---

name: manifest description: Set up and use Manifest — the open-source LLM router and observability plugin for OpenClaw. Use when the user asks to install Manifest, set up cost tracking, configure LLM routing, monitor agent costs/tokens, understand what Manifest does, check Manifest status, troubleshoot the plugin, or wants to reduce OpenClaw costs. Also triggers on "manifest setup", "install manifest", "how much am I spending", "track my costs", "route to cheaper models", "manifest dashboard", "manifest help". metadata: {"openclaw":{"requires":{"bins":["openclaw"],"credentials":["mnfst_* API key (cloud mode only)"]},"configPaths":["/.openclaw/openclaw.json","/.openclaw/manifest/"]}}

Manifest — LLM Router & Observability for OpenClaw

Manifest is an OpenClaw plugin that:

• Routes every request to the most cost-effective model via a 23-dimension scoring algorithm (<2ms latency)
• Tracks costs and tokens in a real-time dashboard
• Sets limits with email alerts and hard spending caps

Source: github.com/mnfst/manifest — MIT licensed. Homepage: manifest.build

Setup (Cloud — default)

Three commands, no coding:

openclaw plugins install manifest
openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.apiKey "mnfst_YOUR_KEY"
openclaw gateway restart

Get the API key at app.manifest.build → create an account → create an agent → copy the mnfst_* key.

After restart, the plugin auto-configures:

• Registers manifest/auto as the default model
• Injects the manifest provider into ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
• Starts exporting OTLP telemetry to app.manifest.build
• Exposes three agent tools: manifest_usage, manifest_costs, manifest_health

Dashboard at app.manifest.build. Telemetry arrives within 10-30 seconds (batched OTLP export).

Verify connection

openclaw manifest

Shows: mode, endpoint reachability, auth validity, agent name.

Setup (Local — offline alternative)

Use local mode only when data must never leave the machine.

openclaw plugins install manifest
openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.mode local
openclaw gateway restart

Dashboard opens at http://127.0.0.1:2099. Data stored locally in ~/.openclaw/manifest/manifest.db. No account or API key needed.

To expose over Tailscale (requires Tailscale on both devices, only accessible within your Tailnet): tailscale serve --bg 2099

What Manifest Answers

Manifest answers these questions about your OpenClaw agents — via the dashboard or directly in-conversation via agent tools:

Spending & budget

• How much have I spent today / this week / this month?
• What's my cost breakdown by model?
• Which model consumes the biggest share of my budget?
• Am I approaching my spending limit?

Token consumption

• How many tokens has my agent used (input vs. output)?
• What's my token trend compared to the previous period?
• How much cache am I reading vs. writing?

Activity & performance

• How many LLM calls has my agent made?
• How long do LLM calls take (latency)?
• Are there errors or rate limits occurring? What are the error messages?
• Which skills/tools are running and how often?

Routing intelligence

• What routing tier (simple/standard/complex/reasoning) was each request assigned?
• Why was a specific tier chosen?
• What model pricing is available across all providers?

Connectivity

• Is Manifest connected and healthy?
• Is telemetry flowing correctly?

Agent Tools

Three tools are available to the agent in-conversation:

Each accepts a period parameter: "today", "week", or "month".

All three tools are read-only — they query the agent's own usage data and never send message content.

LLM Routing

When the model is set to manifest/auto, the router scores each conversation across 23 dimensions and assigns one of 4 tiers:

Each tier maps to a model. Default models are auto-assigned per provider, but overridable in the dashboard under Routing.

Short-circuit rules:

• Messages <50 chars with no tools → Simple
• Formal logic keywords → Reasoning
• Tools present → floor at Standard
• Context >50k tokens → floor at Complex

Dashboard Pages

Supported Providers

Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, xAI, Mistral AI, Qwen, MiniMax, Kimi, Amazon Nova, Z.ai, OpenRouter, Ollama. 300+ models total.

Uninstall

openclaw plugins uninstall manifest
openclaw gateway restart

This removes the plugin, provider config, and auth profiles. Set a new default model after uninstalling.

Troubleshooting

Telemetry not appearing: The gateway batches OTLP data every 10-30 seconds. Wait, then check openclaw manifest for connection status.

Auth errors in cloud mode: Verify the API key starts with mnfst_ and matches the key in the dashboard under Settings → Agent setup.

Port conflict in local mode: If port 2099 is busy, the plugin checks if the existing process is Manifest and reuses it. To change the port: openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.port <PORT>.

Plugin conflicts: Manifest conflicts with the built-in diagnostics-otel plugin. Disable it before enabling Manifest.

After backend restart: Always restart the gateway too (openclaw gateway restart) — the OTLP pipeline doesn't auto-reconnect.

Privacy

OTLP telemetry (sent to endpoint):

Fields collected per LLM call: session key, agent name, model name, provider name, token counts (input, output, cache-read, cache-write), tool names, tool success/failure, tool duration, error messages (truncated to classification, no content), message channel, and service metadata. Not collected: user prompts, assistant responses, tool input/output, or any message content.

Routing caveat — manifest/auto sends message content:

When the model is set to manifest/auto, the last 10 non-system messages (including their content) are sent to POST /api/v1/routing/resolve for complexity scoring. This is a separate REST call used only for tier assignment — it is not part of OTLP telemetry. To avoid sending content, disable routing in the dashboard and use a fixed model instead.

Local mode: All data stays on your machine. No external calls are made.

Product analytics: Anonymous usage stats sent to PostHog (hashed machine ID only, no PII). Opt out: MANIFEST_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT=1 or "telemetryOptOut": true in ~/.openclaw/manifest/config.json.