What you may type

Type whatever your question actually is. Nothing you can type into this vault will make it run a command, read a table it was not asked for, or execute anything in somebody else’s browser — and that is not because the boxes below are inspecting your words for dangerous ones. Every question the vault asks its database is sent with your text kept separate from the instruction, so a semicolon or the words DROP TABLE in a search box are searched for literally and cannot become part of the instruction. Every value these pages show you — a filename, a summary, a compartment name, an answer — is drawn as text and never as markup, so <script> typed anywhere comes back out as those characters on the screen. The lengths and the two refused characters below are prudence and a signal, not the defence.

What is deliberately not blocked

Quotes, apostrophes, semicolons, backslashes, double dashes and every database keyword are accepted in every box that takes words. Refusing them would protect nothing that is not already closed, and it would break real use: Who signed O’Brien’s contract? is a question somebody will ask, and > and < are how the Doc Keep filters compare dates and sizes.

Two characters — < and > — are refused, and only on the short boxes where a name, an address, an account or a code goes. Nobody has ever needed one there. They are refused because their presence is the tell, not because the vault could not cope with them.

What a refusal looks like

If a box is over its length, or holds a character that box does not take, the vault refuses the whole request and changes nothing. The page shows you which box it was, whether it was the length or the characters, and what the length is. What you typed is never repeated back to you and is never written down.

Every box, and what it takes

One rule is the same everywhere and is not repeated in the table: control characters are refused in every box. Those are the invisible bytes below a space — not tabs or line breaks, which are kept wherever a box takes more than one line. Nothing types one, so a value carrying one was assembled rather than entered.

The box	How much	What it takes	Why that much
The account box on the sign-in screen.	254 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	254 characters is the longest address an email system will carry, and an account identifier is at most an address.
The password box on the sign-in screen.	256 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. This is a single line.	Long passphrases are good, so this cap is generous — four times the 64 characters a password system is required to accept. Nothing about a password's characters is restricted.
The sign-in code box, for the code sent to your address.	16 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	The vault's own codes are short; nothing longer is one.
The new-password boxes, when you change your password.	256 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. This is a single line.	The same generous cap as signing in.
The account box shown while you are being asked to choose a new password.	254 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	The same length an account identifier has anywhere else.
Where your sign-in codes should be sent.	254 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	The longest address an email system will carry.
The secret half of the credential a remote agent signs in with. Not typed by a person; sent by the agent.	256 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. This is a single line.	The same cap as any other credential this vault accepts.
The sign-in token a person hands an agent when they ask it to act for them. Not typed by a person; sent by the agent.	4,096 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. This is a single line.	Generous, because this one is not a short random string: an agent acting for a person can itself hand its permission on to a second agent, and the token then carries the whole who-acted-for-whom list and the compartments it was narrowed to. The cap leaves room for a long chain over many compartments and still bounds the work of reading one.
The short code you type to approve an agent that asked to act for you from another screen.	16 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	The vault's own codes are short; nothing longer is one.
The note about yourself on your profile page.	4,000 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Room for several paragraphs. It is a note beside your name, not a document — documents belong in a compartment, where they are encrypted and searchable.
The password you re-type to prove it is you, before changing your address.	256 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. This is a single line.	The same generous cap as signing in.
The search box, and the query page's search box.	2,000 characters Whoever runs this vault can change this.	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Room for a long, specific search. Quotes, apostrophes and punctuation are all accepted and all searched for literally. Whoever runs this vault can raise or lower this.
The Think box, and the query page's question box.	2,000 characters Whoever runs this vault can change this.	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Room for a question with context in it. Nothing about a question's wording is restricted — the vault does not try to guess which questions are dangerous, because it does not need to. Whoever runs this vault can raise or lower the length.
Which submitted question an answer is being collected for.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One job reference, as the vault issued it.
Which submitted question an answer is being collected for, or which one is being cancelled.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One job reference, as the vault issued it.
Which accepted archive upload the per-member outcomes are being collected for.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One job reference, as the vault issued it.
The question the query page sends when it asks a model to answer from the passages you chose.	2,000 characters Whoever runs this vault can change this.	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	The same bound as any other question.
Which model you would like to answer — chosen from a list on the page, never typed.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A model name is short. The cap stops an unbounded name being handed on to the model runtime.
The reference to one passage, sent back when you pick passages for an answer. Not typed by a person.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A locator names a place inside one document; it is short by construction.
Which compartments an upload is going into — chosen from the list on the upload panel, never typed.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A list of compartment numbers, not a sentence.
Which document a new version replaces, when you upload a newer copy of one you already have.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One document reference.
Whether the upload is worked automatically or stage by stage — a pair of buttons, never typed.	32 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One of two short words.
Which folder an upload is filed into, typed or picked on the upload panel. A folder is filing and nothing else: it confers no access, and the compartment beside it is what decides who can reach the document.	4,096 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A path with a bounded number of segments, not a document.
Which of a document's folders you are changing. It is the name the document already carries, taken from the folder you opened, so there is no box to type it into.	4,096 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A folder path, bounded exactly as it is when a document is first filed.
The folder a document should be filed under instead, typed on the folder tree. Refiling is filing and nothing else: it changes who can FIND the document, never who can reach it.	4,096 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A folder path, bounded exactly as it is when a document is first filed.
The verdict you record on a pair of nearly identical documents.	32 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One of four short words.
The summary you write yourself, beside the vault's own reading of a document — on the pop-up for a document that is still being processed.	20,000 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Room for a full account of what a document says. What you write is kept as a new version of the document with your name and the time on it; the vault's own reading stays exactly as it was, in the version that holds it.
Which setting is being changed, in the admin console.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A setting name is short and comes from a published list.
The new value for a setting, in the admin console.	4,000 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Generous, because a few settings are sentences rather than switches.
The name of a compartment, whether you are creating one or renaming one.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A compartment name is a label people read. It is long enough for a descriptive one and short enough to fit in a list.
Which kind of account is being created — chosen from a pulldown, never typed.	32 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One short word from a fixed list.
The account identifier for somebody you are inviting.	254 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	The longest address an email system will carry.
The first password for an account you are creating.	256 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. This is a single line.	The same generous cap as any other password.
Where that account's sign-in codes should be sent.	254 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	The longest address an email system will carry.
The box you paste a list of addresses into, to invite several people at once.	20,000 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Room for the hundred addresses one batch accepts, pasted in whatever shape they arrived — one per line, comma separated, or with names beside them.
The corrected address, when you re-send an invitation that bounced.	254 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	The longest address an email system will carry.
Which level of access a grant carries — chosen from a fixed set.	16 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One short word from a fixed list.
Which level a bulk permission change sets each cell to — one word from a fixed set the vault itself holds.	16 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One short word; the vault decides which words are real.
Which span the refused-attempt graph draws — chosen from a fixed set the VAULT holds, not this table.	16 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One short word; the vault decides which words are real.
Which column the user list is sorted by — chosen by clicking one of the table's own headings.	16 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One short word, and the vault decides which columns it will order by.
What a held document is, when an administrator releases it from review.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A short label from the vault's own list of document kinds.
Which kind of document to narrow a search to, on the Query page — chosen from the vault's own list, never typed.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A kind is one short label from a list the vault publishes. Anything the list does not offer is refused outright rather than guessed at, so this cap is only a bound on how much text may be offered to that check.
The filter boxes across the top of the Doc Keep table.	200 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. This is a single line.	These narrow a list you are already looking at. They accept the comparison operators the header describes — > < >= <= = != — so those characters are deliberately allowed here.
The two boxes that narrow the people and compartments shown on the permissions grid.	200 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. This is a single line.	They narrow what the grid shows you: the compartment box over the columns already on screen, the people box over every account in the vault.
The name you give a saved selection on the permissions grid. It is kept in your own browser and grants nothing.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A label you will read back in a pulldown.
Which account a grant is being changed for.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One account reference.
Which compartment a grant is being changed for.	32 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One compartment number.
Which held document is being decided on.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One review-queue reference.
Which blocked file's fingerprint is being scanned again.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One content fingerprint.
Which document version is being purged.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One version reference, typed twice.
Which destroyed version you want proof about.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One version reference, the same shape the purge box takes.
Which compartment to list purgeable versions from.	16 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One compartment id.
Whose uploads to list as purgeable.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One principal id.
Which prepared batch purge to start, resume or report on.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One batch id.
The typed confirmation a batch purge demands.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	The phrase the vault composed, carrying the count of what is about to be destroyed.
Why this document version is being preserved.	2,000 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Room for a matter name, a custodian instruction and the notice that asked for it.
Which document version is being preserved.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One version reference.
Why this legal hold is being lifted.	2,000 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Room for the decision that ended the obligation and who made it — the same room the notice that started it got.
The acknowledgment phrase that lifts a legal hold.	64 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One fixed phrase, typed by a person on purpose.
Why this compartment grant was made, or recertified.	500 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Room for a matter name, an engagement and a sentence of why. Not room to paste a document: every grant write copies this into its audit detail.
Why you will not throw out the copy somebody asked you to throw out.	2,000 characters	Every printable character is accepted, including quotes, semicolons and angle brackets. Line breaks and tabs are kept.	Room to say which copy is the one to keep and what has to happen before the other one can go.
The name of a retention class, when an administrator creates one or edits one.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A class name is a label an administrator chooses and a console renders. It is not prose.
How long a retention class keeps a document, and the grace it waits after that, both in days.	9 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A whole number of days.
Which date a retention class counts from, and what it does when the period runs out.	32 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One short word, and the vault decides which words it will accept.
Which kind of document a compartment's retention override applies to.	200 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One short label from the vault's own list of document kinds. A label the list does not hold is refused outright rather than guessed at, so this cap is only a bound on how much text may be offered to that check.
The confirmation a merge preview issued, posted back to merge.	128 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	One opaque machine-generated token, never typed by a person.
The name you give a large file you are sending in pieces.	255 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	255 characters is the longest name the filesystems these documents come from will carry. The vault never trusts this name to decide what the file IS — it reads the content for that — so it is kept as what you called it and nothing more.
What you say a large file is, when you start sending it.	255 characters	Will not accept `<` or `>` — neither is ever part of a real value here, so the vault treats one as a mistake or an attempt and says no rather than storing it. This is a single line.	A media type is a short machine token like application/pdf. It is recorded as what you claimed and is never used to choose how the file is read.

A file you upload is not typed text and is not on this page: what the vault accepts as a file, and what it does with one it cannot read, is on What SkyKeep can read.