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Recovery in the terminal wizard

Run chela and choose Recover, and the wizard collects your shares one at a time, then rebuilds the secret. It is the gentlest way to recover from printed paper: it prompts for one word at a time and checks each as you go. To create shares in the first place, see splitting in the terminal wizard.

1. Choose how to enter shares

The wizard offers two ways in: import saved HTML backups from this computer, or type each share by hand from the printed paper. This walkthrough types them by hand - the common case when your shares are on paper in a safe.

The recover screen asking how to enter shares: import HTML files saved on this computer, or type each share by hand.
Pick how to bring your shares in.

2. Enter a share's code

Type the CHELA-... code printed near the top of the first share. From it, the wizard knows the recovery set, which share this is, how many are needed, and how many words to expect - so it can prompt you precisely.

The wizard explaining the share code and prompting for the code of the first share.
Start each share with its code.

3. Type the words, one at a time

The wizard then asks for each word in turn - "word 1 of 25," "word 2 of 25," and so on. Every word is checked against the BIP-39 wordlist as you enter it, and you can type < to revise the previous word. A mistyped word is caught here, not folded silently into a wrong secret.

The wizard prompting for each word of a share one at a time, with the recovery set metadata shown above and the first few words entered.
One prompt per word, each validated as you type.

4. Add shares until you reach the threshold

After each share the wizard reports progress - "Have 1 of 2 - need 1 more" - and asks for the next share's number, then its words. It confirms every share belongs to the same set; a share from a different split is refused. Keep going until you have entered the threshold.

The wizard reporting that one of two required shares has been entered and prompting for the next share's number.
Progress toward the threshold; enter the next share.

5. Confirm, then reveal

Once you reach the threshold, the wizard reconstructs the secret in memory and pauses before showing anything, asking you to confirm no one can see the screen. Choose to reveal only when that is true.

The wizard reporting the secret was reconstructed in memory, warning to confirm nobody can see the terminal, and offering to show or discard it.
Reconstructed, but not yet shown. You decide when to reveal.

Revealing prints the secret to the terminal. The wizard shows it on an alternate screen so it does not linger in scrollback, but a screen recorder, a shoulder-surfer, or swap on a compromised machine can still capture it. Reveal on a machine and in a moment you trust. The threat model covers what is and is not in chela's reach.

The wizard displaying the recovered secret: kind and value, with a note to use it to recover access and a prompt to return to the menu or exit.
The recovered secret, rebuilt from the shares.

Next steps

The same recovery is available on the website and the command line. To understand how a few word lists rebuild an exact secret, read the share format.