How do I install the Manifest skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add desesbraker/manifest in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Manifest safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: CAUTION, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: makes network calls, reads secrets. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Manifest?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Manifest free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Manifest?

Desesbraker (@desesbraker) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Manifest by desesbraker — Agent Skill

Name: Manifest
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: Desesbraker

File contents

Manifest Setup

Follow these steps in order. Do not skip ahead.

Use this skill when

User wants to set up observability or telemetry for their agent
User wants to connect their agent to Manifest for monitoring
User needs to configure a Manifest API key or custom endpoint
User is troubleshooting Manifest plugin connection issues
User wants to verify the Manifest plugin is running

Do not use this skill when

User needs general observability design (use observability-engineer instead)
User wants to build custom dashboards or alerting rules
User is not using the Manifest platform

Instructions

Step 1 — Stop the gateway

Stop the gateway first to avoid hot-reload issues during configuration.

claude gateway stop

Step 2 — Install the plugin

claude plugins install manifest

If it fails, check that the CLI is installed and available in the PATH.

Step 3 — Get an API key

Ask the user:

To connect your agent, you need a Manifest API key. Here's how to get one:

Go to https://app.manifest.build and create an account (or sign in)

Once logged in, click "Connect Agent" to create a new agent

Copy the API key that starts with mnfst_

Paste it here

Wait for a key starting with mnfst_. If the key doesn't match, tell the user the format looks incorrect and ask them to try again.

Step 4 — Configure the plugin

claude config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.apiKey "USER_API_KEY"

Replace USER_API_KEY with the actual key the user provided.

Ask the user if they have a custom endpoint. If not, the default (https://app.manifest.build/api/v1/otlp) is used automatically. If they do:

claude config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.endpoint "USER_ENDPOINT"

Step 5 — Start the gateway

claude gateway install

Step 6 — Verify

Wait 3 seconds for the gateway to fully start, then check the logs:

grep "manifest" ~/.claude/logs/gateway.log | tail -5

Look for:

[manifest] Observability pipeline active

If it appears, tell the user setup is complete. If not, check the error messages and troubleshoot.

Safety

Never log or echo the API key in plain text after configuration
Verify the key format (mnfst_ prefix) before writing to config

Troubleshooting

Error	Fix
Missing apiKey	Re-run step 4
Invalid apiKey format	The key must start with `mnfst_`
Connection refused	The endpoint is unreachable. Check the URL or ask if they self-host
Duplicate OTel registration	Disable the conflicting built-in plugin: `claude plugins disable diagnostics-otel`

Examples

Example 1: Basic setup

Use @manifest to set up observability for my agent.

Example 2: Custom endpoint

Use @manifest to connect my agent to my self-hosted Manifest instance at https://manifest.internal.company.com/api/v1/otlp

Best Practices

Always stop the gateway before making configuration changes
The default endpoint works for most users — only change it if self-hosting
API keys always start with mnfst_ — any other format is invalid
Check gateway logs first when debugging any plugin issue

---name: manifestdescription: Install and configure the Manifest observability plugin for your agents. Use when setting up telemetry, configuring API keys, or troubleshooting the plugin.---# Manifest SetupFollow these steps **in order**. Do not skip ahead.## Use this skill when- User wants to set up observability or telemetry for their agent- User wants to connect their agent to Manifest for monitoring- User needs to configure a Manifest API key or custom endpoint- User is troubleshooting Manifest plugin connection issues- User wants to verify the Manifest plugin is running## Do not use this skill when- User needs general observability design (use `observability-engineer` instead)- User wants to build custom dashboards or alerting rules- User is not using the Manifest platform## Instructions### Step 1 — Stop the gatewayStop the gateway first to avoid hot-reload issues during configuration.```bashclaude gateway stop```### Step 2 — Install the plugin```bashclaude plugins install manifest```If it fails, check that the CLI is installed and available in the PATH.### Step 3 — Get an API keyAsk the user:> To connect your agent, you need a Manifest API key. Here's how to get one:>> 1. Go to **https://app.manifest.build** and create an account (or sign in)> 2. Once logged in, click **"Connect Agent"** to create a new agent> 3. Copy the API key that starts with `mnfst_`> 4. Paste it hereWait for a key starting with `mnfst_`. If the key doesn't match, tell the user the format looks incorrect and ask them to try again.### Step 4 — Configure the plugin```bashclaude config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.apiKey "USER_API_KEY"```Replace `USER_API_KEY` with the actual key the user provided.Ask the user if they have a custom endpoint. If not, the default (`https://app.manifest.build/api/v1/otlp`) is used automatically. If they do:```bashclaude config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.endpoint "USER_ENDPOINT"```### Step 5 — Start the gateway```bashclaude gateway install```### Step 6 — VerifyWait 3 seconds for the gateway to fully start, then check the logs:```bashgrep "manifest" ~/.claude/logs/gateway.log | tail -5```Look for:```[manifest] Observability pipeline active```If it appears, tell the user setup is complete. If not, check the error messages and troubleshoot.## Safety- Never log or echo the API key in plain text after configuration- Verify the key format (`mnfst_` prefix) before writing to config## Troubleshooting| Error | Fix ||-------|-----|| Missing apiKey | Re-run step 4 || Invalid apiKey format | The key must start with `mnfst_` || Connection refused | The endpoint is unreachable. Check the URL or ask if they self-host || Duplicate OTel registration | Disable the conflicting built-in plugin: `claude plugins disable diagnostics-otel` |## Examples### Example 1: Basic setup```Use @manifest to set up observability for my agent.```### Example 2: Custom endpoint```Use @manifest to connect my agent to my self-hosted Manifest instance at https://manifest.internal.company.com/api/v1/otlp```## Best Practices- Always stop the gateway before making configuration changes- The default endpoint works for most users — only change it if self-hosting- API keys always start with `mnfst_` — any other format is invalid- Check gateway logs first when debugging any plugin issue

Frequently asked questions

Manifest