manifest

name	Manifest
description	Install and configure the Manifest observability plugin for your agents. Use when setting up telemetry, configuring API keys or endpoints, troubleshooting plugin connection issues, or verifying the observability pipeline is running.

Manifest Setup

Set up real-time observability for your AI agents with the Manifest plugin. Monitors costs, tokens, messages, and performance via OTLP telemetry.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Setting up observability or telemetry for an AI agent
• Connecting an agent to Manifest for cost and performance monitoring
• Configuring a Manifest API key or custom endpoint
• Troubleshooting Manifest plugin connection issues
• Verifying the Manifest observability pipeline is running

Setup Instructions

Follow these steps in order. Do not skip ahead.

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:

1. Go to https://app.manifest.build and create an account (or sign in)
2. Click "Connect Agent" to create a new agent
3. Copy the API key that starts with mnfst_
4. 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.

If the user has a custom endpoint (self-hosted):

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

The default endpoint (https://app.manifest.build/api/v1/otlp) is used automatically if none is specified.

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.

Troubleshooting

Error	Fix
Missing apiKey	Re-run Step 4 with the correct key
Invalid apiKey format	Key must start with mnfst_
Connection refused	Endpoint is unreachable — check the URL or ask if self-hosting
Duplicate OTel registration	Disable the conflicting built-in plugin: claude plugins disable diagnostics-otel

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
• Never log or echo the API key in plain text after configuration
• Check gateway logs first when debugging any plugin issue