# Authentication

The GitBook API uses personal access tokens to authenticate requests.

You can view and manage your access tokens in the [Developer settings](https://app.gitbook.com/account/developer) of your GitBook user account.

API requests are authenticated using the [Bearer Auth scheme](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Authentication#authentication_schemes). To authenticate a request, provide the token in the `Authorization` header of the request:

```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer <your_access_token>" https://api.gitbook.com/v1/user
```

Access tokens are tied to the GitBook user account for which they were created. **A token provides the same level of access & privileges that its associated GitBook user account would have.**

{% hint style="warning" %}
Please be sure to keep your API access tokens secure! Do not share them in emails, chat messages, client-side code or publicly accessible sites.

If you have accidentally shared an API access token publicly, you can revoke it in the [Developer settings](https://app.gitbook.com/account/developer) of your GitBook user account by clicking the “X” button beside the token.
{% endhint %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://gitbook.com/docs/developers/gitbook-api/authentication.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.