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