Burn-After-Reading Notes — Time-Limited Markdown Links

What burn-after-reading means

Burn-after-reading is a concept where a document self-destructs after being accessed. In Note Shuttle, it works as a time-limited share link: you publish a Markdown note with a chosen duration (10 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, or 24 hours). After that duration expires, anyone who visits the link sees an “expired” message. The content is no longer accessible through that link.

The document itself remains in your account. You can re-publish it with a new link at any time. The “burn” applies to the share link, not to your original document.

Time options Note Shuttle offers

• 10 minutes — for passwords, one-time codes, or snippets the recipient needs right now and should never see again.
• 1 hour — for quick reviews, temporary references, or short-lived documents.
• 6 hours — covers a work session. Good for documents shared during a meeting or a review cycle. Available on all plans including free.
• 24 hours — for overnight reviews or documents that should last a full day. Requires PRO or PLUS plan.
• Permanent — no expiry. For documents you want to share indefinitely. Requires PRO or PLUS plan.

The timer starts when you publish, not when the viewer opens the link. A 10-minute link expires 10 minutes after you click Publish, whether or not anyone has viewed it.

Use cases for burn-after-reading notes

• Sharing temporary credentials — server passwords, API keys, database connection strings. Set to 10 minutes, send the link, and the credentials are gone before anyone can leak them.
• One-time feedback — you wrote a code review or design critique. The recipient reads it, and the link dies. No lingering document in their browser history.
• Sensitive proposals — a pricing proposal or contract summary that should only be visible during the negotiation window.
• Meeting notes — share notes from a meeting that are only relevant for a few hours.
• Self-destructing announcements — internal announcements that lose relevance quickly. Set to 1 hour and let them auto-expire.

How to create a burn-after-reading note

1. Sign in to Note Shuttle and open the dashboard.
2. Create a new document by clicking “New Note” in the sidebar. Write your content using Markdown syntax.
3. Click “Share” in the top-right toolbar. A dialog appears with duration options.
4. Select a time limit — 10 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, or 24 hours. (24 hours requires PRO or PLUS.)
5. Click “Publish” and copy the generated link. Send it to the recipient through any channel — email, chat, SMS. After the time expires, the link is dead.

Common burn-after-reading issues

Timer starts at publish, not at first view

This is by design. A 10-minute link expires 10 minutes after creation, even if nobody opens it. If you need the timer to start at first view, consider using a 1-hour duration to give the recipient more time.

The recipient says the link is expired

Check the duration you selected. A 10-minute link can expire before the recipient checks their email. Use a longer duration if there might be a delay. You can also re-publish the same document with a new link.

Need to revoke before the timer runs out

You can manually revoke any share link at any time from the dashboard's Shared panel. Click the delete button next to the share record. The link becomes inaccessible immediately, even if the timer hasn't expired.

Want to combine with encryption

Set an encryption password on the document before publishing. The viewer needs both the link and the password. This adds a second layer: even if someone gets the link before it expires, they still can't read the content without the password.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does burn-after-reading mean?

Burn-after-reading means a document is automatically destroyed (made inaccessible) after it has been viewed or after a set time period. In Note Shuttle, the share link expires after the chosen duration — 10 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, or 24 hours — regardless of whether anyone viewed it.

Is the note deleted from my account when the link expires?

No. The document stays in your account. Only the share link becomes invalid. You can re-publish the same document with a new link and a new time limit whenever you want.

Can someone screenshot or copy the content before it expires?

Yes. Burn-after-reading protects against casual re-access, not determined copying. Once someone views the page, they can copy the text or take a screenshot. For content that must never be readable by intermediaries, combine burn-after-reading with encryption.

Can I set a custom expiry time?

Not currently. The available durations are 10 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, 24 hours (PRO/PLUS), and permanent (PRO/PLUS). Custom durations are not supported.

How is Note Shuttle different from PrivNote?

PrivNote is a plain-text service — you paste text, get a link, and the note is destroyed after one view. Note Shuttle supports full Markdown rendering (headings, code blocks, tables, images), multiple share durations, optional encryption, and the document persists in your account so you can re-publish it. PrivNote has no account system and no Markdown.

Can I combine burn-after-reading with encryption?

Yes. Set an encryption password on the document first, then publish with a time-limited share link. The viewer needs both the link (to reach the page) and the password (to decrypt the content). After the link expires, nobody can access it — and even while it's live, only password-holders can read it.