Path strength practice
Trace practice paths on a 37-cell comb and see how length and turns change a rough strength estimate. A learning guide that runs on your device.
Practice comb
Runs on your devicePractice only. Never trace a real vault path on any website, including this one. Make up a new shape here and forget it afterwards.
Trace a practice path to see an estimate.
“Rough bits” is log₂ of how many different paths of that length exist on this comb. It is a ceiling, not a measure: people pick familiar shapes, so a real guesser needs far fewer tries. The meter trims the score for paths with few turns.
This is a guide for learning. It is not the strength meter inside VaultWell, which may weigh things differently.
How it works
The comb has 37 hexagonal cells, in the same layout as the VaultWell app. A path starts on any cell and moves to a touching cell each step, never using a cell twice. We counted every possible path of each length on this comb ahead of time. There are 37 one-cell paths, 10,542 five-cell paths, and about 702 million fifteen-cell paths. Paths longer than sixteen cells are scored as sixteen, so their estimate is a lower bound.
The rough bits figure is the base-2 logarithm of that count. Eight cells give about 18.7 bits; fifteen give about 29.4. That would only hold if every path were equally likely, which they are not. Straight lines, letters, and the outer ring are tried first by anyone guessing, so turns and an unusual shape matter as much as length.
Why it stays private
Everything happens in this page. The path is not saved, sent, or logged, and it disappears when you clear it or leave. Even so, treat it as a practice board: a real path belongs only on your own phone.
Questions
Is this the same meter as the app?
No. It is a simple teaching estimate. The VaultWell app shows its own live meter while you trace, and it may score paths differently.
Why are the bits so much lower than a password?
A comb with 37 cells has only so many paths. In VaultWell the path is not used alone: it is stretched with Argon2id and bound to a key held in your phone's secure hardware, which makes each guess slow and limited to that phone.
What makes a practice path stronger here?
More cells and more changes of direction. Avoid shapes with meaning, such as initials, the edge ring, or a straight line through the middle.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes. Tab to a cell and press Enter or Space to add it. Backspace removes the last cell and Escape clears the path.
In VaultWell, each hidden vault opens with its own path on the comb, and nothing on screen shows how many vaults exist. Meet VaultWell