%styx - A Dead Man's Switch for Urbit

"The ferryman waits for no one, but he is patient."

Your ship is meant to last forever. You won't. Styx ensures that when you cross the river, your digital legacy crosses with you—delivered to the hands you choose.

Unlike Web2 dead man's switches that rely on centralized servers, Styx is peer-to-peer. Your cargo stays on your ship until the moment of release. Delivery happens over Ames, ship to ship.

Installation

|install ~dovfeb %styx

Or search for ~dovfeb in Get Urbit Apps from your Landscape home screen.

Quick Start

1. Visit /styx on your ship (or click the tile)
2. Click Enable to activate the switch
3. Add cargo (messages to deliver)
4. Use your ship normally - the timer auto-resets

How It Works

PEACEFUL ──(60 days no activity)──> WARNING ──(72 hours)──> CROSSED
    ^                                    |
    └────────── any activity ────────────┘

Activity that resets your timer:

• Using Groups (messages, reactions)
• Visiting the Styx web UI
• Clicking "I Yet Live"

When the switch fires: All your cargo is delivered to recipients via Ames.

Important: Recipients must also have Styx installed to receive deliveries.

Web UI

Access at /styx on your ship. Features:

• Status display (Peaceful/Warning/Crossed/Disabled)
• One-click proof of life
• Add/view/delete cargo
• View received deliveries
• Configure timer settings
• Built-in help documentation

Dojo Commands

::  Enable/disable
:styx &styx-action [%enable ~]
:styx &styx-action [%disable ~]

::  Manual ping (proof of life)
:styx &styx-action [%ping ~]

::  Add message cargo
:styx &styx-action [%add-cargo ~recipient 'Subject' 'Message body']

::  Add file cargo
:styx &styx-action [%add-file ~recipient 'file.zip' 'application/zip' 0x...]

::  Health check
:styx &styx-action [%verify ~]

::  Test roundtrip delivery
:styx &styx-action [%test-roundtrip ~]

::  Configure timer (days/hours)
:styx &styx-action [%set-river-width ~d30]
:styx &styx-action [%set-grace-period ~h48]

::  Debug state
:styx +dbug

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
Inactivity Period	60 days	Time before warning phase
Grace Period	72 hours	Warning duration before delivery

Settings are global and apply to all cargo. When the switch fires, ALL cargo is delivered at once.

Important: Always-On Hosting

Your ship must be running for the timer to work. If your ship is off, the timer doesn't advance.

Features

• Passive obols (auto-ping on activity)
• Groups integration (resets timer on chat activity)
• Web UI with settings
• Message cargo
• Health checks and diagnostics
• Test delivery mode
• Roundtrip self-test
• File cargo (backend ready, UI coming)

Architecture

styx/
├── app/styx.hoon    # Main Gall agent
├── sur/styx.hoon    # Type definitions
├── lib/styx.hoon    # Helper library
└── mar/styx/        # Mark files
    ├── action.hoon
    ├── delivery.hoon
    └── update.hoon

Concepts

Term	Meaning
Obol	Proof of life. Resets the timer.
Cargo	Message or file to deliver when you cross.
Crossing	The trigger point—when your switch fires.
River Width	Inactivity period before warning (default: 60 days)
Grace Period	Warning duration before delivery (default: 72 hours)

License

MIT

"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come..."