— name: manifest description: "Install and configure the Manifest observability plugin for your agents. Use when setting up telemetry, configuring API keys, or troubleshooting the plugin." risk: unknown source: community date_added: "2026-02-27" — # 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. “`bash claude gateway stop “` ### Step 2 — Install the plugin “`bash 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: > > 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 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 “`bash 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: “`bash claude config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.endpoint "USER_ENDPOINT" “` ### Step 5 — Start the gateway “`bash claude gateway install “` ### Step 6 — Verify Wait 3 seconds for the gateway to fully start, then check the logs: “`bash 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 ## Limitations – Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above. – Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review. – Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.