Custody Architecture
The Custody Atrophy Effect
Why Bitcoin custody systems quietly decay until recovery fails.
1 min read
Most Bitcoin custody failures do not happen suddenly.
They happen quietly, over time, as assumptions decay.
Why Custody Rarely Fails the Way People Expect
When people think about custody risk, they imagine theft or hacking.
In practice, most failures occur during recovery or inheritance events.
The system does not fail because it was attacked, but because it was never validated.
Decay Is Structural, Not Technical
Hardware changes. Software updates. People move. Relationships evolve.
Each change introduces small gaps between assumption and reality.
Over time, these gaps compound.
Why Multisig Does Not Prevent Atrophy
Multisig reduces certain risks but introduces others.
Key distribution, signer availability, and coordination are all assumptions.
Without validation, multisig setups decay like any other system.
The Moment Atrophy Becomes Visible
Atrophy becomes visible only under stress.
Death, incapacity, coercion, or urgency expose untested recovery paths.
By then, remediation is often impossible.
Custody that is not reviewed will eventually fail.
Atrophy is not a possibility. It is the default.
Validation is the only countermeasure.