⚠️ Dead Man's Trigger

A server-powered dead man's switch that automatically sends emails when you fail to check in.

Unlike browser-only solutions, this actually works when you're incapacitated because the timer runs on a server with automatic email delivery.

🎮 Try the Demo First!

🌐 Live Visual Demo

See what it looks like! Visit the GitHub Pages demo for a visual preview (non-functional, just UI).

💻 Run Locally in Demo Mode (Functional)

Want to see how it ACTUALLY works without setting up email?

git clone https://github.com/Ringmast4r/DEAD-MANS-TRIGGER.git
cd DEAD-MANS-TRIGGER
npm install
npm start

Visit http://localhost:3000 - the server automatically runs in DEMO MODE when no SendGrid API key is found. The system logs what WOULD be sent to the console without actually sending emails. Perfect for learning and testing!

For full email functionality, see Email Configuration below or read DEMO-MODE.md.

🚨 CRITICAL SECURITY WARNING

⚠️ THIS IS AN EDUCATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT ⚠️

DO NOT deploy this code to production without implementing security measures first.

🔴 Known Security Issues (By Design for Learning):

No Authentication - Anyone can access all API endpoints
Data Exposure - /api/status returns all trigger data publicly
Open CORS - Any website can make requests to the API
No Rate Limiting - Vulnerable to spam and abuse
Unencrypted Database - Secret messages stored in plaintext
No Input Validation - Accepts any data without sanitization

✅ Before Production Deployment, You MUST:

Add authentication (API keys, login system, or IP whitelist)
Sanitize /api/status to remove sensitive data from response
Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse
Restrict CORS to your domain only
Add input validation and sanitization
Encrypt sensitive database fields
Add HTTPS enforcement
Set up monitoring and logging
Review the SECURITY-EVALUATION.md (if available)

📚 This Project Is For:

✅ Learning server-side timers and automation
✅ Understanding dead man's switch concepts
✅ Educational purposes and experimentation
✅ Local development and testing

❌ This Project Should NOT Be Used For:

❌ Production deployments (without security hardening)
❌ Storing truly sensitive information
❌ Life-critical situations
❌ Public-facing services (without authentication)

For production use cases, consider professional services like Google Inactive Account Manager or implement the security measures listed above.

🚨 IMPORTANT: Read Before Contributing

ALL commits must be authored by ringmast4r only.

See COMMIT-RULES.md for commit guidelines. Never include AI attribution or co-authorship tags in commits to this repository.

📸 Screenshots

Main Interface - Setup Screen

Armed & Counting Down

✨ Features

✅ Server-side countdown - Runs 24/7, even when your browser is closed
✅ Automatic email sending - No manual clicks required
✅ File attachments - Automatically emails files when triggered
✅ Persistent storage - SQLite database survives server restarts
✅ Simple web interface - Easy setup and check-in from any browser
✅ Privacy-focused - Success page hides sensitive data
✅ SendGrid powered - Reliable email delivery via Web API

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js v14+ (Download)
SendGrid account (free tier: 100 emails/day)

Installation

# 1. Clone or download this repo
git clone https://github.com/Ringmast4r/DEAD-MANS-TRIGGER.git
cd DEAD-MANS-TRIGGER

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Configure email
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your SendGrid API key

# 4. Start server
npm start

# 5. Open web interface
# Visit http://localhost:3000

📧 Email Configuration

The server uses SendGrid Web API for reliable email delivery.

Step 1: Sign Up for SendGrid

Go to SendGrid Signup
Free tier: 100 emails/day forever (no credit card)
Verify your email address

Step 2: Create API Key

Go to API Keys
Click "Create API Key"
Name: "Dead Mans Trigger"
Permission: Full Access
Copy the API key

Step 3: Authenticate Your Domain (CRITICAL)

Why? Without domain authentication, Gmail/Outlook may silently drop your emails.

Go to Sender Authentication
Click "Authenticate Your Domain"
Enter your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com)
Add the DNS records to your domain provider (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, etc.)
Click "Verify" in SendGrid

Step 4: Configure .env File

SENDGRID_API_KEY=SG.your-api-key-here
SENDER_EMAIL=alerts@yourdomain.com
SENDER_NAME=Dead Mans Trigger
REPLY_TO_EMAIL=your-personal-email@example.com

Important:

SENDER_EMAIL must use your authenticated domain
REPLY_TO_EMAIL is where recipients' replies go (can be any email)

📖 How to Use

1. Setup Trigger

Open http://localhost:3000
Click "SETUP TRIGGER"
Set timer duration (e.g., 24 hours = check in daily)
Add email recipients (comma-separated)
Write your secret message
Optional: Upload file, add URLs
Click "ARM TRIGGER"

2. Check In Regularly

Click "CHECK-IN / RESET" before timer expires
Proves you're alive and resets countdown
Can close browser - server keeps running!

3. What Happens When Triggered

Server automatically sends emails to all recipients
Includes your secret message
Attaches any uploaded files
Privacy-focused success page shows delivery stats (not sensitive data)

🧪 Testing

Test with a 1-minute trigger:

Duration: 0.0167 hours (1 minute)
Recipients: your-email@example.com
Message: "This is a test"

Wait 1 minute → Check your email inbox!

🛠️ Technical Details

Backend: Node.js + Express
Database: SQLite
Email: SendGrid Web API (@sendgrid/mail)
Scheduler: node-cron (checks every 10 seconds)
Frontend: Vanilla HTML/CSS/JavaScript

No frameworks, no build step - just simple reliable tech.

📁 Project Structure

DEAD-MANS-TRIGGER/
├── server.js             # Main server
├── index.html            # Web interface
├── package.json          # Dependencies
├── .env.example          # Email config template
├── COMMIT-RULES.md       # Git commit policy
├── .gitignore            # Protects sensitive files
└── deadman.db            # Database (auto-created)

🚀 Deployment

For 24/7 operation, deploy to cloud:

Recommended Platforms:

Render - Free tier, easy setup
Railway - Simple deployment
Heroku - Free tier available
DigitalOcean - VPS option

Important: Most cloud hosts block SMTP ports. This is why we use SendGrid Web API (HTTPS port 443) instead of SMTP.

Quick Deploy to Render

Push code to GitHub
Sign up at Render.com
New Web Service → Connect your repo
Add environment variable: SENDGRID_API_KEY
Deploy!

⚠️ Important Notes

What This IS:

✅ A functional dead man's switch for personal use
✅ Great for education and understanding automation
✅ Reliable for non-critical scenarios

What This ISN'T:

❌ Enterprise-grade security
❌ Encrypted data storage
❌ For life-critical situations

For critical use cases: Use professional services like Google Inactive Account Manager or legal document services.

🔒 Security & Privacy

Data Protection:

Email credentials stored in .env (gitignored)
Database stored locally (unencrypted)
Files stored as base64 (keep under 10MB)
Anyone with server access can view data

Privacy Features:

Success page shows recipient COUNT, not addresses
Message LENGTH shown, not actual content
File TYPE/SIZE shown, not file contents

Recommendations:

Keep .env file private
Don't commit .env to version control
Use strong passwords for server access
Consider encryption for sensitive data

🎯 Use Cases

Send important info to loved ones if you can't check in
Educational project for learning timers and automation
Backup system for critical information
Reminder system with consequences

📝 License

MIT License - Use however you want!

🤝 Contributing

Pull requests welcome!

Before contributing, read COMMIT-RULES.md for commit guidelines.

Ideas for improvements:

End-to-end encryption
SMS notifications (Twilio)
Web dashboard for multiple triggers
Multi-user support
Advanced scheduling

📚 Documentation

DEMO-MODE.md - Complete guide to running in demo mode without email
.env.example - SendGrid configuration guide
COMMIT-RULES.md - Git commit policy

🐛 Troubleshooting

Emails not arriving?

Check SendGrid API key is correct
Verify domain authentication is complete
Check SendGrid Activity Feed for delivery status
Make sure SENDER_EMAIL uses authenticated domain

Server won't start?

Run npm install to install dependencies
Check .env file exists and has SENDGRID_API_KEY
Make sure port 3000 is available

Database errors?

Delete deadman.db file
Restart server (will recreate database)

Built by ringmast4r

Version: 2.0 (Server-Powered Edition)

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
docs		docs
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
DEMO-MODE.md		DEMO-MODE.md
Procfile		Procfile
README.md		README.md
activated.png		activated.png
deadman.png		deadman.png
index.html		index.html
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
server.js		server.js

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