ChronoKey

A fully local, offline password manager.

English · 中文

Features

Implemented

• Fully Local Encryption — All data stored locally, encrypted with Argon2id + AES-256-GCM
• History Super Key — Export your entire vault and settings as a single key string for manual migration to a new computer
• 2FA/TOTP — Built-in RFC 6238 TOTP generator with QR code scanning and otpauth URI support
• Password Generator — Random passwords, passphrases, and PINs using cryptographically secure random sources
• Strength Estimation — Real-time detection of weak passwords, dictionary words, keyboard patterns, and common patterns
• Security Audit — Scan for weak passwords, duplicate passwords, and accounts missing 2FA
• Multiple Item Types — Login, TOTP, credit card, identity, address, note, API key, SSH key
• SSH Key Generation — Generate OpenSSH ed25519 key pairs
• Version History — Each item retains up to 15 historical versions, with rollback
• Trash — Soft delete; restore items or empty the trash
• Folder Organization — Custom folders; right-click or double-click to rename
• Tag System — Multi-tag classification
• Full-text Search — Fast search (secret fields excluded for privacy)
• Import/Export — CSV, Bitwarden JSON, KeePass XML, ChronoKey JSON
• Recovery Code — 25-character Crockford base32 encoded recovery key
• Auto-lock — Locks on idle, sleep, or screen lock
• Clipboard Protection — Auto-clear sensitive clipboard content (default 20s)
• Portable Mode — Place a ChronoKeyData folder next to the executable for portable data
• Vault Reset — If you forget both the master password and recovery code, delete the current vault and start over
• Light/Dark Theme — Follow system or toggle manually
• Multi-language UI (i18n) — Simplified Chinese, English, and Russian built in; 13 more languages (Deutsch, Français, Español, Português, Italiano, Nederlands, Polski, Українська, Türkçe, 日本語, 한국어, Tiếng Việt, Bahasa Indonesia) ship as language packs in the repo's locales/ folder — pick one in the installer and it downloads together with the app, or drop a pack into locales/ next to the app manually. Switch under Settings → Appearance; every installed language is listed there.
• Window Controls Overlay — Windows 11 native titlebar buttons with snap layouts
• Fully Offline — Zero network permissions; works completely offline behind a firewall

Planned (Not Yet Implemented)

• Browser extension autofill
• Global hotkeys
• Windows Hello / Touch ID / biometric unlock
• YubiKey / hardware key support
• Shamir secret sharing recovery
• Command-line interface (CLI)
• Plugin system
• Passkey (WebAuthn)

Design Philosophy

No Server Architecture

ChronoKey does not need and does not provide any server functionality:

• No cloud sync
• No automatic multi-device sync
• No online breach monitoring (HIBP)
• No shared vaults
• No team collaboration
• No account system
• No subscription validation
• No online update checks

Multi-device use is achieved through manual file syncing:

• USB flash drive
• Syncthing
• Cloud drive folder (OneDrive/iCloud/Dropbox)
• History Super Key copy-paste

Security Design

Encryption Scheme:

• Key Derivation: Argon2id (m=65536 KiB, t=3, p=1)
• Master Password: Minimum 10 characters, strength score ≥ 2/4
• Data Encryption: AES-256-GCM + AAD context binding
• Key Wrapping: Random 32-byte DEK, wrapped separately by the master password and the recovery code
• Recovery Code: 25-character Crockford base32, offline storage

Electron Security:

• contextIsolation: true
• sandbox: true
• nodeIntegration: false
• CSP: connect-src 'none'
• All network requests blocked by webRequest.onBeforeRequest
• Content protection (screenshot / screen-recording protection)
• The main process holds the DEK; the renderer never sees it

Threat Model Boundaries (Honest Security Claims):

Protects Against:

• Disk theft (files are encrypted)
• Network eavesdropping (no network communication)
• Malicious websites / browser exploits (sandbox isolation)
• Clipboard residue (auto-clear)
• Screenshots / screen recording (content protection)

Does Not Protect Against:

• OS-level malware (keyloggers, memory scanning)
• Cold-boot attacks on physical access
• Users choosing a weak master password
• Physical disclosure of the recovery code
• Unaudited code (this project has not undergone a third-party security audit)

History Super Key Format

Format: CK1.<base64url(header + iv + tag + ciphertext)>.<crc32>

Header (27 bytes):

CKSK             Magic (4 bytes)
0x01             Version (1 byte)
m,t,p            Argon2id params (6 bytes: u32 + u8 + u8)
salt             Salt (16 bytes)

Payload (gzip):

{
  "app": "ChronoKey",
  "kind": "history-super-key",
  "version": 1,
  "exportedAt": "2026-10-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "data": { ... }
}

Merge Rules:

• Same-ID item: newer updatedAt wins
• Old version enters the versions array
• Folders, tags: union
• Audit log: append

Keyboard Shortcuts

Build & Run

Development Mode

npm install
npm run dev        # Start Vite dev server (http://localhost:5173)

In another terminal:

npm run electron:dev

Or visit http://localhost:5173 in a browser (uses demo data, password "demo").

Testing

npm test           # Run all unit tests
npm run test:electron  # Electron integration test

Packaging

npm run dist       # Build the Windows x64 portable zip: release/ChronoKey-<version>-win-x64.zip

Installer (ChronoKeySetup.exe)

installer/ holds a small online installer / uninstaller (WinForms, .NET Framework 4.8, built into Windows 10/11):

1. Choose an install location (default %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\ChronoKey, no admin rights needed)
2. Download the zip named in latest.json from GitHub Releases, with progress, speed and time remaining
3. Verify SHA-256, extract, create Start Menu / desktop shortcuts, and register in Installed Apps
4. Pick the app language on the first screen — built-in Chinese / English / Russian, any other language from languages.json downloads together with the app into locales\
5. Clicking Done deletes the installer itself; Uninstall.exe in the install folder removes the app (vault data can be kept)

Build by running installer\build.cmd (uses the csc that ships with Windows, no SDK). Icons are generated by installer/MakeIcon.cs.

Portable Mode

Create a ChronoKeyData folder in the same directory as the executable, and data will be saved there instead of the user directory. Suitable for USB flash drives.

Tech Stack

• Electron 44.5.1
• React 19.3.0
• Vite 8.3.1
• hash-wasm 4.12.0 (Argon2id)
• jsQR 1.4.0
• electron-builder 26.15.3

Color Palette

"Washi × Moss" from NIPPON COLORS:

• Willow #91AD70 (primary)
• Moss #838A2D
• Birch #B54434 (danger/warning)
• Withered Leaf #E2943B
• Matcha #B4A582
• Toishi #D7B98E
• Ink #1C1C1C

All text contrast ≥ 4.5:1 (WCAG AA)

Why the Crypto Code Is Open Source

The encryption code (electron/crypto.cjs, electron/vault.cjs) is fully open source, on purpose:

• It uses only public, audited standard algorithms: Argon2id (RFC 9106), AES-256-GCM, and the OS CSPRNG. Nothing home-grown.
• The code contains no keys, backdoors, or secret parameters. Vault security depends only on your master password and recovery code.
• Per Kerckhoffs's principle, publishing the implementation does not weaken it; it lets anyone check it for flaws. A closed-source password manager cannot be verified.

The only secrets are your master password, recovery code, and super-key passphrase — and they never leave your computer. Please report security issues privately via GitHub (Security → Report a vulnerability), not as public issues.

License

MIT License — see LICENSE

Credits

• EFF Large Wordlist (passphrases)
• NIPPON COLORS (color inspiration)
• The Electron team & Anthropic Claude

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Security Disclaimer: This project has not undergone third-party security audits. Password managers should be used with an understanding of their threat model. If you discover a security issue, please disclose it responsibly.