# Custody and recovery

> Inspect ownership, export saved history, end linked peer access, and understand deletion requests.

**Experimental · private access. Public signup is not open.**

<!-- SOURCE: internal/server/webcustody.go, internal/domain/custody.go, internal/bridge/custody.go, docs/decisions/0002-personal-space-companion.md -->

**Custody** means Depot holds a private copy of the project’s published Git
history. Open a repository’s **Custody** tab to see its owner, linked peer,
current saved default version, and retention state. The available controls
reflect your identity and current permission.

[![Depot’s Custody page showing a fixture owner and peer, saved-history download, access controls, and retention.](/docs-assets/depot/custody-desktop.png)](/docs-assets/depot/custody-desktop.png)

*The real custody controls for a personal project in the disposable preview.
No live repository or backup is pictured.*

## Download saved history

1. Open **Custody** and confirm the project name and saved version.
2. Choose **Download repository**.
3. Keep the downloaded `.bundle` file somewhere you control.

Depot verifies the bundle before offering it. A **Git bundle** is a portable
file containing published branches and their Git history. Your peer can restore
it in a fresh environment with ordinary Git tools.

The bundle includes published proposal branches as well as shared history. It
does **not** include unpublished local files, tags, Depot comments or reviews,
account settings, or the installation’s backups. It is a repository export,
not a complete copy of Space or Depot.

If the shared version changed while you were on the page, return to **Custody**,
inspect the current version, and download again. An old download link can be
refused so it cannot silently export a different default version.

## Recover on another machine

In an existing Space, use [Recover a Depot project](/docs/space/depot/#create-or-recover-a-depot-project)
to bring saved work home while access is available. For a downloaded bundle,
ask your peer to restore it into a **new folder**, check the expected branches
and files, and leave any existing local work intact.

A useful recovery check opens a file from the restored project and confirms
the expected saved history. If your latest work lived on a proposal branch,
ask the peer to inspect that branch too. Downloading the bundle alone does not
prove that you recovered the intended work.

## End your linked peer’s access

1. In **Custody**, check the linked peer and its current role.
2. Expand **End peer access** and read the effect.
3. Choose **Confirm end of access**.
4. Confirm the page now reports that peer access has ended.

Your ownership, files, and saved history remain. You can still download the
repository using your human identity. Other members keep their own roles, and
copies already on devices are not erased. The peer cannot regain access merely
by retrying setup; an authorized administrator must explicitly grant it again.

## Request deletion

1. Download any history you want to keep.
2. Expand **Request deletion** and read the retention explanation.
3. Choose **Record deletion request**.
4. Confirm **Deletion requested** appears, then contact the person responsible
   for this installation to arrange confirmation and removal.

This records your intent. **It does not erase files or backups, notify an
operator automatically, or schedule deletion.** Retained data stays until
custody-owner confirmation and operator removal. A request also does not end
peer access; use the separate access control if that is your intention.

Repositories outside the personal custody flow may offer different controls.
If a control is unavailable, check the owner and permissions on the page before
asking the administrator for help.

## Know what each copy protects

| Copy | What it keeps |
| --- | --- |
| Local workspace | Files on the machine, including work not yet published. |
| Depot history | Files and commits published to the repository. |
| Downloaded bundle | Published branches and their history at export time. |
| Installation backup | Operator-managed recovery of Depot’s stored data. |

For recovery of a Space machine itself, follow
[Terminal and machine](/docs/space/machine/#what-persists). A saved project or
bundle cannot establish that the rest of the machine is backed up.

_Source authority: Kinra Site (src/content/docs/depot/custody.md)._