Secret Identity Generator
A cover name, a job nobody will ask about, a hideout, and the small habit that would give the whole thing away inside a week.
Optional, and it does one thing: the cover name is chosen to share your initial. That is the oldest trick in the genre, which is why it is worth pointing out that it would not survive a week.
Cover occupation
The tell
Hideout
What this tool does
Builds a cover identity in four parts: a name, an occupation, a hideout and a tell. If you type your name, the cover name is chosen to share its initial — which is the oldest and worst tradecraft in the genre, and the reason the tool asks for a name at all. With nothing typed it draws one freely. That single rule is what turns the name pool into something that responds to you rather than a random picker.
The jobs are all deliberately dull, because that is the only kind of cover that works: nobody remembers a person who services commercial refrigeration. The tell is the part that makes it a character rather than a form — it is the small habit that would betray the whole thing within a week, which is funnier and truer than a list of impressive spy skills. Every tell is mundane and observable: checking exits, flipping a pen, knowing a language the cover job would never require.
How to use it
- Type your name, or leave it blank. Typing it matches the cover name’s initial to yours.
- Press Build a cover. A name, an occupation, a tell and a hideout appear together.
- Press again for a different cover. The job, tell and hideout pools each rotate independently.
- Press Copy to take the whole identity, or Clear to empty the box and reset the pools.
Common use cases
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Writing a spy or thriller
Four parts in one press, and the tell is the part that makes the character work on the page.
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Tabletop games
Generate a cover on the spot when a player needs one and you would rather not improvise a whole backstory.
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Party icebreakers
Everyone builds one and reads out their tell. The tells are more revealing than the names.
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Naming a fictional persona
The initial-matching rule gives you a name that feels deliberately chosen rather than random.
Frequently asked questions
What does typing my name change?
It makes the cover name start with the same letter as yours. That is the only effect. It is the classic fictional tradecraft move, and the tool points out that it would not survive a week of scrutiny.
Is my name stored or sent anywhere?
No. It is used in the page to pick an initial and is never uploaded, saved or logged. Closing or reloading the page discards it.
Why are the jobs so boring?
Because a cover job that is interesting is a cover job that gets remembered. Commercial flooring, industrial hand dryers and lift inspection are all chosen because nobody has ever asked a follow-up question about any of them.
Is any of this real tradecraft?
No. It is written for fiction and for fun. The initial-matching rule in particular is a well-known cliche rather than a technique, and the tells are jokes about character rather than advice about anything.