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# Will your domain survive if a co-founder leaves?

The short version: the other founder needs their own working login and a way to recover it. Then check what one person can still change alone.

[Check our setup ↓](https://whoownswhat.xyz/tools/domain-safety-check#quick-check) [Get the prompt ↓](https://whoownswhat.xyz/tools/domain-safety-check#domain-prompt)

By Matt Warcholinski, co-founder of Brainhub · Updated 22 October 2026

Start here

## Do these three things before anyone leaves

1. **Test the second login.** Have the other founder sign in and find the domain and renewal settings.
2. **Check recovery.** The reset route must still work without one person’s phone or an inbox on this domain.
3. **Check who can act alone.** Ask who can remove users, change DNS or transfer the domain. A second admin is not automatically a veto.

Keep an offline copy of who holds the domain, where it is registered and when it renews. Do not store passwords or codes in this tool.

Quick self-check

## Three questions. A short fix list.

(Interactive form: open the page on the website to use it.)

Choose “Not sure” if you have not checked at the registrar. Your answers stay in this browser.

Do it with AI

## Copy this prompt into ChatGPT or Claude

It will walk you through your own registrar, one question at a time. You still need to check the settings yourself.

```
I run a small project with a co-founder. Help us make sure we do not lose our domain if one of us leaves. Ask me one question at a time. Start by asking which registrar we use and who can sign in.

Help us check: (1) whether the second person can sign in and see the domain and renewal settings, (2) whether account recovery works without one person’s phone or an email address on this domain, and (3) whether one person can remove the other, change DNS or transfer the domain alone.

For each answer, tell me where to verify it using the registrar’s current official instructions. Mark anything we have not checked as “unknown”. Distinguish a founder being unavailable from one deliberately removing access. Never ask for passwords, 2FA codes or transfer codes. Do not tell us to change DNS or start a transfer just to test access.

Finish with only three next actions and a short handover note: domain holder, registrar, renewal date, who has checked access, recovery route and where an offline copy should live. Cite the official instructions you used.
```

## Need the details?

[Read the sourced guide to backup admins, recovery and transfers](https://whoownswhat.xyz/guides/does-a-second-domain-admin-protect-you). If you have already lost access, start with [the recovery steps](https://whoownswhat.xyz/guides/who-owns-the-domain-when-cofounders-split). You can also [try the simplified app prototype](https://whoownswhat.xyz/demos/domain-safety).

Tracking the domain with other project assets? The [app’s Assets tab](https://whoownswhat.xyz/app) builds a current offline handover packet from your list, including recorded leads, backups and renewal dates. A signed copy is a fixed snapshot, so make a new one after material changes.

About the author

I'm **Matt Warcholinski**. I co-founded Brainhub, a software agency. I bootstrapped it from 3 to 100+ people and $8M a year, with no outside funding. Then I sold it.

Due diligence showed me how much unclear ownership of code, domains and accounts can cost a deal.

Before that I was an R&D engineer at BMW, MTU Aero Engines and GE Energy. I've been a founder for 15+ years. I host the [Better Tech Leadership podcast](https://brainhub.eu/better-tech-leadership): 100+ conversations with tech leaders running $10M+ companies.

I wrote these guides because I wish I'd had them when I split access, equity and assets with partners. Find me on [X](https://x.com/mwarcholinski).

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Source: https://whoownswhat.xyz/tools/domain-safety-check
Agent index: https://whoownswhat.xyz/llms.txt