Evidence Vault: Keep a Safe, Dated Record of Patterns
Keep the record, so you do not have to keep it in your head.
When someone rewrites what happened, your record matters. Save the message, add the date and what happened, and watch the pattern build over time.
Free first check · No account needed · Runs in your browser
What is this tool
What is the Evidence Vault?
The Evidence Vault is a private abuse evidence log for documenting narcissistic behaviour safely. Save the message, add the date and what happened, and the vault builds a clear timeline of abuse over time: a timestamped record of dates, exact words, actions and witnesses that nobody can rewrite.
Memory is unreliable under stress, and that is not a flaw, it is how brains work. When someone denies what they said, minimises what they did, or tells a completely different story to friends, family or a court, your memory alone starts to feel shaky. “Did it really happen like that? Am I making it worse than it was?” The vault answers those questions with facts. Not your conclusions, not your feelings about it, but the date, the exact words, what happened, and who else saw it. Written down the day it happened, it does not wobble.
What to save
Save dates, exact words, and actions, not your conclusions alone. A good vault entry has five parts: the date and time, what was said (the exact words, quoted), what happened (what they did), who saw it (witnesses, even if it was just the kids in the next room), and how it affected the practical situation (missed pickup, money not paid, appointment sabotaged). Screenshots of texts, emails and messages are gold: they carry their own timestamps and cannot be argued with. Save voicemails too, and photos of anything physical, like damage or injuries, with the date noted.
Example: a strong vault entry
Date: 14 March, 6.40pm. What was said: “If you take the kids on Saturday I will make sure you regret it.” (text message, screenshot saved). What happened: He kept the children 2 hours past the agreed return time the same evening. Who saw it: My sister was on the phone with me when the text arrived. Practical effect: The children missed their bedtime routine and were upset.
Example: a weak vault entry
“He was horrible again last week, so manipulative, I cannot take much more of this.” This is how you felt, and your feelings are valid, but as a record it has no date, no words, no actions. A lawyer, a mediator or even your future self cannot do much with it. Add the specifics and it becomes evidence.
How to save it safely
Safety comes first, always. If the person you are documenting has access to your devices, a vault on your phone is a risk. Use a private browser window, do not save passwords on shared devices, and consider keeping your vault somewhere they cannot reach: a separate email account they do not know about, a cloud folder under an account only you control, or printed copies kept with a trusted friend. Export your vault regularly, because export is a core feature here, not an extra. If your phone breaks or is taken, your record should not die with it. And never confront someone with your vault to win an argument. The vault is for you, your lawyer, and if needed, a court. It is not a weapon for the next fight.
The timeline view
One incident is an incident. Twenty incidents over six months is a pattern, and patterns are what change minds: yours, a mediator, a judge. The vault lays your entries out as a timeline, so you can see the shape of what happened. The threats that cluster around court dates. The nice weeks that always come right before the bad ones. The promises made and broken in the same month. When you are doubting yourself, the timeline is the antidote. You are not remembering wrong. It is all there, in order, with dates.
Sharing with a lawyer
If you ever need legal help, for custody, a protection order or a divorce, your lawyer will ask for exactly what the vault holds: a clear, dated, factual record. Export the timeline and hand it over. It saves you hours of trying to remember everything in a stressful meeting, and it gives your lawyer the raw material to build your case. Tell your lawyer what the vault is and how you kept it. And remember the standing rule of this whole site: the vault is a record keeping tool, not legal advice. Your lawyer gives the advice. The vault gives them the facts to advise on.
What it does not do
The vault does not diagnose anyone, and it does not decide what anything means. It stores what happened, in your words, with dates. It does not upload anything to our servers: it runs in your browser, and your entries stay on your device unless you export them. It is not therapy, not legal advice and not medical advice. And it cannot keep you safe on its own. If you are in danger, the Safety Plan Builder comes first, and the vault comes second.
Common mistakes when documenting abuse
The biggest mistake is saving feelings instead of facts. Feelings matter, but they are not evidence. Write the facts first, then add how it affected you. The second mistake is waiting: “I will write it down later.” Later never comes, and details fade within days. Save it the day it happens, even briefly. The third mistake is keeping the only copy where they can find it. Assume they will look. Keep your vault where they cannot, and export regularly to a second safe place.
Why you need it
Why you need it
You already know something happened. The vault makes sure you can prove it, to yourself first, and to anyone else who needs to know. Here is what a real record gives you.
Stop doubting your own memory
Being told “that never happened” enough times makes anyone question themselves. A dated entry written the day it happened does not wobble. When the doubt creeps in, you open the vault and read what you wrote when it was fresh: the words, the date, the screenshot. That is not paranoia. That is a person protecting their grip on reality, and it works. People who keep records report the same thing: the gaslighting loses its power the moment there is paper.
Show the pattern, not just the incident
One bad night can be explained away. A timeline of 30 bad nights over four months cannot. Courts, mediators, therapists and even your own family respond to patterns, and the vault turns scattered incidents into a visible one. The threats before every court date. The cycle of blow up, apology, calm, blow up. When it is laid out in order with dates, the story tells itself, and you do not have to convince anyone with emotion. The facts do the convincing.
Be ready if you ever need a lawyer
Nobody starts a vault because they are excited about lawyers. But custody battles, protection orders and divorces all run on documentation, and the people who have it fare dramatically better than the people who do not. “Documenting emotional abuse for court” is one of the most searched phrases in this space for a reason: everyone wishes they had started sooner. Starting today means that if you ever need legal help, you walk in with a file, not a fog.
Keep it safe from tampering and loss
Texts get deleted, phones get broken, accounts get hacked, and sometimes the other person deletes your evidence for you. The vault’s export feature means your record does not live in one fragile place. Export regularly to a safe second location, and your timeline survives whatever happens to your phone. A record you cannot lose is a record you can rely on, and reliability is the whole point.
The tool
Start your vault in minutes
Save what happened with the date and the details. Your private timeline builds itself, entry by entry, and you can export it any time.
NarcissistAI Tools plugin
The Evidence Vault
This interactive tool is added by the NarcissistAI Tools plugin, not a demo or a mock-up. It runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Provided by the NarcissistAI Tools plugin. Pattern check only, not a diagnosis.
How to use it
How to use the Evidence Vault
Four short steps, directly below the tool. Start with today’s entry. The past can wait until tomorrow.
Step 1
Save what happened, today
Add your first entry now, while the details are fresh: the date, the exact words, what happened, who saw it. Do not worry about old incidents yet. Today’s entry is the most valuable one you will ever write, because it is the most accurate.
Step 2
Add the date and the proof
Attach the screenshot, note the time, name any witnesses. A vault entry with a timestamped screenshot is worth ten entries from memory. If there is no screenshot, write the exact words as best you remember them and mark them as approximate. Honesty about what you are sure of makes the whole record stronger.
Step 3
Watch the timeline build
Each entry slots into your timeline automatically. After a few weeks, step back and look at the shape: the clusters, the cycles, the escalation. This is the pattern view that changes how you see everything, and it only appears once you have enough entries. Keep adding them.
Step 4
Export and keep it safe
Export your vault regularly to a second safe place: an email account they do not know, a cloud folder only you control, printed pages with a trusted friend. A record in two places survives a broken phone, a hacked account or a deleted app. Make export a monthly habit.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is my vault private? +
The vault runs in your browser, and nothing you save is uploaded to our servers. Your entries stay on your device. That is the real rule of this build, and we state it plainly: private means on your device, not on our servers. But anyone with access to your device could open it, so if you share a phone or computer, use private browsing, do not save passwords on shared devices, and export your records to a second safe place the other person cannot reach.
Can I export it? +
Yes. Export is a core feature, not an extra. You can export your timeline and entries any time, and you should do it regularly. Keep one copy somewhere safe that the person you are documenting cannot access: a separate email account, a cloud folder under an account only you control, or printed pages kept with someone you trust. A record in two places survives broken phones and deleted apps.
Should I save everything? +
Save dates, exact words, and actions, not your conclusions alone. Every entry should answer: when did it happen, what was said word for word, what did they do, who saw it, and what was the practical effect. You do not need to save every tiny annoyance, but when in doubt, save it. It is easier to ignore an entry later than to reconstruct one you never wrote. Ten seconds of saving today can matter enormously in six months.
How do I document emotional abuse for court? +
Courts respond to specific, dated facts, not general descriptions. “He is emotionally abusive” is a conclusion. “On 14 March at 6.40pm he texted: [exact words], and then kept the children two hours past the agreed time” is evidence. Save the exact words with screenshots, note dates and times, name witnesses, and record the practical effects. Bring the exported timeline to your lawyer, who will tell you what matters most in your area. The vault is a record keeping tool, not legal advice.
What counts as good evidence? +
The strongest evidence is written or recorded: text messages, emails, voicemails, and social media messages, all with their timestamps. Screenshots preserve them even if the originals are deleted. Next come dated notes written close to the event, especially when they quote exact words. Witness names help: who else saw or heard it. Photos document physical things like damage or injuries. Keep the originals wherever possible, and never edit a screenshot. An unedited original beats a perfect summary every time.
Can text messages be used as evidence? +
In most places, yes, text messages are commonly used as evidence in family court, especially when they show threats, harassment, or broken agreements. Save the full conversation, not just the worst line, so the context is clear. Screenshots should show the date and the sender. Do not edit or crop out your own messages: the full exchange is more credible than a highlight reel. Your lawyer can advise on the specific rules where you live.
How do I keep my evidence safe from them? +
Assume they will look for it. Do not keep your only copy on a shared device or a shared cloud account. Use a private browser window, an email account they do not know about, or a cloud folder under an account only you control. Export regularly. Consider printed copies with a trusted friend for the most important entries. And never tell them the vault exists: it is your record, not a threat to wave in a fight.
What if I only have old memories, no screenshots? +
Write them down anyway, with the most specific dates you can manage and the exact words as best you remember them, marked as approximate. Old entries are weaker than fresh ones, but they are infinitely stronger than nothing, and they help you see the pattern. Then start saving fresh evidence from today. The vault gets more powerful every week you use it, because every new entry is timestamped and precise.
Will keeping a vault make me obsess over it? +
It can feel that way at first, because you are finally looking directly at what happened. But most people find the opposite over time: once it is written down, they stop replaying it in their head. The vault holds it so your mind does not have to. Save the entry, close the vault, and get on with your day. If you find yourself rereading old entries constantly, that is a sign to talk to a therapist or counsellor, not a sign to stop recording.
Good to know
Please note
Our tools check patterns in words, not a diagnosis. The Evidence Vault is a private record keeping tool. It stores what you save, with dates, and builds a timeline. It does not diagnose any person, and it is not therapy, legal advice or medical advice. For legal decisions, talk to a qualified lawyer in your area.
If you are in danger, call your local emergency number. In the US, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1 800 799 7233. If you are planning to leave, build your plan first with the Safety Plan Builder, and shield daily messages with the Co-Parenting Message Shield.