One-time secret
A one-time link: burn after reading
Turn a piece of text into a link that destroys itself after one read. The content is encrypted in your browser first, so the server is structurally unreadable; no sign-up, no email. Here is how it works, how it differs from other tools, and its honest limits.
Last updated: 2026-10-31
What it is
A one-time secret turns a piece of text into a link that the recipient can open exactly once; after that it is destroyed, and if it goes unopened past its expiry it is destroyed too. It needs no sign-up, no email, no account: paste the text, pick an expiry (1, 3 or 7 days), generate the link, send it out.
It shares the same chain of trust evidence as the journal itself: the public verification page (/verify), the open-source client crypto core, a three-language UI. This is its explainer; the tool itself lives at /secret (the tool page is not indexed, this page is the explanation).
How it works
EncryptionThe content is encrypted with AES-GCM in your browser before upload. The server only ever receives ciphertext, structurally unable to read anything.
KeyThe key is generated in your browser and never leaves the device; it lives only in the link fragment (#k=). The server and we never get it, so not even we can decrypt.
LocationThe server receives only a truncated hash as a locator and the ciphertext. If the locator and key do not match, no request is made, and a secret that could not be opened anyway is not burned.
DestructionBurned on one open; if the expiry (1, 3 or 7 days) passes unopened, it is destroyed automatically. After burning every failure is final, no backup, no recovery.
Zero requestsZero requests on page load; the server is only asked when you press open. Loading this page triggers no read and never burns a secret.
How it differs from other tools
Burn-after-reading links are a category a batch of tools already do. tacet's difference is the chain of trust evidence, not the feature itself:
Self-verifiableThe public verification page (/verify) lets you decrypt an encrypted backup with your own hands, over zero network; the client crypto core is open source (MIT). The evidence chain is public, not a single claim.
Three languageszh, en, ja in the same isomorphic explainer and UI; the same trust-page system.
Stated honestly, where tacet losesNo native app, only a web version; the crypto core is open source, but the main program is not public; expiry is only the three fixed tiers 1, 3 or 7 days, no custom. The comparison writes out the losses too.
Honest limits
One-timeOnce opened or expired, the content is gone for good. No backup, no recovery, no "reset"; if you need to keep it, do not use it for anything you cannot afford to lose.
Not account-boundIt is not tied to any account, not archived, not linked to your journal or IP; we have no email list, so we cannot proactively notify anyone.
No sign-upNo email, no registration form, no tracking. Creating and opening both need no identity.
Frequently asked questions
What is a one-time secret?
It turns a piece of text into a burn-after-reading link: the content is encrypted in your browser first, and only ciphertext is ever uploaded. The recipient opens it once, it is destroyed; if it goes unopened past its expiry, it is destroyed too. No sign-up, no email: paste the text and create it.
How does it work?
The key is generated in your browser and never leaves it (it lives only in the link fragment). The content is encrypted with AES-GCM before upload. The server receives only a truncated hash to locate it and the ciphertext itself; without the key it cannot be opened, so not even we can read it.
How is it different from other burn-after-reading tools?
The difference is the chain of trust evidence: the public verification page (/verify) lets you decrypt an encrypted backup with your own hands, and the client core is open source (MIT), with three-language UI. Stated honestly, where tacet loses too: there is no native app, only a web version; the crypto core is open source, but the main program is not public.
What can it not do?
A link is one-time by design: once opened or expired, the content is gone for good, with no backup and no recovery; we have no email list, so we cannot proactively notify anyone; it is not tied to any account and cannot be archived.
Go create one
The tool is at /secret: paste the text, pick an expiry, generate the link. The tool page itself is not indexed for search; this page is its explanation and evidence.