A dead man's switch that's just a timer and an email
A dead man's switch does something the moment you stop checking in. Welfare Check is the plainest possible version: a free countdown that emails a few people you trust if you don't stop it in time. No crypto wallet, no hardware, no account for anyone.
What a dead man's switch actually is
The name comes from machinery: a control an operator has to keep holding down, so that if they collapse or let go, the machine stops on its own. The safety comes from inaction — the system assumes that silence means something is wrong and acts without being told. Software borrows the same idea: instead of needing you to send a signal when there's trouble, it acts the moment you go quiet. Welfare Check is exactly that idea applied to a single email.
Here's the whole mechanism. You arm a countdown for a length that suits you, add a few plain email addresses, and press Start. From then on, the only thing you have to do is come back and stop the timer before it runs out. Stopping it cancels that countdown — your quiet way of saying "still fine" — and you arm a fresh one whenever you want to be covered again. If you ever don't stop it in time, because you forgot, lost your phone, or genuinely couldn't, the countdown hits zero and those people automatically receive a short note asking them to check on you. You never have to remember to raise the alarm yourself; that's the entire point of a dead man's switch, and it's why silence, not a button press, is what triggers it.
Two clarifications, because "dead man's switch" gets used for very different things. This is not a crypto dead man's switch — there's no wallet, seed phrase, or anything released on a blockchain — and it's not a hardware one either, so there's no wearable, dongle, or physical button. It's just a server-side timer and an email. It is also deliberately separate from DeathNote's final-message delivery: a lapsed Welfare Check only ever asks a human to look in on you, and can never send your notes or final messages. And to be clear, it is not a medical device, fall detector, monitoring service, or emergency responder — for anything urgent, always contact local emergency services.
Why a welfare timer helps here
Silence is the trigger
Unlike an alarm you have to remember to raise, this fires on inaction — you do nothing to set it off and act only to hold it back.
Just an email, nothing to install
The whole payload is a plain message to addresses you type in, so there's no app, device, or download on either end.
You set the deadline
Pick 1, 6, 12, or 24 hours, or a custom length up to 90 days, so the interval matches how soon you can realistically check back in.
Arm and disarm at will
It's manually started and stays under your control — stopping it cancels the countdown, and you can arm a fresh one whenever you like.
Real people receive it
When it fires, actual people you trust get the note and are simply asked to check on you — there's no monitoring company or bot in the loop.
Never your final messages
A triggered switch carries no private content and is walled off from DeathNote's final delivery, so it can only ever prompt a wellness check.
Common questions
What is a dead man's switch, in plain terms?
It's a system that does something automatically when you stop responding, rather than when you tell it to. You keep it from acting by stopping it before its deadline; the moment you don't, it goes ahead on its own. With Welfare Check, going ahead just means emailing the people you chose to ask them to check on you.
Is this a crypto or hardware dead man's switch?
No. There's no wallet, no seed phrase, and nothing published on a blockchain, and there's no wearable, button, or physical device to hold down. Welfare Check is purely a server-side timer plus an email, which is why it's free and takes under a minute to set up.
What actually happens when the switch triggers?
The email addresses you added receive one short, plain note letting them know you set a welfare check and didn't stop it in time, so they can reach out or look in on you. It contains no private information and never sends your DeathNote notes or final messages. You can always arm a fresh countdown afterward.
Is this a medical alert or emergency service?
No. Welfare Check is not a medical device, fall detector, monitoring service, or emergency responder — it's a simple, free email nudge to people you trust. For any medical or safety emergency, always contact your local emergency services.
Set up your Welfare Check
Free, under a minute, and you can stop or restart it whenever you like.