Safety QR

Your Safety QR is a permanent code linked to your Trailkeep account. It functions as a privacy-first status gate: in normal conditions it confirms you are okay without exposing any personal details; it only unlocks your full trip data if a safety alert fires.

Leave it somewhere accessible — on your car dashboard, shared digitally with people you meet on trail, or printed as a card you hand out at the trailhead. It works for every trip you ever plan, with no updates between trips.

Your QR code

The QR button appears in the Trip Planner toolbar. Clicking it opens the Safety QR dialog.

Your QR token is generated on first use and never changes. The same code always points to your current active trip status — one print, one laminate, one card in your car, and it works forever.

Saving and printing

Two options are in the dialog:

• Download QR — saves trailkeep-safety-qr.png directly to your device for digital sharing
• Print card — opens a new tab with a print-ready A5-sized card (148×210mm) and triggers the print dialog automatically

The print card contains:

• Trailkeep logo and "SAFETY QR" heading
• A short description: "This is a safety feature for the person whose card this is. Scan to see their status and help keep them safe."
• The QR code (60×60mm)
• The manual URL (e.g. trailkeep.com/qr/AbC12345) for people who cannot scan
• A "How it works" section: ✓ All good → you see status only. ⚠ Overdue → you see full trip plan and instructions.
• An optional cut line at the bottom

Click the QR image or the expand icon (bottom-right corner) to view the QR at full screen — useful for scanning from a second device before printing.

What the QR page shows

The QR page at /qr/[your token] renders one of four states based on your current trip status.

State 1 — Invalid token

• When: Token is not recognised, the linked account was deleted, or a system error occurred
• Visual: Red circle with ✗ icon
• Content: A context-appropriate message — no personal data, no trip data

State 2 — No active trip

• When: Token is valid but you have no trip with Active status
• Visual: Neutral grey circle with ✓ icon
• Content: "This person is not currently on a trip." No personal data, no opt-in form.

This is what scanners see between trips.

State 3 — Trip active, no alert

• When: You have an active trip and the safety timer has not fired
• Visual: Green circle with ✓ icon, "Trip Active" title, "Everything is going according to plan"
• Content: Status confirmation + Trail Companion opt-in form (see below)
• What is not shown: Trip name, route, dates, waypoints, personal details — nothing

State 4 — Overdue (alert has fired)

• When: A safety alert is active on your account
• Behaviour: Server-side redirect to your full shared trip page at /trip/[id]
• What becomes visible: Full itinerary, GPX route, last known GPS location, linked gear list, emergency contact details (clickable phone and email), personal details, and medical notes (if provided)

Trail Companion — get notified

Anyone who scans your QR while your trip is active (State 3) sees a "Get notified if they need help" form. This is the Trail Companion feature — a way for people you encounter on trail to opt in to a single overdue notification.

Who this is for: A hiker you camp with who wants to know you made it out. A ranger who scanned your car QR. Someone you sent the link to digitally.

Opt-in form

The form has a single email field. It includes automatic typo detection — if someone types gmial.com, the form shows "Did you mean [corrected email]?" with a one-click correction. Covers common domains.

After submitting: if the server errors, it automatically retries up to 3 times with exponential backoff (1s → 2s → 4s), showing "Retrying (2/3)..." on screen.

What Trail Companions receive

Welcome email (immediately on opt-in):

• Confirms they are signed up for alerts on this specific trip
• Includes a prominent anti-spam warning: "If you didn't sign up for trail safety alerts, someone may have mistyped their email." with a one-click remove button — this protects against accidental opt-ins from typos
• Promise: "Your email will be automatically deleted once their trip is complete. No spam, no follow-ups."
• Unsubscribe link

Overdue alert email (when the safety timer fires):

• Subject: "Trailkeep: Overdue Alert — [Trip Name]"
• Links to the full shared trip page
• Includes suggested actions: contact local rangers or authorities, note where you encountered the hiker, share any information you have
• This is a one-time email only — they do not receive follow-ups

Email lifecycle

Opt-in is immediately active — no email confirmation required. Companion email records are stored linked to the trip and automatically deleted when the trip is completed. Companions can unsubscribe at any time at /trail-companion/unsubscribe.

Rate limiting: maximum 3 opt-in submissions per IP address per hour.

Two common use cases

Loop trails — leave it on your car dashboard

Print the QR card and leave it on your car dashboard at the trailhead. If you are overdue, a ranger, another hiker, or emergency services can scan it to see your full trip details and contact your emergency contacts directly.

Thru-hikes — share digitally

For point-to-point routes where you do not return to the same trailhead, share the QR image digitally with someone at your starting point. They can check your status at any time and, if needed, pass your trip details to emergency services.

Emergency contacts and the QR

Emergency contacts are set in Account settings → Emergency tab. They receive an alert email automatically when the timer fires — they do not need to scan the QR. The QR is for anyone else who might check on you: rangers, fellow hikers, or someone you meet on trail.