diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 611aac0..d2a6600 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ route and the forge co-location gate — and writes nothing and starts nothing
 unless all of them answered. It never fetches credentials over the network; you
 carry them in the bundle, and the reasoning is in `src/join.ts`.
 
+**Integrating another application?** The [independent HTTP client](docs/HTTP_CLIENT.md)
+shows task submission, progress, decisions, cancellation and follow-ups without
+Akiroo or direct store access.
+
 **First time? [docs/QUICKSTART.md](docs/QUICKSTART.md)** — nothing to a pull
 request that carries its test result, skipping everything
 you do not need to see the loop work.
diff --git a/docs/HTTP_CLIENT.md b/docs/HTTP_CLIENT.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2569b32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/HTTP_CLIENT.md
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+# Independent HTTP client
+
+Ship works without Akiroo. `examples/http-client.mjs` is a dependency-free Node
+22 example using the same external HTTP surfaces as the dashboard. It imports
+no Ship runtime, store, or Akiroo code. First add the repository in Ship’s Projects
+page with its test command and intended authority; an allowlisted forge alone
+does not create a connected project. Supply your Ship origin and bearer token
+through your own secret handling; never commit tokens or put them in URLs.
+
+```js
+import { randomUUID } from 'node:crypto';
+import { ShipClient } from './examples/http-client.mjs';
+const ship = new ShipClient(process.env.SHIP_URL, process.env.SHIP_WEB_TOKEN);
+const requestId = randomUUID(); // persist before submission
+const id = await ship.create({
+  task: 'Explain the request validation path, with file citations.',
+  repo: 'https://github.com/your-org/your-repo', journey: 'investigate', requestId,
+});
+console.log(await ship.workspace(id));
+```
+
+The workspace response exposes current metadata, conversation, verification,
+artifacts and recorded activity. Poll it with a bounded deadline and backoff.
+`waiting` requires inspecting its current `meta.eventName` and evidence. Present
+that evidence to the person authorized to decide, then submit their exact choice:
+
+```js
+await ship.decide(id, {
+  eventName: reviewedEventName, approved: ownerApproved, reason: ownerReason,
+  // answer: ownerAnswer, // for a question
+  // plan: ownerEditedPlan, // for a plan decision
+});
+```
+
+Never automatically approve an unfamiliar waiting event. `401` means credentials
+are missing/invalid; `403` means the actor lacks authority; `409` means a decision
+is stale or no longer applicable. A 409 is not successful approval: refresh the
+workspace and require a new review. Ship rechecks authority and the current park.
+A revoked credential must not be replaced with a more privileged one automatically.
+
+`cancel(id)` requests cancellation and reads back the workspace; `cancelling` is
+not terminal. Continue polling until the executor settles. `followUp(id, ... )`
+starts linked work; pass a persisted requestId and choose `target: 'pr'` only when
+you intend to continue an existing PR. Include the reviewed eventName when the
+current review requires it. Follow-ups retain normal policy and verification.
+
+The create/follow-up form endpoints return redirects; this client parses those
+without following them or forwarding a bearer token elsewhere. Persist requestId
+and the exact submitted fields. After a lost response, replay only that same
+creation request; changing its fields under the same ID is refused. Decisions and
+cancellation have no automatic retries: first read authoritative state, since a
+lost response can hide an accepted action. Failures must remain visible.
+
+These are the current dashboard-compatible interfaces, not a versioned general
+SDK. Raw durable storage is deliberately absent. Workspace activity is the
+recorded view, not an event-stream subscription. Contract tests do not prove a
+particular live provider/forge configuration; installation and live lifecycle
+receipts are separate acceptance evidence.
diff --git a/examples/http-client.mjs b/examples/http-client.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f66e679
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/http-client.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+/** A dependency-free Node 22 client for Ship's existing HTTP surfaces. */
+export class ShipHTTPError extends Error {
+  constructor(status, operation, detail) {
+    super(`${operation}: HTTP ${status}${detail ? ` — ${detail}` : ''}`);
+    this.status = status;
+  }
+}
+
+export class ShipClient {
+  #base;
+  #token;
+  constructor(baseURL, token) {
+    const base = new URL(baseURL);
+    if (!['http:', 'https:'].includes(base.protocol) || base.username || base.password ||
+        base.search || base.hash || base.pathname !== '/') throw new Error('Use a Ship HTTP(S) origin');
+    if (!token || /[\r\n]/.test(token)) throw new Error('A Ship bearer token is required');
+    this.#base = base.origin;
+    this.#token = token;
+  }
+  async #request(path, init = {}) {
+    // No automatic mutation retries: a lost response may hide a completed act.
+    return fetch(`${this.#base}${path}`, {
+      ...init, redirect: 'manual', signal: AbortSignal.timeout(30_000),
+      headers: { ...init.headers, authorization: `Bearer ${this.#token}` },
+    });
+  }
+  #runPath(runId) {
+    if (!/^run-[A-Za-z0-9-]+$/.test(runId)) throw new Error('Invalid Ship run ID');
+    return `/runs/${runId}`;
+  }
+  async #form(path, fields, operation) {
+    const response = await this.#request(path, {
+      method: 'POST', headers: { 'content-type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' },
+      body: new URLSearchParams(fields),
+    });
+    const location = response.headers.get('location') ?? '';
+    const url = new URL(location || '/', this.#base);
+    const refusal = url.searchParams.get('error') || url.searchParams.get('messageError') ||
+      url.searchParams.get('denied') || (url.searchParams.get('cancel') === 'failed' ? 'cancel failed' : '');
+    const match = url.pathname.match(/^\/runs\/(run-[A-Za-z0-9-]+)$/);
+    if (![302, 303].includes(response.status) || url.origin !== this.#base || !match || refusal) {
+      throw new ShipHTTPError(response.status, operation, refusal || 'request refused or unexpected redirect');
+    }
+    return match[1];
+  }
+  async #json(path, init, operation) {
+    const response = await this.#request(path, init);
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      // Keep 401/403/409 as refusals. In particular, 409 never means approved.
+      throw new ShipHTTPError(response.status, operation, (await response.text()).slice(0, 500));
+    }
+    return response.json();
+  }
+  create({ task, repo, journey = 'change', requestId }) {
+    if (!task || !repo || !requestId) throw new Error('task, repo and stable requestId are required');
+    return this.#form('/', { intent: 'new-run', task, repo, journey, requestId }, 'create run');
+  }
+  workspace(runId) {
+    return this.#json(`/api${this.#runPath(runId)}/workspace`, {}, 'read workspace');
+  }
+  decide(runId, { eventName, approved, reason, answer, plan }) {
+    if (!eventName || typeof approved !== 'boolean') throw new Error('Reviewed eventName and explicit approved boolean are required');
+    return this.#json(`/api${this.#runPath(runId)}/decide`, {
+      method: 'POST', headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      body: JSON.stringify({ event_name: eventName, approved, reason, answer, plan }),
+    }, 'decide run');
+  }
+  async cancel(runId) {
+    const returned = await this.#form(this.#runPath(runId), { intent: 'cancel' }, 'request cancellation');
+    if (returned !== runId) throw new Error('Cancellation returned a different run');
+    // Acceptance is not settlement: inspect the authoritative current state.
+    return this.workspace(runId);
+  }
+  followUp(runId, { message, journey = 'change', requestId, target = 'base', eventName }) {
+    if (!message || !requestId) throw new Error('message and stable requestId are required');
+    return this.#form(this.#runPath(runId), {
+      intent: 'follow-up', message, journey, requestId, target,
+      ...(eventName ? { eventName } : {}),
+    }, 'follow-up');
+  }
+}
diff --git a/scripts/http-client.test.mjs b/scripts/http-client.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15711f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/http-client.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { createServer } from 'node:http';
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import { ShipClient, ShipHTTPError } from '../examples/http-client.mjs';
+
+test('independent client preserves refusals, decisions and cancellation state over HTTP', async () => {
+  const requests = [];
+  let responseMode = 'normal';
+  const server = createServer(async (req, res) => {
+    let body = ''; for await (const part of req) body += part;
+    requests.push({ path: req.url, body, authorization: req.headers.authorization });
+    if (req.headers.authorization !== 'Bearer test-only') { res.writeHead(401); res.end('unauthorized'); return; }
+    if (responseMode === 'foreign') { res.writeHead(303, { location: 'http://example.invalid/runs/run-foreign' }); res.end(); return; }
+    if (responseMode === 'denied') { res.writeHead(303, { location: '/runs/run-one?denied=steer' }); res.end(); return; }
+    if (req.url.endsWith('/decide')) {
+      const decision = JSON.parse(body);
+      res.writeHead(decision.event_name === 'current' ? 200 : 409, { 'content-type': 'application/json' });
+      res.end(JSON.stringify(decision.event_name === 'current' ? { ok: true } : { error: 'stale decision' })); return;
+    }
+    if (req.url.endsWith('/workspace')) { res.writeHead(200, { 'content-type': 'application/json' }); res.end(JSON.stringify({ meta: { status: 'cancelling' } })); return; }
+    res.writeHead(303, { location: '/runs/run-one' }); res.end();
+  });
+  await new Promise(resolve => server.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', resolve));
+  try {
+    const origin = `http://127.0.0.1:${server.address().port}`;
+    const ship = new ShipClient(origin, 'test-only');
+    const request = { task: 'explain', repo: 'https://example.invalid/repo', journey: 'investigate', requestId: 'persisted-id' };
+    assert.equal(await ship.create(request), 'run-one');
+    assert.equal(await ship.create(request), 'run-one');
+    assert.equal(requests[0].body, requests[1].body);
+    assert.equal(new URLSearchParams(requests[0].body).get('requestId'), 'persisted-id');
+    assert.deepEqual(await ship.decide('run-one', { eventName: 'current', approved: false, reason: 'owner declined' }), { ok: true });
+    assert.equal(JSON.parse(requests.at(-1).body).approved, false);
+    const before = requests.length;
+    await assert.rejects(ship.decide('run-one', { eventName: 'old', approved: true }), e => e instanceof ShipHTTPError && e.status === 409);
+    assert.equal(requests.length, before + 1, 'does not retry a stale decision');
+    assert.equal((await ship.cancel('run-one')).meta.status, 'cancelling');
+    await assert.rejects(new ShipClient(origin, 'wrong').workspace('run-one'), e => e.status === 401);
+    responseMode = 'foreign';
+    await assert.rejects(ship.create(request), /unexpected redirect/);
+    responseMode = 'denied';
+    await assert.rejects(ship.cancel('run-one'), /steer/);
+    assert.throws(() => ship.decide('run-one', { approved: true }), /eventName/);
+    assert.throws(() => ship.workspace('../settings'), /Invalid Ship run ID/);
+  } finally { await new Promise(resolve => server.close(resolve)); }
+});