Glossary

Provly uses a few words in a specific way. The pairs people mix up most are account password vs. master password and verification code vs. email confirmation code.

Codes

seed: What a website gives you when you turn on two-factor authentication — usually a QR code, sometimes a string of letters to type in. Whoever has the seed can generate that site's verification codes indefinitely, so the seed is what Provly stores, encrypts and syncs.
verification code: The short number, usually 6 digits, a website asks for after your site password. Provly calculates it from the seed and the current time; it changes every 30 seconds (some sites use 8 digits or 60 seconds). Codes are never stored — only the seed is. Other apps may call this a TOTP code.; Not the same as an email confirmation code.
email confirmation code: A 6-digit code Provly emails you. You enter it in the Provly extension to confirm your email when you sign up, to reset your account password, or to confirm a vault reset. It has nothing to do with the seeds in your vault.

Passwords and keys

Provly account: Your identity with Provly: the email address and account password you sign in with. Signing in lets the extension sync your encrypted vault. It does not unlock it.
account password: The password you sign in to your Provly account with. If you forget it, you can reset it with an email confirmation code. It cannot decrypt your seeds — only your master password, your recovery key, or a passkey you added for unlocking can.
master password: The password that unlocks your seeds. It never leaves your device and Provly's server never sees it, so we cannot reset it for you. If you forget it, your recovery key gets you back in. A passkey also unlocks, but only if you used your master password in the last 14 days.
recovery key: A 26-character string created when you set up your vault. It unlocks your vault if you forget your master password. Keep it offline, written down or printed. Once you use it, it is replaced with a new one.; Not a backup code: backup codes come from a website, for that website's account. Your recovery key is for your Provly vault.
site password: Your password on a website, such as your GitHub password. Provly does not store it: keeping your site password and your seeds in different places is what keeps your two factors separate.
account name: The username or email you use on a website. It appears next to the site's name to tell seeds apart — for example, me@example.com in GitHub: me@example.com. It is not your Provly account.

Locking

unlock: Make your seeds usable in this browser by entering your master password (or recovery key), or with a passkey. Signing in and unlocking are separate steps: you can be signed in to your Provly account while your vault stays locked.
lock: The opposite of unlock: your seeds are unusable in this browser until you unlock again. Provly locks when your screen locks, after 30 minutes without keyboard or mouse input, and after 12 hours at most. You can shorten these times in settings. Locking does not sign you out.

Your vault

vault: Where Provly keeps your seeds. Each seed is encrypted in your browser before it is sent, so the server only holds data it cannot read.
space: A group of seeds in your vault. Each seed belongs to exactly one space. You start with Work and Personal and can add more. All spaces unlock together, and every Chrome profile signed in to your Provly account sees all of them.
binding: The connection between a seed and the website where its codes may be filled in. Provly fills a code only on the exact site address a seed is bound to — https only, subdomains not included — so a look-alike site gets nothing. A seed can be bound to several sites, or to none.
recently deleted: Deleted seeds and spaces stay here for 30 days, and you can restore them. After 30 days they can no longer be restored.
reset vault: The last resort when you have lost both your master password and your recovery key. Your Provly account stays, all seeds are cleared, and you start over with a new vault. For 30 days you can undo the reset; seeds you added in the meantime are kept.