Essay
Reading seed-phrase risk surfaces
When teams talk about seed phrases, conversation often jumps to metal plates and packing materials. Useful topics — yet the risk surface during a review is usually social and procedural: who can see a screen, which chat tool is open, whether a photo was taken “just this once.”
What the board should capture
On a Cold Wallet Audit Board, record the presence of a handling event, the roles involved, and the environment checks performed. Do not paste mnemonic words, partial phrases, or photographs of recovery material into the board or its attachments.
A workable note looks like: “Witness confirmed opaque sleeve remained sealed; no camera devices in room per checklist item B3.” That sentence is auditable without becoming a second copy of the secret.
Surfaces people under-name
Voice assistants left enabled, shared conference cameras, and screen-mirroring to a hallway display are common omissions. In Devlink Core drills we ask pairs to walk the room before any envelope is opened and to write blockers when the room fails the checklist.
Limitation
No board language replaces physical custody practice. If your policy requires specialized legal or security counsel, hire that counsel — this essay is not a substitute. See Not Financial Advice and Terms of Service.