately to rotate away from the lost setup.

Current Status

Implemented:

  • share mnemonic generation
  • public backup manifest
  • public party-rank map in the manifest
  • public shared-key polynomial in the manifest
  • backup ID
  • share fingerprint
  • mnemonic verification against local wallet metadata
  • mnemonic restore/import into a missing local wallet directory

Still required before relying on mnemonic-only disaster recovery:

  • encrypted backup file export/import
  • recovery drill automation