Splitting on the website

The website is a single file, chela.html, that runs entirely in your browser. There is nothing to install and no network request: download it from the release page, open it, and - ideally - turn off your network or use an offline machine first. Everything below happens locally; your secret never leaves the page. This walkthrough splits a wallet seed; to put it back together, see recovery on the website. Splitting a text password is the identical flow, just choose text instead of a seed phrase.

Want to click around first? Try the live app (demonstration only).

1. Choose to split

The opening screen offers two paths: split a secret into shares, or recover one from shares you already hold. Pick the split path.

chela website home screen with two large choices: split a secret into shares, or recover a secret from shares. — The home screen. Start a split.

2. Enter the secret

Type or paste your BIP-39 seed phrase. The page validates each word against the wordlist and checks the mnemonic's built-in checksum as you go, so a wrong or misspelled word is flagged before you continue. If your wallet uses a passphrase (the "25th word"), add it in the optional field.

The seed-entry screen: a grid of word inputs for a BIP-39 mnemonic plus an optional passphrase field. — Enter the seed phrase. Each word is checked against the wordlist.

The seed-entry screen filled in with a complete, valid 12-word mnemonic and an optional passphrase. — A complete, valid seed. The optional passphrase rides along with it.

3. Set the recovery rule

Choose how many shares to make and how many it takes to recover - the M-of-N rule. Presets cover the common cases (2-of-3, 3-of-5); pick one or set your own. Any M shares recover the secret; fewer reveal nothing at all.

The recovery-rule screen with presets for common M-of-N splits and controls to set a custom threshold and total. — Choose the recovery rule: how many shares, and how many are needed.

The recovery-rule screen with the 3-of-5 preset selected. — A 3-of-5 rule selected: five shares, any three recover.

4. Decide whether to name the holders

Optionally label who gets each share. Names make the printouts easier to hand out, but printing the full roster on every share means one captured share reveals the whole group - so it is a deliberate trade-off, and chela makes you choose.

A prompt asking whether to name the people who will hold each share, with an explanation of the privacy trade-off. — Name the holders, or keep the shares anonymous. Your call.

The shareholders step after a choice has been made, ready to continue. — Choice made; continue.

5. Label the backup

Give the set a name and an optional note - "Bitcoin cold wallet," "where the deed is," whatever future-you needs. This is printed at the top of every share so a holder knows what they are looking at.

The label screen with fields for a backup title and an optional description. — Title and note for the backup.

The label screen filled in with a backup title and a short description. — Filled in. This text heads each printed share.

6. Confirm and generate

chela shows a summary - the rule, the labels, the holders - before it generates anything. Confirm, and it splits the secret locally and lays out the shares.

A confirmation screen summarizing the split: the recovery rule, backup label, and holder choices. — Review everything before generating.

The generated shares: each shown as a CHELA header and a list of BIP-39 words, with options to print. — The finished shares. Print each one and give it to its holder.

Next steps

Print each share (or save the page) and distribute them. When it is time to rebuild the secret, see recovery on the website. The same split is available in the terminal wizard and on the command line, and the words themselves are explained in the share format.