# Ticket: Vaultwarden recovery and restore plan

## Metadata
- Type: Ticket
- Status: Done / restore test passed
- Project: Homelab secrets management
- Created: 2026-06-06
- Updated: 2026-06-06
- Priority: High

## Goal

Create a recovery and restore-test plan for Vaultwarden so vault access can be recovered if the VM, database, credentials, 2FA, or backup path fails.

## Why

A secrets vault is only safe to rely on if recovery material and restore procedures are available outside the vault itself. Restore testing reduces the risk of silent backup failure.

## Scope

Included:
- Define out-of-vault recovery material requirements.
- Define emergency/break-glass ownership and storage references without values.
- Define isolated restore-test target requirements.
- Perform a restore test after basic backups exist.
- Document lockout/incident response steps.

Not included:
- Recording master passwords, recovery codes, backup keys, or token values in git.
- Granting assistant direct vault access.
- Performing restore tests against production data without isolation.

## Acceptance Criteria

This ticket is done when:
- [x] Recovery material requirements and owner/location references are documented.
- [x] A restore-test target and isolation method are approved.
- [x] A Vaultwarden backup is restored into an isolated target.
- [x] Restored vault usability is verified by the authorized user.
- [x] Production Vaultwarden remains unchanged.
- [x] `docs/server-change-log.md` records the restore test without secret values.

## Questions

- Where should emergency recovery material live outside Vaultwarden?
- Who is the recovery owner?
- What isolated target should be used for restore testing?
- What minimum proof is acceptable for restored vault usability?

## Plan / Next Actions

- [x] Wait until the basic backup plan exists and first backup succeeds.
- [x] Update `runbooks/vaultwarden-restore-test.md` with approved details.
- [x] Create or allocate isolated restore target.
- [x] Restore backup into test target.
- [x] Verify restored vault with user.
- [x] Destroy or preserve restore target as approved — disposable CT 105 destroyed after successful verification.
- [x] Log restore test.

## Notes

- User stated on 2026-06-06 that there is currently no recovery plan and requested a ticket to create one.
- 2026-06-07: Restore test passed using disposable Proxmox CT 105 `vaultwarden-restore-test`. A fresh backup was temporarily encrypted to both the permanent backup age recipient and a temporary restore-test recipient. The backup decrypted and restored in CT 105, HTTPS test endpoint responded, the user confirmed login, production remained healthy, and CT 105 was destroyed.