The SCP Foundation has built a mythos filled with secrecy, horror, and complex moral choices — and nothing embodies this more than SCP-001. Unlike any other SCP designation, SCP-001 isn’t a singular entity, but rather a collection of multiple proposals, each offering a radically different interpretation of what SCP-001 could be. This deliberate ambiguity helps preserve the mystery at the heart of the Foundation itself.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what SCP-001 is, how many SCP-001 proposals there are, and analyze each major proposal in turn. Along the way, we’ll answer questions like “what is SCP-001,” “who is SCP-001,” and “is SCP-001 real.”
What Is SCP-001? A Secret Too Dangerous to Confirm
SCP-001 is not a single object or entity. Instead, it’s a locked position in the Foundation’s database reserved for the most sensitive information imaginable — typically something that could cause global catastrophe, existential collapse, or reveal the truth behind the Foundation’s creation. The presence of multiple proposals is, in-universe, a form of misinformation: if you don’t know which SCP-001 is real, you can’t prepare to destroy or exploit it.
How Many SCP-001 Proposals Are There?
As of today, there are over thirteen major SCP-001 proposals available on the SCP Wiki, with many others considered supplementary, joke entries, or alternate universe suggestions. These include:
- SCP-001: When Day Breaks
- SCP-001: The Gate Guardian
- SCP-001: The Scarlet King
- SCP-001: The Prototype
- SCP-001: The Broken God
- SCP-001: The Factory
- SCP-001: Kate McTiriss’s Proposal – The Database
- SCP-001: S. Andrew Swann’s Proposal
- SCP-001: Ubu’s Proposal (The Spiral Path)
- And others by authors like djkaktus, Dr. Clef, and more
SCP-001 Proposals: An Overview of All SCP-001 Theories
Each SCP-001 proposal tells a different story. Let’s break down the most significant ones with a unified format for clarity.
SCP-001 – When Day Breaks
Author: S. D. Locke
Core Idea: The sun becomes lethal, melting all living beings into sentient flesh.
This apocalyptic vision presents a world where sunlight causes humans to melt into fleshy, collective organisms. These beings retain emotions and memories, yearning for connection. Humanity hides underground, clinging to their sanity as the world above turns to horror. It’s a poetic, devastating vision of human suffering and transformation.
Themes: The reversal of light as salvation; loss of identity; body horror.
SCP-001 – The Gate Guardian

Author: Dr. Clef
Core Idea: A six-winged, angelic entity guards a forbidden gate.
This biblical SCP stands immovable before a great portal, sword of fire in hand. It cannot be approached, destroyed, or even clearly observed. The proposal hints that the gate is Eden, and the Guardian is there to prevent humanity from committing its original sin again.
Themes: Religious awe; divine punishment; the origin of forbidden knowledge.
SCP-001 – The Scarlet King

Author: djkaktus
Core Idea: An ancient, malevolent god threatens to break into our reality.
The Scarlet King is a being of ultimate entropy, representing cruelty, destruction, and the end of all things. Several SCPs and Foundation rituals exist solely to contain or delay his arrival. This proposal is filled with mythic tone, ritualistic horror, and cosmic nihilism.
Themes: Patriarchy as metaphysical evil; anti-creation; ritual containment.
SCP-001 – The Prototype
Author: Dr. Gears
Core Idea: A humanoid creature regenerates endlessly, predating modern containment.
This early proposal features a creature similar to SCP-682, extremely hostile and unkillable. It’s often regarded as a “first draft” of the Foundation’s mission. Many believe this entity catalyzed the formation of the SCP Foundation.
Themes: Origins of the Foundation; fear of unstoppable forces.
SCP-001 – The Broken God
Author: djkaktus
Core Idea: A mechanical deity was dismantled and scattered across the world.
Mekhane, the Broken God, was a massive, sentient machine. After its shattering, its parts became SCPs like SCP-882 and SCP-217. The Church of the Broken God worships these parts and seeks to reassemble their deity. Their enemies, the Sarkic Cults, represent biological ascension and chaos.
Themes: Faith vs. science; order vs. chaos; body vs. machine.
SCP-001 – The Factory
Author: Mann
Core Idea: A dark, infinite factory that creates abominations and horrors.
The Factory is an eldritch industrial complex that exploits life to mass-produce anomalous objects and weaponized abominations. Early Foundation members struck a bargain with it, and the horrors they unleashed led to the creation of the SCP Foundation. It’s a story of origin built on blood and industrial corruption.
Themes: Capitalism as horror; moral compromise; the cost of control.
SCP-001 – Kate McTiriss’s Proposal – The Database
Author: Kate McTiriss
Core Idea: Editing the SCP-001 page alters reality itself.
This metafictional entry suggests that the SCP-001 file is itself anomalous: anything written on it becomes objectively true. The implications are terrifying, and the Foundation responds by locking the file behind 7 O5 keys and forbidding further testing.
Themes: Information as power; the danger of narrative control; reality manipulation.
SCP-001 – Swann’s Proposal
Author: S. Andrew Swann
Core Idea: The SCP Universe is fictional — and the Foundation suspects it.
This entry suggests that the SCP Foundation has discovered its own fictionality — that they are characters in a story, and the real threat is the “authors” who control their world. It’s a postmodern take on the fourth wall.
Themes: Metafiction; creator vs. creation; free will vs. narrative control.
SCP-001 – Ubu’s Proposal (The Spiral Path)
Author: Ubu
Core Idea: Reality is a recursive, spiraling loop of collapse and rebirth.
This cryptic proposal uses poetic structure and recursive storytelling to imply that the universe constantly resets itself through SCPs — possibly caused by the Foundation’s own interference. It’s cosmic, abstract, and existential.
Themes: Eternal recurrence; death and rebirth; inevitable entropy.
Who Is SCP-001?
There is no definitive answer to who SCP-001 is — and that’s the point. SCP-001 could be:
- A sun that melts humanity.
- An angel with a fiery sword.
- A computer file that rewrites reality.
- A deity splintered across timelines.
- A metaphysical narrative device.
Each proposal offers a different answer, reflecting the fears, faiths, and philosophies of the SCP universe.
Is SCP-001 Real?
Within the SCP universe, SCP-001 is as real as any anomaly. But in our world, the SCP Foundation is a collaborative fiction project — SCP-001 is not real, but its layered proposals represent a complex world built by hundreds of contributors. That said, the emotional impact of these stories feels very real to readers.
All SCP-001 Proposals: A Summary
Proposal Name | Author | Core Idea | Dominant Theme |
---|---|---|---|
When Day Breaks | S. D. Locke | Sun causes flesh liquefaction | Human suffering and transformation |
The Gate Guardian | Dr. Clef | Angel guards Eden-like gate | Divine protection and forbidden knowledge |
The Scarlet King | djkaktus | Cosmic entity of destruction | Myth, patriarchy, ritual |
The Prototype | Dr. Gears | Regenerating monster predates SCP system | Origin of the Foundation |
The Broken God | djkaktus | Machine god shattered into SCPs | Order vs. chaos, faith vs. flesh |
The Factory | Mann | Infinite factory exploiting human life | Industrial horror, moral cost |
The Database | Kate McTiriss | SCP-001 file rewrites reality | Power of narrative and information |
Swann’s Proposal | S. A. Swann | SCPs realize they are fictional | Fourth wall, fiction vs. reality |
Ubu’s Proposal | Ubu | Recursive reality collapse | Rebirth, entropy, recursion |
Final Thoughts: Why SCP-001 Matters
SCP-001 is more than just a file — it’s a statement of the SCP Foundation’s deepest questions. Every proposal acts like a mirror, reflecting different anxieties: apocalypse, sin, identity, narrative control, industrial evil, and existential dread. Whether you’re looking for cosmic horror or philosophical metafiction, there’s an SCP-001 for you.
So next time someone asks, “What is SCP-001?” — the only honest answer might be, “Which one do you believe?”
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