A system passes the walkaway test if it keeps functioning without its maintainers — like a hammer you own, not a service that dies with the vendor. Grounded in Vitalik Buterin's walkaway test (Jan 2026) and inspired by Fileverse's recovery page (walkaway.fileverse.io) where users decrypt docs locally using backup keys with zero vendor dependency.
The 5 scenarios
#
Scenario
Today
Target
S1
Cold-start bootstrap (clone → seed → verify)
Docs exist, 463 seeds
Drill proves it
S2
Recover data from backup on a new host
backup/restore/verify scripts solid
Rehearsed
S3
Read DAO + treasury on-chain without Core Team
services/treasury via public API
Permissionless ✅
S4
Decrypt secrets without Core Team
Single .age-key on cerberus
❌ The hard gap
S5
Operate + evolve via docs + pipeline alone
Good docs, CI green
Continuity runbook
Plan (2 stages)
Stage 1 — Build the test drill: scripts/walkaway-test.sh runs S1–S5, emits a JSON scorecard, exits non-zero on failure. S4 is designed to fail now (proves the gap). Plus services/walkaway/ module, tests, CI job.
Stage 2 — Close the gaps: age-key backup ceremony (Fileverse-inspired, 3-of-5 shares held by independent parties so no single point of failure), continuity runbook, S4 flips to PASS.
Key decisions needed
Share holders — Core Team only, or include a DAO signer / community holder?
CI gating — should S4-fail block merges now, or stay advisory until Stage 2?
Ceremony material storage — local backups/ only, or off-VPS / escrow?
Full plan: .hermes/plans/2026-08-30_051500-ki13-walkaway-test.md
Walkaway Test for Kokonut Intelligence
A system passes the walkaway test if it keeps functioning without its maintainers — like a hammer you own, not a service that dies with the vendor. Grounded in Vitalik Buterin's walkaway test (Jan 2026) and inspired by Fileverse's recovery page (walkaway.fileverse.io) where users decrypt docs locally using backup keys with zero vendor dependency.
The 5 scenarios
Plan (2 stages)
Stage 1 — Build the test drill:
scripts/walkaway-test.shruns S1–S5, emits a JSON scorecard, exits non-zero on failure. S4 is designed to fail now (proves the gap). Plusservices/walkaway/module, tests, CI job.Stage 2 — Close the gaps: age-key backup ceremony (Fileverse-inspired, 3-of-5 shares held by independent parties so no single point of failure), continuity runbook, S4 flips to PASS.
Key decisions needed
Full plan:
.hermes/plans/2026-08-30_051500-ki13-walkaway-test.md