ANCORA Wallet Social Recovery Manual
1. Recovery Overview
ANCORA uses social recovery instead of seed phrases. If you lose your device, forget your password, or your wallet is compromised, you can recover full access to your account using your trusted recovery contacts.
No seed phrase, no mnemonic, no complicated backup required.
2. Recovery Eligibility
You can recover your account if:
You have configured at least 3 active recovery contacts
You can prove basic identity ownership
No permanent revocation has been placed on your account
3. Step-by-Step Recovery Process
Step 1: Initiate Recovery
Install ANCORA Vault on a new device
Select "Recover Existing Identity"
Enter your DID identifier or any previous wallet address
Step 2: Request Recovery Attestations
The system will send recovery requests to your 5 recovery contacts
Contacts receive a notification to verify your identity
Each contact can approve the recovery request
Step 3: Threshold Confirmation
Recovery requires approval from 3 out of 5 recovery contacts
You will see real-time progress as contacts approve
Once 3 approvals are received, recovery proceeds automatically
Step 4: Create New Keys
New MPC key shares are generated
Old keys are permanently revoked and marked compromised
All funds and your vesting schedule are automatically transferred to your new wallet
Set up new biometric authentication and security settings
Step 5: Complete Recovery
Full access restored within 10 minutes of 3rd approval
All funds, grant schedule, and history preserved
Update your recovery contacts if needed
4. Recovery Best Practices
✅ Configure 5 recovery contacts when you create your wallet
✅ Choose people you can reach directly (phone, in person)
✅ Inform your recovery contacts that you have added them
✅ Verify recovery contact status annually
✅ Keep contact information for your recovery group up to date
❌ Do not add people you do not trust completely
❌ Do not add people you cannot contact directly
❌ Do not use only online-only contacts
❌ Do not add mutual contacts who all know each other (diversity prevents collusion)
5. Emergency Recovery
If you cannot reach enough recovery contacts:
Submit a formal recovery appeal via governance
Provide proof of historical account activity
30-day waiting period for counter-notification
Governance council review and approval
Recovery executed after successful appeal
Emergency recovery is only for extreme cases. Always maintain active recovery contacts.