> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.guidinghand.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# List start states

> Runners’ images first, then your org’s start states, newest first.



## OpenAPI

````yaml /api-reference/openapi.json get /v1/start_states
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: GuidingHand API
  version: 1.0.0
  description: >-
    Create sessions (an invite link with a code for the person at the computer),
    run tasks on their computer with one of your agents, follow them, answer
    their questions and approvals, and fetch history and recordings. Test your
    agents with evals: test cases on fresh machines, run in test sets, scored by
    a check script or a rubric. Agents are versioned (save a draft, publish it),
    have tools (their own file system, and your HTTP endpoints), and every
    change is in the org’s audit log.
servers:
  - url: https://guidinghand.ai
    description: Production
  - url: https://dev.guidinghand.ai
    description: Development (Stripe test mode)
security:
  - bearerAuth: []
tags:
  - name: Agents
  - name: Agent files
  - name: Agent tools
  - name: Sessions
  - name: Tasks
  - name: Webhooks
  - name: Audit log
  - name: Test cases
  - name: Test sets
  - name: Test runs
  - name: Start states
  - name: Runners
paths:
  /v1/start_states:
    get:
      tags:
        - Start states
      summary: List start states
      description: Runners’ images first, then your org’s start states, newest first.
      operationId: listStartStates
      parameters:
        - name: limit
          in: query
          required: false
          description: How many to return, 1 to 100.
          schema:
            type: integer
            default: 20
            minimum: 1
            maximum: 100
        - name: cursor
          in: query
          required: false
          description: '`next_cursor` from the previous page.'
          schema:
            type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: OK
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: object
                required:
                  - data
                  - has_more
                  - next_cursor
                properties:
                  data:
                    type: array
                    items:
                      $ref: '#/components/schemas/StartState'
                  has_more:
                    type: boolean
                  next_cursor:
                    type:
                      - string
                      - 'null'
                    description: Pass as `cursor` to get the next page.
        '401':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/E401'
components:
  schemas:
    StartState:
      type: object
      description: >-
        A machine to start each try from: a runner’s base OS install (`kind:
        image`, read-only, every org sees it) or a saved machine made from one
        (`kind: state`).
      properties:
        object:
          const: start_state
        start_state_id:
          type: string
          example: ss_0aQ3Vb7sT2Lc
        kind:
          type: string
          enum:
            - image
            - state
        name:
          type: string
          example: Printer offline
        description:
          type: string
        from:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          example: win10-22h2
          description: The image or start state it was made from (null for an image).
        method:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          enum:
            - hand
            - script
            - instruction
            - null
          description: >-
            How it was set up: by hand on its open machine, by a script, or by a
            GuidingHand task.
        script:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
        instruction:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
        agent_id:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          description: The agent that ran the `instruction`.
        task_id:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          description: 'With `method: instruction`: the task that set it up.'
        status:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/StartStateStatus'
          description: >-
            `building`: its script or instruction is running. `open`: its
            machine is running for someone to set up or look at. `saving`, then
            `ready`. `failed`: see `error`.
        version:
          type: integer
          description: >-
            Goes up by one with each save; 0 until first saved. A test run uses
            the version current when it was created.
        os:
          type: string
          example: windows
        labels:
          type: array
          items:
            type: string
          description: 'Where it can run: its runner’s labels.'
          example:
            - vm
        runner_id:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          description: >-
            The runner that holds its disk (null for an image: any runner that
            has it).
        error:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
        view:
          type:
            - object
            - 'null'
          description: While its machine is open.
          properties:
            screen_url:
              type: string
            input_url:
              type: string
            expires_at:
              type: string
              format: date-time
              description: It closes itself after 2 hours without input.
        metadata:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Metadata'
        created_at:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          format: date-time
        updated_at:
          type:
            - string
            - 'null'
          format: date-time
    StartStateStatus:
      type: string
      enum:
        - building
        - open
        - saving
        - ready
        - failed
    Metadata:
      type: object
      additionalProperties:
        type: string
        maxLength: 500
      maxProperties: 50
      description: >-
        Your own ids and labels (e.g. a ticket or customer id), returned as
        given.
      example:
        customer_id: cus_42
    Error:
      type: object
      required:
        - error
      properties:
        error:
          type: object
          required:
            - type
            - message
          properties:
            type:
              type: string
              enum:
                - invalid_request
                - authentication
                - payment_required
                - permission
                - not_found
                - conflict
                - rate_limit
                - server_error
            message:
              type: string
            code:
              type: string
              description: >-
                Why it was refused, when there’s more to say than the status.
                Starting a task: `insufficient_balance`,
                `auto_topup_limit_reached` or `card_needs_attention` (402: the
                balance can’t cover a minute; add funds, raise the auto top-up
                limit, or update the card), `concurrency_limit` (429),
                `model_unavailable` (503: the agent’s `model` can’t run on this
                server; choose another). On `/respond`: `already_answered`
                (someone answered or decided first: see `answered_by`) or
                `not_pending` (that question or approval isn’t open any more).
                The GuidingHand app hears two more, which the API never returns:
                `customer_answers_off` and `customer_approvals_off` (the agent
                keeps its questions or approvals for your team). Deleting a
                start state that test cases use: `in_use` (409, with
                `test_case_ids`).
            answered_by:
              type: string
              enum:
                - customer
                - operator
                - timeout
              description: >-
                With `already_answered`: who answered or decided first
                (`customer`: the person at the computer; `timeout`: nobody
                decided an approval within the agent’s
                `approval_timeout_minutes`, so it was denied).
            test_case_ids:
              type: array
              items:
                type: string
              description: 'With `in_use`: the test cases that use the start state.'
  responses:
    E401:
      description: Missing or invalid API key.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      description: An org API key (`gh_live_…`) from Settings → API keys in the console.

````