Documentation

Install

Manifest works with any coding agent. Get it running in under 5 minutes.

1. Install with Homebrew

brew install manifestdocs/tap/manifest

This installs the web UI and API server. Or download from GitHub Releases.

2. Start the server

manifest serve

3. Connect your agent

Pi

manifest setup pi

This installs the @manifestdocs/pi extension, giving Pi full access to Manifest tools, skills, and prompts.

Other agents (MCP)

Any agent that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP) can connect to Manifest. Choose your agent below.

claude mcp add manifest --scope user -- manifest mcp

This makes Manifest available in every Claude Code session. For per-project config, use --scope project instead.

4. Verify

Confirm your agent can reach Manifest:

  1. Start a new session in your coding agent.
  2. Ask: "List my Manifest projects"
  3. The agent should return a project list (or an empty list for a fresh install).

Next step

Open localhost:4242 in your browser to see the web UI, or continue to Concepts to learn how Manifest organizes features.

Troubleshooting

Server not connecting?

  • Ensure the service is running: brew services info manifest
  • Check that the manifest binary is in your PATH
  • Restart your coding agent after config changes

Port conflict?

Manifest uses port 4242 by default. To use a different port:

manifest serve --port 8080

Then pass the custom URL when connecting your agent:

manifest setup pi --url http://localhost:8080

# For MCP agents, update the args in your config:
# "args": ["mcp", "--url", "http://localhost:8080"]

Permission issues on macOS?

which manifest
# Should return /opt/homebrew/bin/manifest or /usr/local/bin/manifest

Check server logs:

brew services info manifest