Delayed Reveal for One-Time Secret Links
Schedule when a private note can first be opened — for credential handovers, HR packs, and embargoed documents.
Ideas clave
- Delayed reveal sets the earliest time a one-time note can be opened.
- Share the link early for handovers; recipients wait until the scheduled UTC time.
- The open time must be before the note expires or create is rejected.
- Encryption, burn-after-read, and passwords still apply once the note becomes openable.
Expiry answers one question: when does this link stop working? Teams often need a second answer first: when is it allowed to open?
Delayed reveal lets you create an encrypted one-time note now and set Do not allow opening before a specific time (for example August 15, 09:00 UTC). Recipients can receive the link early. They cannot reveal the ciphertext until that moment.
Why schedule the open, not just the expiry?
Credential handovers, HR packs, embargoed announcements, and legal disclosures often have a hard start time. Sending the secret the night before is convenient — as long as nobody can open it early.
- Scheduled credential handover — ship the link when the ticket is ready; unlock access at cutover.
- HR and onboarding packs — share materials that should not be readable until day one.
- Embargoed information — press or partner material that must stay sealed until a public time.
- Legal / compliance documents — align first access with a contractual or filing date.
How Delayed reveal works on PrivateNote
On Starter and Business, open Delivery & verification when creating a note. Turn on Delayed reveal, then pick Do not allow opening before. The time is stored as UTC policy on the note metadata — separate from the message ciphertext.
Until that time, the reveal page shows that the note is not available yet, with the scheduled open time. Afterward, normal rules apply: password (if any), open limits, and lifetime expiry.
The open time must be in the future and before the note expires. A note that opens after it expires would never be readable — PrivateNote rejects that combination at create time.
What stays the same
- Encryption still happens in the browser before upload.
- The server still cannot read the plaintext.
- Burn-after-read, passwords, recipient verification, and email alerts still work once the note becomes openable.
Delayed reveal is an access policy, not a second encryption layer. Anyone with the link and key can open the note after the scheduled time — share the URL the same careful way you would for any one-time secret.
A simple workflow
- Create a private note and encrypt your secret in the browser.
- Set note lifetime long enough to cover the embargo window plus a margin.
- Enable Delayed reveal and choose the earliest open time.
- Optionally email the link or require a one-time recipient code.
- Send the link early; recipients wait until the scheduled open.