Death Plan Switch is a self-hosted dead man’s switch designed for independent web developers who want to ensure their business continuity plans are triggered if they become unable to communicate. The tool, available free under MIT license, addresses a specific problem: solo developers often run their clients’ sites, domains, and hosting through themselves, leaving no clear handoff plan if something happens to them.
According to the creator, who runs a one-person web studio in regional New South Wales, the tool fills a gap between having a comprehensive business continuity plan and actually getting that plan activated. “What was missing was the part in the middle: something that notices I’ve gone quiet and tells the right people, in the right order, without frightening my family over a long weekend,” the creator explains.
The system works through a weekly check-in process. A user receives an email each week at a scheduled time and must press a button to confirm they are active. The sequence escalates automatically if no response is received: after 24 hours, a reminder is sent to the user; at 48 hours, a final reminder goes out; at 72 hours, the designated next of kin is contacted asking if everything is all right; at 120 hours, another reminder is sent; and at 144 hours (six days), all other designated contacts receive the pre-written messages the user has prepared.
The system includes a safety mechanism: if the next of kin confirms the user is well at any point during this sequence, all escalation stops and previously contacted individuals are notified it was a false alarm. The user can also manually check in at any stage, even after messages have begun circulating. The maximum delay between the last check-in and when contacts are notified is 13 days, since the check-in email occurs at the same time each week.
Technically, Death Plan Switch requires PHP 8.1 or newer, runs without a database, and needs an SMTP account for sending emails. Installation takes a few minutes through a browser interface, and the tool uses cron or an external scheduler to check status every 15 minutes. It must be hosted separately from the sites it protects to avoid a single outage disabling both the tool and the sites requiring handoff.
The creator emphasizes the tool’s limitations: it sends emails only (no SMS or calls), makes no guarantees about delivery, stores no documents or passwords itself, and is provided as-is without warranty. It also notes that email links don’t trigger check-ins, since email security scanners can open links automatically, requiring instead that users press a button to confirm their status.
Key facts
- Death Plan Switch is a free, MIT-licensed self-hosted tool for solo developers to notify contacts if they become unresponsive
- The system requires weekly check-in via email button press; escalates to next of kin at 72 hours, then to other contacts at 144 hours if no response
- It requires PHP 8.1+, an SMTP account, cron or external scheduler, HTTPS, and separate hosting from the sites it protects
- The creator built it to ensure clients’ sites, domains, and hosting would be properly transitioned if something happened to them
- The tool stores no documents or passwords, only directs contacts to where information is located and who to call