diff --git a/packages/client/src/app.tsx b/packages/client/src/app.tsx
index d75eca2..3117a55 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/app.tsx
+++ b/packages/client/src/app.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import "virtual:uno.css";
 import pkg from "../package.json";
 import "./style.css";
 import api from "./api";
+import Cookies from "js-cookie";
 
 const Profile = () => {
 	let dialogRef!: HTMLDialogElement;
@@ -59,4 +60,7 @@ const App = () => (
 	</Router>
 );
 
-render(App, document.getElementById("app")!);
+// todo: fix this
+(Cookies.get("token") == null ? api.whoami.post() : Promise.resolve()).then(
+	() => render(App, document.getElementById("app")!)
+);
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api.ts b/packages/server/src/api.ts
index 6ccd679..6020b26 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api.ts
@@ -2,24 +2,24 @@ import { prisma } from "./db/db";
 import { Elysia, t } from "elysia";
 import { Prisma } from "@prisma/client";
 import { simpleApi } from "./games/simple";
+import { human } from "./human";
 
 const api = new Elysia({ prefix: "/api" })
-	.onBeforeHandle(async ({ cookie: { token } }) => {
+	.post("/whoami", async ({ cookie: { token } }) => {
 		if (token.value == null) {
-			console.log("CREATING NEW USER");
 			const newHuman = await prisma.human.create({
 				data: {},
 			});
 			token.value = newHuman.key;
 		}
 	})
-	.guard({ cookie: t.Object({ token: t.String() }) })
+	.use(human)
 	.post(
 		"/setName",
-		({ cookie: { token: humanKey }, body: { name } }) =>
+		({ body: { name }, humanKey }) =>
 			prisma.human.update({
 				where: {
-					key: humanKey.value,
+					key: humanKey,
 				},
 				data: {
 					name,
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ const api = new Elysia({ prefix: "/api" })
 			}),
 		}
 	)
-	.get("/profile", ({ cookie: { token: humanKey } }) =>
-		prisma.human.findFirst({ where: { key: humanKey.value } })
+	.get("/profile", ({ humanKey }) =>
+		prisma.human.findFirst({ where: { key: humanKey } })
 	)
 	.get("/games", () => prisma.game.findMany())
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/games/simple.ts b/packages/server/src/games/simple.ts
index ef855a0..e476e2f 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/games/simple.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/games/simple.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import {
 import { heq } from "@games/shared/utils";
 import { Elysia, t } from "elysia";
 import { prisma } from "../db/db";
+import { human } from "../human";
 
 // omniscient game state
 export type GameState = {
@@ -111,44 +112,38 @@ export const resolveAction = (
 };
 
 export const simpleApi = new Elysia({ prefix: "/simple" })
-	.guard({ cookie: t.Object({ token: t.String() }) })
-	.post("/newGame", ({ cookie: { token: humanKey } }) => {
+	.use(human)
+	.post("/newGame", ({ humanKey }) => {
 		return prisma.instance.create({
 			data: {
-				gameState: newGame([humanKey.value]),
+				gameState: newGame([humanKey]),
 				gameKey: "simple",
-				createdByKey: humanKey.value,
+				createdByKey: humanKey,
 			},
 		});
 	})
 	.group("/:instanceId", (app) =>
 		app
-			.get(
-				"/",
-				({ params: { instanceId }, cookie: { token: humanKey } }) =>
-					prisma.instance
-						.findUnique({
-							where: {
-								id: instanceId,
-							},
-						})
-						.then((game) =>
-							getView(
-								getKnowledge(
-									game!.gameState as GameState,
-									humanKey.value
-								),
-								humanKey.value
-							)
+			.get("/", ({ params: { instanceId }, humanKey }) =>
+				prisma.instance
+					.findUnique({
+						where: {
+							id: instanceId,
+						},
+					})
+					.then((game) =>
+						getView(
+							getKnowledge(
+								game!.gameState as GameState,
+								humanKey
+							),
+							humanKey
 						)
+					)
 			)
 			.post(
 				"/",
-				({
-					params: { instanceId },
-					body: { action },
-					cookie: { token: humanKey },
-				}) =>
+				({ params: { instanceId }, body: { action }, humanKey }) =>
 					prisma.instance
 						.findUniqueOrThrow({
 							where: {
@@ -158,7 +153,7 @@ export const simpleApi = new Elysia({ prefix: "/simple" })
 						.then(async (game) => {
 							const newState = resolveAction(
 								game.gameState as GameState,
-								humanKey.value,
+								humanKey,
 								action
 							);
 							await prisma.instance.update({
@@ -168,8 +163,8 @@ export const simpleApi = new Elysia({ prefix: "/simple" })
 								},
 							});
 							return getView(
-								getKnowledge(newState, humanKey.value),
-								humanKey.value
+								getKnowledge(newState, humanKey),
+								humanKey
 							);
 						}),
 				{
diff --git a/packages/server/src/human.ts b/packages/server/src/human.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad28947
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/server/src/human.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+import Elysia from "elysia";
+
+export const human = new Elysia({ name: "human" })
+	.derive(async ({ cookie: { token }, status }) => {
+		const humanKey = token.value;
+		return humanKey != null ? { humanKey } : status(401);
+	})
+	.as("scoped");
diff --git a/packages/server/src/index.ts b/packages/server/src/index.ts
index ff3b70a..ebdcfea 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/index.ts
@@ -15,11 +15,6 @@ const app = new Elysia()
 	.onRequest(({ request }) => {
 		console.log(request.method, request.url);
 	})
-	.onError(({ code, error, body, headers }) => {
-		console.error("headers", JSON.stringify(headers, null, 2));
-		console.error("body", JSON.stringify(body, null, 2));
-		console.error(code, error);
-	})
 	.get("/ping", () => "pong")
 	.use(api)
 	.get("/*", () => Bun.file("./public/index.html"))