FARO — How to Use

Last Updated: January 1, 2026

Requirements

  • Windows with .NET 8 desktop runtime
  • An Anthropic (Claude) API key
  • A GitHub Personal Access Token with access to the AvantLeap docs and FARO data repositories
  • Internet access for chat, analysis, and git sync

First-time Setup

  1. Build and launch FARO:
    dotnet run --project FARO.csproj
# or run the published publish\FARO.exe
  2. Open Settings (gear icon) and enter:
    • User identity — your name (used for git commits and context).
    • Anthropic API key — for chat and strategic analysis.
    • GitHub token — for pulling docs and pushing FARO data.
  3. Save. Settings are written to %AppData%\AvantLeap\FARO\settings.json (not committed to any repo).

On first sync, FARO clones the docs repository and the FARO data repository under %AppData%\AvantLeap\FARO\.

The Shell

FARO has a top bar, a left navigation rail, and a content area. The left nav switches between four panels:

Panel Purpose
Chat Converse with Claude, grounded in the AvantLeap knowledge base
Requests Capture, track, and analyze client requests
Clients Manage client records
Presentation Build a PPTX deck from a plan

Chat

  1. Go to the Chat panel.
  2. Type a message and press Enter to send.
  3. Claude responds using a system prompt built from your local docs clone — so answers reference existing AvantLeap work.
  4. To turn a useful exchange into a tracked item, use Save as Request — the last exchange is saved as a client request.

The knowledge base is refreshed from GitHub on pull, so keep your docs clone up to date for the most relevant answers.

Requests

  1. Go to the Requests panel to see the request list.
  2. Select a request to view or edit its detail (status, priority, plan).
  3. Click Analyze to have Claude produce a strategic analysis / plan for the selected request.
  4. Push your changes to the FARO data repository to share them with the team.

Each request carries a status and priority; the badge colors are driven by StatusColor / PriorityColor on the model.

Clients

Go to the Clients panel to add, edit, and remove client records. Client data is stored in data\clients.json and synced to GitHub.

Build a Presentation

  1. Go to the Presentation panel.
  2. Configure the deck and preview the plan.
  3. Build — FARO generates a .pptx file locally using OpenXML.
  4. Open the generated file in PowerPoint to review and finish it.

Data Storage

%AppData%\AvantLeap\FARO\
  settings.json            ← user identity, API key, GitHub token (not committed)
  data\requests.json       ← client requests
  data\clients.json        ← client records
  docs\                    ← clone of the AvantLeap docs repo (knowledge base)
  faro-repo\               ← clone of the FARO data repo
  logs\faro-*.log          ← application logs

Client requests and client records are pushed to GitHub on sync — keep that repository private and restricted to authorized staff.

Tips

  • Keep docs synced. Pull the docs repo regularly so Chat answers reflect the latest AvantLeap work.
  • Save good chats as requests. Use Save as Request to avoid losing actionable items from a conversation.
  • Push after editing. Requests and clients only reach teammates after a push to the FARO data repository.
  • Treat chat as external. Chat content goes to Anthropic — don't paste secrets or special-category personal data.

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
App won't start Confirm the .NET 8 desktop runtime is installed
Git clone/pull/push fails Verify the GitHub token is valid and has access to the docs and FARO data repositories
Chat returns errors Check the Anthropic API key in Settings and your internet connection
Knowledge base seems stale Pull the docs repo so the system prompt is rebuilt from current content
PPTX won't open Rebuild from the Presentation panel; confirm the output path is writable