Getting Started

This guide will help you create your first playbook and connect it to an AI agent.

Prerequisites

• A web browser
• An AI platform (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini Gems/Gem agents, or any custom agent)

Step 1: Create an Account

• Go to apbks.com
• Click "Get Started" or "Sign In"
• Register with email, Google, or GitHub

Step 2: Create Your First Playbook

• From the Dashboard, click "Create Playbook"
• Give it a name (e.g., "My AI Assistant")
• You'll be taken to the Playbook Editor

Step 3: Give a Persona

Personas are system prompts that define your AI's personality and behavior.

• In the Playbook Editor, go to the Personas tab
• Enter a name and system prompt:

You are a helpful coding assistant. You:
- Write clean, well-documented code
- Explain concepts clearly
- Suggest best practices
- Ask clarifying questions when needed

• Save your changes

Step 4: Add Skills (Optional)

Skills define specific capabilities or tasks your AI can perform.

• Go to the Skills tab
• Click "Add Skill"
• Define a skill like "Code Review":

{
  "name": "code_review",
  "description": "Review code for bugs, style issues, and improvements",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "code": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "The code to review"
      },
      "language": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Programming language"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 5: Publish Your Playbook

• Go to the Settings tab
• Toggle "Public" to make your playbook accessible
• Copy your playbook URL: https://apbks.com/api/playbooks/YOUR_GUID

Step 6: Connect to Your AI

Optional: Invite a human editor

Open Sharing, create a one-time invite link, and send it privately to the teammate who should edit the playbook. The link expires after 72 hours and can be accepted once. Editors can change content but cannot access secrets, API keys, visibility, sharing, or deletion. See Team Collaboration.

For ChatGPT (Custom GPT)

• Create a new Custom GPT
• In the Instructions field, add:

Before responding, fetch my playbook for context:
GET https://apbks.com/api/playbooks/YOUR_GUID?format=markdown

Use the personas and skills defined there.

For Claude

Use the MCP endpoint directly:

GET https://apbks.com/api/mcp/YOUR_GUID

For Custom Agents

Fetch the playbook in your preferred format:

# JSON (default)
curl https://apbks.com/api/playbooks/YOUR_GUID

# OpenAPI spec
curl https://apbks.com/api/playbooks/YOUR_GUID?format=openapi

# MCP format
curl https://apbks.com/api/playbooks/YOUR_GUID?format=mcp

Reliability Loop (Recommended for all agents)

Use this start-of-session pattern so the agent stays accurate over time:

• Fetch fresh context from your playbook (markdown, anthropic, or MCP).
• Do the task using only relevant skills/resources (avoid loading everything blindly).
• Write back learnings to memory (PUT /memory/:key) so the next session starts smarter.
• Store larger notes/plans in Canvas when memory values become too big.

Minimal example:

Session start:
- GET https://apbks.com/api/playbooks/YOUR_GUID?format=markdown

After task:
- PUT https://apbks.com/api/playbooks/YOUR_GUID/memory/last_task_summary
  Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
  Body: {"value": {"result": "...", "gotchas": ["..."]}, "tags": ["session", "learned"]}

Step 7: Enable AI Write-Back (Optional)

Let your AI store information in the playbook's memory:

• Go to the API Keys tab
• Click "Generate New Key"
• Copy the key (shown only once!)
• Give the key to your AI:

You can store memories at:
PUT https://apbks.com/api/playbooks/YOUR_GUID/memory/memory_name
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Body: {"value": {...}}

Next Steps

• Platform Integrations - Detailed guide for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and API integrations
• Explore the public repository for pre-built skills
• Read the API Reference for all endpoints
• Learn about MCP Integration for Claude
• Share safely with people using Team Collaboration