> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://copy-cat.in/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is a Copycat vault and how does vault delivery work?

> A Copycat vault is an encrypted bundle of JPEG previews hosted in the cloud, letting clients review and select photos without ever seeing your RAW files.

A vault is Copycat's secure delivery container. When you create a vault, Copycat generates compressed JPEG previews of your photos, encrypts them, and publishes the result to a cloud-hosted URL. Your client opens that URL, enters a passphrase to unlock the previews, makes their selections, and submits. You then sync those selections back to Copycat and copy only the chosen RAW files to your destination. Your original RAW files never leave your machine.

<Note>
  Copycat only uploads JPEG previews — not your RAW files. Your originals stay on your local drive at all times.
</Note>

## How a vault is created

<Steps>
  <Step title="Point Copycat at your source folder">
    In Vault mode, select the folder containing your RAW (or source) images. Copycat uses this folder as the basis for everything that follows.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copycat scans and generates JPEG previews">
    Copycat indexes all supported image files in the folder and generates a compressed JPEG preview for each one. Progress is shown live in the app. This step is checkpointed — if the run is interrupted, Copycat can resume from where it left off.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Previews upload to Google Drive">
    The JPEG previews are uploaded to a new album folder in your Google Drive account. Copycat uploads incrementally, so a failed upload can be resumed without starting over.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copycat encrypts the index and publishes to the cloud">
    Copycat builds an encrypted index of your album — including photo identifiers and Drive references — and publishes it to the Copycat cloud service. The index is encrypted with AES-GCM using a key derived from your passphrase, so the contents cannot be read without it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="You receive a short link and passphrase">
    Copycat displays a shareable URL and a passphrase. Share both with your client. The vault expires after 15 days by default.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Your client reviews and submits selections">
    Your client opens the link in any browser, enters the passphrase, and browses the previews. They mark photos as selected or rejected and submit their choices when finished.
  </Step>

  <Step title="You sync selections and copy RAWs">
    Back in Copycat, click **Sync** to pull your client's selections from the cloud. Copycat writes the selection list locally, and you can then run a copy to move the chosen RAW files to your destination folder.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Vault security

Copycat uses strong encryption throughout the vault workflow:

* **Encryption algorithm:** AES-GCM
* **Key derivation:** The passphrase you share with your client is used to derive the decryption key — no key is stored on any server
* **Decryption location:** Your client's browser — the cloud service stores only the encrypted payload and never sees the photo contents

Because decryption happens in the browser using the passphrase, anyone without the passphrase cannot read the vault contents even if they have the URL.

## Vault expiry

Vaults expire 15 days after creation. After expiry, the cloud link stops working and the client can no longer access the previews. Your local session record and any synced selections remain in Copycat.

<Warning>
  Make sure your client reviews and submits their selections before the vault expires. Once expired, the link cannot be reactivated — you would need to create a new vault.
</Warning>

## Passphrase rotation

If you need to share the vault with a different passphrase — for example, if the original passphrase was sent to the wrong person — you can rotate the passphrase from the vault's detail screen. Copycat generates a new passphrase and publishes a fresh encrypted link without re-uploading any previews.

## Vault statuses

Each vault session moves through these statuses as the workflow progresses:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="vault_created">
    The vault has been created and published to the cloud. The link is active and the client has not yet submitted their selections, or the client is still reviewing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="awaiting_return">
    The client has submitted their selections (marked as "done" on their end) and Copycat has synced those selections locally. The vault is waiting for you to complete the copy run.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="completed">
    You have synced the client's selections and completed the workflow.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="archived">
    The vault session has been archived. The local record is retained for reference but the session is no longer active.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>