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Usage Guide

Comprehensive guide to using Vaultix effectively.

Basic Concepts

What is a Vault?

A vault is a directory containing:

  • A hidden .vaultix/ folder with encrypted data
  • Your encrypted files stored securely

How Files Are Stored

my_vault/
└── .vaultix/
    ├── salt          # Random data for key derivation
    ├── meta          # Encrypted filenames and metadata
    └── objects/
        ├── a1b2c3d4.enc  # Your encrypted files
        └── e5f6g7h8.enc  # (with randomized names)

Command Workflows

Creating a New Vault

Scenario: You have a directory with sensitive files you want to encrypt.

cd ~/Documents/taxes_2024
ls
# tax_return.pdf  receipts.xlsx  statements.pdf

vaultix init
# Enter password: ****
# Confirm password: ****
# ✓ Vault initialized
# ✓ All files encrypted
# ✓ Original files deleted

ls
# .vaultix/  (only this remains)

What happened:

  1. Vaultix scanned for all regular files
  2. Created .vaultix/ structure
  3. Encrypted each file with your password
  4. Securely deleted the originals

Working with Files

List Files

vaultix list

# Output:
# Files in vault (3):
#   tax_return.pdf (245 KB, modified: 2024-03-15)
#   receipts.xlsx (128 KB, modified: 2024-03-10)
#   statements.pdf (512 KB, modified: 2024-03-01)

Extract a File

# Extract specific file
vaultix extract tax_return.pdf

# Now you can view it
cat tax_return.pdf

Important: The file is still in the vault! extract is non-destructive.

Add New Files

# Create a new sensitive file
echo "Bank account: 123456" > account.txt

# Add to vault
vaultix add account.txt

# Original is automatically deleted after encryption
ls account.txt
# ls: cannot access 'account.txt': No such file or directory

Remove Files from Vault

Two options:

Option 1: Drop (extract + remove)

vaultix drop old_tax_return.pdf
# ✓ Dropped: old_tax_return.pdf
# File is now decrypted AND removed from vault

Option 2: Remove (delete without extracting)

vaultix remove junk_file.pdf
# File removed from vault (no extraction)

Advanced Usage

Fuzzy File Matching

You don't need to type exact filenames:

# Vault contains: "2024_tax_return_final_v2.pdf"

vaultix extract 2024        # ✓ Matches
vaultix extract tax         # ✓ Matches
vaultix extract TAX         # ✓ Case-insensitive
vaultix extract final       # ✓ Matches
vaultix extract return.pdf  # ✓ Matches

How it works:

  1. Exact match tried first
  2. Case-insensitive exact match
  3. Partial match (contains)

Batch Operations

Extract Everything

# Extract all files to current directory
vaultix extract

# Extract to specific directory
vaultix extract . /tmp/decrypted/

Drop Everything

# Extract all files and clear vault
vaultix drop

# ⚠️  This empties the vault after extracting all files

Clear Vault (No Extraction)

vaultix clear
# ⚠️  This will DELETE all files from the vault WITHOUT extracting them.
# Continue? (yes/no): yes
# ✓ Vault cleared

Working with Multiple Vaults

You can manage multiple vaults:

# Vault 1: Personal documents
cd ~/personal
vaultix list

# Vault 2: Work files
cd ~/work
vaultix list

# Vault 3: Old archives
vaultix list ~/archives

Each vault has its own:

  • Encryption password
  • Salt
  • Encrypted files

Directory Structure

Default Behavior (Current Directory)

cd my_vault
vaultix init      # Creates .vaultix in current dir
vaultix list      # Lists current vault
vaultix add file  # Adds to current vault

Explicit Paths

# Work from anywhere
vaultix list ~/my_vault
vaultix extract secret ~/my_vault
vaultix add newfile.txt ~/my_vault

Common Patterns

Daily Workflow

# Morning: Extract files you need
cd ~/work_vault
vaultix extract project_plan
vaultix extract api_keys

# ... do your work ...

# Evening: Add new/modified files
vaultix add updated_plan.pdf
vaultix add new_credentials.txt

# Clean up extracted files
rm project_plan.pdf api_keys.json

Secure File Transfer

# Sender
cd ~/sensitive_docs
vaultix init
# Creates encrypted vault

# Transfer the entire directory
scp -r ~/sensitive_docs user@server:/tmp/

# Receiver
cd /tmp/sensitive_docs
vaultix extract
# Enter password (communicated securely!)

Archiving Old Files

# Create archive vault
mkdir ~/archive_2023
cd ~/archive_2023

# Copy old files
cp ~/Documents/old_project/* .

# Encrypt everything
vaultix init

# Move to backup location
mv ~/archive_2023 /mnt/backup/

Rotating Passwords

Currently, Vaultix doesn't support password changes. To rotate:

# Extract everything
vaultix extract

# Delete vault
rm -rf .vaultix

# Re-initialize with new password
vaultix init
# (Creates new vault with new password)

Tips and Tricks

Quick Reference Card

Save this to ~/.vaultix_commands:

# Vaultix Quick Reference
init     - Encrypt directory
list     - Show files
extract  - Get file (keeps in vault)
drop     - Get file (removes from vault)
add      - Encrypt new file
remove   - Delete from vault
clear    - Delete all from vault

Bash Aliases

Add to ~/.bashrc:

alias vi='vaultix init'
alias vl='vaultix list'
alias ve='vaultix extract'
alias vd='vaultix drop'
alias va='vaultix add'

Password Manager Integration

Use pass (Unix password manager):

# Store vault password
pass insert vaultix/my_vault

# Use it
vaultix list
# Password: $(pass vaultix/my_vault)

Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
# backup-vault.sh

VAULT_DIR="$HOME/my_vault"
BACKUP_DIR="/mnt/backup/vaults"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Copy entire vault (encrypted)
cp -r "$VAULT_DIR" "$BACKUP_DIR/my_vault_$DATE"

echo "✓ Vault backed up to $BACKUP_DIR/my_vault_$DATE"

Verification Script

#!/bin/bash
# verify-vault.sh

cd ~/my_vault

echo "Files in vault:"
vaultix list

echo ""
echo "Vault structure:"
ls -lR .vaultix/

Troubleshooting

"Vault not found"

# Check if .vaultix exists
ls -la .vaultix

# If not, you're in wrong directory
pwd

"Failed to decrypt"

  • Wrong password
  • Corrupted vault
  • Vault from different vaultix version

"File not found"

  • Check spelling: vaultix list
  • Use fuzzy matching: vaultix extract part_of_name

"Permission denied"

# Fix .vaultix permissions
chmod 700 .vaultix
chmod 600 .vaultix/*

Best Practices

  1. Always backup vaults before experimenting
  2. Test your password immediately after creating a vault
  3. Use strong passwords (16+ characters)
  4. Clean up extracted files when done
  5. Keep vaults on encrypted drives when possible
  6. Don't mix vault and work directories (extract to separate folder)

Next Steps