How PassDown works, end to end.

PassDown turns fragile decisions about heirlooms into a documented, family-wide process. Below are the core flows, the rules engine, and the surfaces that support each role.

Core flow — from a keepsake to a decision

Step 1

Document

Steward adds photos, provenance, and a written story for the item.

Step 2

Notify family

Family members get a gentle alert with the new entry and its story.

Step 3

Express interest

Members can privately state why the piece is meaningful to them.

Step 4

Decide

Steward chooses a recipient; executor mediates when there is contention.

Step 5

Finalize

Item marked distributed, a full provenance record is generated.

Rules engine — how PassDown handles hard cases

Single interest, no reservation

If exactly one family member expresses interest and no recipient is set, the steward receives a one-tap confirm.

Multiple interests

The item enters a 14-day reflection window. All parties can add context; the steward makes the call at its close.

Steward incapacitated

The executor gains write access to items with pending decisions after a 30-day quiet period.

Recipient declines

The item is returned to the pool and previous interested parties are re-notified in order of expressed interest.

Family split

A branch can be forked into a sub-family; both branches inherit read-only access to the shared history.

Post-distribution edits

Distributed items become read-only; corrections require executor countersign.

System diagram

         ┌──────────────┐        ┌────────────────┐
         │  Family App  │◀──────▶│   API Gateway  │
         └──────┬───────┘        └───────┬────────┘
                │                        │
                ▼                        ▼
         ┌──────────────┐        ┌────────────────┐
         │  Auth Layer  │        │  Rules Engine  │
         └──────┬───────┘        └───────┬────────┘
                │                        │
                └──────────┬─────────────┘
                           ▼
                 ┌──────────────────┐
                 │  Heirloom Store  │  (photos, story, provenance)
                 └────────┬─────────┘
                          ▼
                 ┌──────────────────┐
                 │ Notification Bus │  (email · in-app · digest)
                 └──────────────────┘

Roles and permissions

Action	Member	Steward	Executor	Admin
Browse heirlooms	✓	✓	✓	✓
Add / edit heirlooms	—	✓	✓	—
Express interest	✓	—	—	—
Approve / decline interest	—	✓	✓	—
Finalize distribution	—	—	✓	—
Manage families & moderation	—	—	—	✓

Data model

Heirlooms, Interests, Stories and Distributions form the four core aggregates.

Privacy by default

Stories are visible only to family members; exports are self-serve and auditable.

Distribution ledger

Every finalized decision writes to an immutable, exportable provenance record.