> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.narrative.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Secret Sharing
> Send sensitive information through one-time-use encrypted links
Secret Sharing lets you send sensitive information—like API keys, passwords, or credentials—to another person through a one-time-use encrypted link. Once the recipient opens the link and views the secret, it is permanently deleted. No one, including you, can view it again.
Secret Sharing is a **Tools** feature. Tools features are experimental and may change or be removed in future releases.
## How to share a secret
Navigate to **[Tools > Secrets Sharing](https://app.narrative.io/platform/tools/secrets-sharing)** in the platform navigation.
Type or paste your secret into the input field.
Click **Share**. A unique retrieval URL is automatically copied to your clipboard.
Send the retrieval URL to your recipient through whatever channel you prefer (Slack, email, etc.).
**Do not open the retrieval link yourself.** The secret is destroyed the moment anyone views it—including you.
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## How to retrieve a secret
Open the retrieval URL you received from the sender.
Your secret is displayed in a read-only field. Click **Copy** to copy it to your clipboard.
Save the secret somewhere secure. You will not be able to access this link again.
If the link has already been used, the secret will no longer be available. Ask the sender to create a new link.
***
## How it works
When you share a secret, the following happens behind the scenes:
1. Your secret is sent to the server over HTTPS
2. The server encrypts your secret using **AES-256-GCM** with a key that only the server knows
3. Each secret is encrypted with its own unique random salt and initialization vector
4. The encrypted secret is stored in a database—the plaintext is never saved
5. A unique ID is generated and returned to you as part of the retrieval URL
When someone opens the retrieval link:
1. The server looks up the encrypted secret by its unique ID
2. The secret is **immediately deleted** from the database
3. The server decrypts the secret and returns it to the recipient
4. The secret no longer exists anywhere on the server
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## Why is this secure?
* **Encrypted at rest** — Your secret is encrypted before it is stored. Even if someone accessed the database directly, they would only see unreadable ciphertext.
* **One-time access** — The secret is permanently deleted from the database the instant it is viewed. There is no way to retrieve it a second time.
* **Unique per secret** — Each secret is encrypted with its own random salt and initialization vector, so even identical secrets produce completely different ciphertext.
* **Server-side encryption** — Encryption and decryption happen on the server. The encryption key never leaves the server environment and is not exposed to the browser.
* **Authenticated creation** — Only signed-in Narrative users can create a share link. Retrieving a secret still requires no login, so you can share with recipients who don't have a Narrative account.
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## Limitations
Keep these limitations in mind when using Secret Sharing:
* **No expiration** — If a secret is never retrieved, it remains stored indefinitely. Share links only with people you expect to use them.
* **No access log** — There is no way to confirm who retrieved the secret or when. You only know that once the link stops working, someone has viewed it.
* **Single viewer** — Only one person can ever view the secret. If you need to share the same secret with multiple people, create a separate link for each recipient.
* **Designed for short secrets** — The feature is intended for keys and passwords, not large documents. Each secret is capped at 4,096 bytes.
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## Common use cases
* Sharing API keys or tokens with a teammate
* Sending a database password to a contractor
* Passing credentials to a support engineer during troubleshooting
* Any time you need to send sensitive text and don't want it sitting in a chat history or email thread
***
## Related content
How Narrative protects your data
Create and manage API keys for the Narrative API