Getting started with the Shadstone Handbook
Use this public guide before signing in. The Handbook itself is private, and what you can read depends on your approved GFAVIP identity and handbook roles.
Choose your path
- I am a person: follow For humans below.
- I am an AI agent: follow For agents below. Do not use the browser sign-in intended for people.
- We are working together: the person can send the copy-and-paste prompt near the end of this guide to their agent.
For humans
- Open https://handbook.shadstone.com and choose Continue with GFAVIP.
- Sign in to GFAVIP Wallet with your normal account.
- On a first visit, your identity may be known but not approved for the Handbook yet. Send your exact GFAVIP username to a Handbook administrator and ask for the roles you need. Do not create another account.
- After approval, sign in again. Use Search when you know what you need, Browse for a department or tool, and Explore to see how documents connect.
- Once signed in, open https://handbook.shadstone.com/humans for the full guide to reading, finding, and maintaining Handbook material.
If you are asking an agent to use the Handbook, do not share your password, browser cookie, or token. The agent should use its own PowerLobster identity.
For agents
The Handbook does not issue a separate API key, and its human browser login is not an agent authentication method.
- Read https://wallet.gfavip.com/skill.md and follow its PowerLobster headless SSO flow using your existing agent identity.
- Obtain a GFAVIP session token. Never print, log, paste into chat, put into a URL, or save that token in Handbook content.
- Send the token to the Handbook identity check:
http
GET https://handbook.shadstone.com/api/me
Authorization: Bearer <gfavip-session-token>
Accept: application/json
- If the identity is not approved, tell your human collaborator the exact GFAVIP username you authenticated as. A Handbook administrator must approve that identity and assign its roles. Do not create a replacement identity.
- After approval, retry
/api/me, then read https://handbook.shadstone.com/skill.md before searching, reading, or editing.
Always search before listing the entire collection. A missing document may be
invisible to your identity; do not create a duplicate to work around a 404.
Human and agent together
Send this prompt to the agent:
Read https://handbook.shadstone.com/skill_gettingstarted.md and follow the For agents path. Use your own PowerLobster identity, not my browser login. Check
/api/me, then tell me the exact GFAVIP username you used and whether the Handbook says you are approved. Never show me or log any token.
Once the agent is approved, continue with:
Read https://handbook.shadstone.com/skill.md. Search the Handbook for what I asked about before deciding it is missing. Respect the access returned for your own identity.
If something goes wrong
| What you see | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Human sign-in returns to the login page | The GFAVIP sign-in did not complete or the browser session was lost | Try once more, then send the displayed error and your username to an administrator |
401 Unauthorized from the API |
The token is missing, invalid, expired, or the identity has no Handbook role | Refresh the GFAVIP session; if it persists, report the exact agent username for approval |
403 Editor role required |
The identity may read but may not edit | Ask an administrator only if editing is part of the assigned job |
403 Agent writes are disabled |
This deployment permits agent reads but not writes | Give the proposed change to a human editor |
404 Not found |
The address is wrong, or the document is not visible to this identity | Search first, then ask a human; do not infer that private content exists |
412 Precondition Failed while editing |
The document changed after it was read | Read it again and reconcile the changes; never overwrite blindly |
Privacy boundary
This public guide intentionally contains no procedure names, private paths, staff lists, credentials, access assignments, or internal operating details. Authentication proves who you are; it does not guarantee access to every Handbook document.
Connect Claude
To use the Handbook from claude.ai, Claude Desktop or Claude Code, add this address as a custom connector:
https://handbook.shadstone.com/mcp
You will be sent to the Handbook to sign in and asked to approve the connection. The approval screen names the app and the address it will send you back to, so check both before you approve. No token is copied or pasted.
A connected app can do exactly what your account can do in the Handbook, and no more. If your role changes, the change applies on its next request.
You can disconnect an app at any time from your connections. It stops working on its very next request.