Open Standard · Free to use

The same answer. Every time.

INHERIT is an open data standard built on a rules-based system — the same technology behind banking systems and healthcare data exchange. The same document produces the same validation result on any machine, in any country, at any time of day. No ambiguity. No hallucinations. No surprises.

Consistent results

The same document validates the same way, every time. No probabilistic outputs, no sensitivity to how you phrase the question, no drift over time. If a field accepts a date, it accepts a date — today, tomorrow, and in ten years.

No per-use fees

Validation runs locally in milliseconds. No accounts, no per-document charges, no vendor lock-in. Process four million estates for the same cost as four. Sourcemeta validates an INHERIT document in under 2ms on ordinary hardware.

Works with AI tools

Any AI tool can read and write INHERIT documents. But your systems never require one. The standard works with case management software, court filing systems, spreadsheets — and with AI when you choose it.

Where AI fits — and where it doesn’t

AI is welcome at the top of the stack. But the foundation is deterministic, open, and free.

Producers & Consumers

AI tools, case management, court systems, financial platforms

Any system can create, read, or process INHERIT documents — a solicitor’s case management system, a government probate portal, a bank’s deceased account processor, or an AI tool extracting data from a scanned will.

ChatGPT Claude Clio HMRC Excel Custom apps
Validation Gate

Sourcemeta — deterministic, local, free

Before any INHERIT document enters your system, it passes through schema validation. This is a local operation — no internet connection needed, no account required, no cost per document. The rules decide if the data is correct, not the AI that created it.

Local execution < 2ms per document Free and open-source No account required
The Standard

INHERIT — 21 jurisdictions, 7 legal traditions

40+ typed estate concepts, 21 jurisdiction extensions, 7 legal traditions. Every field has a defined type, every value has a fixed set of options, every monetary amount is stored precisely. The legal knowledge comes from practitioners who define the rules, not from an AI model.

International standard Free open licence Open standard Practitioner-defined

Different tools for different jobs

INHERIT and AI aren’t competitors. They operate at different layers and complement each other.

Schema Validation AI
Same input, same output? ✓ Always ✗ Non-deterministic
Cost per operation Effectively zero $0.002 – $0.15 per call
Runs without internet ✓ Fully local ✗ Requires internet
Vendor lock-in None — open specification Provider controls pricing & availability
Best at Enforcing structure, validating correctness, ensuring compliance Extracting data from documents, drafting content, answering questions
AI utilises the data. The schema guarantees its structure. Trust comes from the combination.
“Instant validation. No account needed. Whether you check one estate or four million, the cost is the same — free.”

Sourcemeta validates INHERIT documents locally on ordinary hardware. Validation scales with your infrastructure, not with a vendor’s pricing model.

Where to next?

Whether you’re a legal professional, a developer, or evaluating INHERIT for your organisation — there’s a starting point for you.

Get in touch

Have a question about INHERIT, or interested in becoming a partner? We'd love to hear from you.

or email hello@openinherit.org