Free checklist

# What if my co-founder leaves?

A calm order of steps for the day a co-founder quits, goes quiet or falls out with you. Protect access first, then evidence, then the deal.

**Not legal advice.** Rules differ by country and by whether you have a company. If money, customers or a threat is involved, talk to a lawyer early.

Ticks are saved in this browser only.

## Today: protect access

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Do not delete or lock anything. Write down what you can still reach and what you cannot.

- [ ]

Make sure at least two people hold full control of the domain, GitHub organisation, hosting, Meta business portfolio, LinkedIn Page and payments. Add yourself first if you can.

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Change passwords and 2FA only on accounts that are yours or the project's. Do not log in to accounts you have no right to use.

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Check the cards attached to ad accounts and subscriptions and who can change them.

## This week: save the evidence

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Screenshot the member and admin lists of each tool, with dates.

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Export what you can: repo clones, customer lists, analytics, ad reports, invoices.

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Save emails, chats and commits that show who agreed what and who did what.

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If you used a ledger or founder record, download the latest version.

## Then: agree the exit in writing

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Write down each person's share, what they keep and what they hand over.

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List every account they control and a handover date for each.

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Agree who pays what until the handover is done.

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Put it in a short signed agreement. Have a lawyer check it if real money or customers are involved.

## After: close the gaps

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Remove the leaver's access only after the new admin is in place.

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Rotate keys, tokens and environment secrets they could see.

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Move recovery emails and phone numbers to project-owned ones.

- [ ]

Settle up shared costs to the leaving date and update the record of who owns what.

Do it with AI

## Make a plan for your exact situation

Describe what happened and what you still control. The AI turns it into a dated action plan and a calm first message.

```
I am a co-founder of a small project and the situation with my co-founder has gone wrong. I am not a lawyer and want a practical plan, not legal advice.
What happened: [DESCRIBE IN A FEW SENTENCES].
Country: [COUNTRY]. Do we have a company? [YES/NO]. Is there a written agreement? [YES/NO].
What I still control: [LIST ACCOUNTS]. What I lost access to: [LIST ACCOUNTS].
Please give me: 1) the five most urgent things to do in the next 48 hours, 2) what evidence to save and how, 3) a calm, factual first message to my co-founder asking for a handover with a deadline, 4) questions to ask a lawyer.
Do not suggest breaking into any account.
```

## Frequently asked questions

What should I do first if my co-founder leaves?

Check who has full control of the domain, code, hosting, ad accounts and payments, and make sure at least two people do. Then save evidence before anything changes.

Can I remove my co-founder from our accounts?

Not safely until you have agreed the exit in writing. Removing access in anger can turn a business dispute into a legal one. Add the new admin first, then remove.

What if they already locked me out?

Save the evidence you have and read the [dispute and access guide](https://whoownswhat.xyz/guides/cofounder-dispute-and-access). Ask in writing for a handover with a deadline, and consider a lawyer.

## Related

- [Access audit](https://whoownswhat.xyz/tools/access-audit) to see what could be lost.
- [Handover checklist](https://whoownswhat.xyz/tools/handover-checklist) asset by asset.
- [Founders agreement template](https://whoownswhat.xyz/tools/founder-agreement-template) to settle it before it happens.

**Keep a dated record of who owns what, confirmed by every founder, before anything goes wrong.**

[Start free in the app](https://whoownswhat.xyz/app)

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Source: https://whoownswhat.xyz/tools/if-cofounder-leaves
Agent index: https://whoownswhat.xyz/llms.txt