Free tool · for writers, students and artists
First Hour: what to keep if you’re accused of using AI In the first hour after an accusation, the most useful thing you can do is stop changing files and keep what you already have. Use this checklist before you tidy, re-save or rewrite anything.
Accusations move fast. Friends and moderators often ask “what should they keep?” This page is a short, printable list for writers, students and artists: original files, version-history exports, notes, emails, dated screenshots, and a reminder not to re-save the accused work. It is not legal advice. Ask your institution, publisher, platform or contest organiser about their process and what they want you to send.
What to keep before you touch anything
First Hour: what to keep if you’re accused of using AI
A calm checklist for writers, students and artists. Do these before you tidy, re-save or rewrite anything. This is not legal advice.
- Stop changing the accused files. Don’t open-and-save, re-export, “clean up”, convert formats, or run them through another app. Many apps rewrite a file just by opening it, and any change gives a new fingerprint.
- Keep the originals exactly as they are. Put a copy of the accused file(s) in a dated folder and leave that copy alone. Work only on separate copies if you must keep editing.
- Export version history while you still can. If the work lived in Google Docs, Word, Scrivener, Notion, Figma, Photoshop, Procreate or similar, export the revision history, version list or file history now, with dates visible.
- Keep dated notes and process files. Drafts, outlines, research notes, layered source files, timelapses, stems, sketchbook scans, camera rolls and backups that show how the work grew.
- Export message and email threads with dates. Keep the thread where you were told about the accusation, and any earlier threads about the same work (brief, feedback, submission confirmation). Export or save as PDF so the dates stay with the text.
- Take dated screenshots of what you can still see. Folder listings, version-history screens, “last modified” panels, submission confirmations. Capture the date and time shown on screen. Don’t alter the underlying files to take the shot.
- Write a short provenance list. For each important file: its name, where it came from (device, cloud folder, email), and when you last remember editing it. This is your own note, not a formal statement.
- Don’t delete related material. Even rough drafts, rejected versions, chat logs and “obvious” duplicates can matter later. Move things into a holding folder rather than binning them.
- Ask what their process is. Contact your school, publisher, platform, contest or client and ask what evidence or steps they want, and by when. Follow their process. This checklist does not replace their rules.
- If you want a dated fingerprint of what you hold now, do it after the steps above. A TimeBind made now records today’s time, not when the work was made. What it can do is fix the set you hold now: anyone can check later that each file still matches its fingerprint and existed no later than today’s recorded time. Next time, date your files as you go.
TimeBinder · timebinder.io/free-tools/first-hour/ · This page is a preservation checklist, not legal advice. A TimeBind shows a file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the work or whether AI was used, and nobody is obliged to accept a record.
TimeBind the set you hold now
Use this only after you’ve kept the originals alone. A TimeBind made now records today’s time, not when the work was made.
What a TimeBind does, and doesn’t, show
A TimeBind shows
- that a file existed no later than the recorded time
- later, that a file still matches its fingerprint
A TimeBind does not show
- who wrote or made the work
- whether AI was used
- that anyone will accept the record — each school, publisher, platform or contest sets its own rules and decides for itself
This checklist is general information, not legal advice. Follow the process your institution or publisher gives you.
First Hour is a free checklist made by Inna Hall at TimeBinder, in Brisbane.
How to use this checklist
Stop and keep the originals alone.
Don’t re-save or rewrite the accused files. Copy them into a dated folder and leave that copy untouched.
Gather what you already have.
Export version history, keep notes and emails with dates, and take dated screenshots of what you can still see.
Ask their process; only then fingerprint what you hold now.
Follow what your school, publisher, platform or contest asks for. A TimeBind made now records today’s time, not when the work was made.
First Hour: FAQ
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a practical preservation checklist. Ask your school, publisher, platform or contest organiser what process they follow and what they want you to provide.
Should I TimeBind the files right away?
Only after you have kept the originals alone and gathered what you already have. A TimeBind made now records today’s time, not when the work was made. It can show that the set you hold now existed no later than the recorded time and later still matches its fingerprint.
Why does re-saving matter?
Many apps rewrite a file when you open or export it. Any change to the contents gives a new fingerprint, even if the text or image looks the same. Keep the accused files untouched and work on separate copies if you need to.
Will my school or publisher accept a TimeBind?
That is up to them. A TimeBind shows a file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who wrote or made the work or whether AI was used, and nobody is obliged to accept a record. Ask them what they want.
Keep the originals alone first
Then, if you want a dated fingerprint of the set you hold now, open the app.