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mnfst is the Manifest command-line tool. It does what the dashboard does — create harnesses, connect providers, set routing, read the request log — from a terminal, a script, or an agent. Every command prints JSON on stdout and human hints on stderr, and exits 0 or 1.
One naming difference: the CLI’s commands say agent, while the dashboard and these docs say harness. mnfst agent … manages harnesses.

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Install

The CLI ships in the Manifest repository. It is not published to npm yet, so build it from source and link it onto your PATH:

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Sign in

mnfst login opens your browser to an authorization page. Sign in, click Authorize, and the CLI stores a token for that host. Tokens are per host and stored in ~/.config/manifest/config.json with mode 0600.
For scripts and agents, pass the token instead of opening a browser. The secret never goes on the command line:
Or skip login entirely by setting both MANIFEST_URL and MANIFEST_API_KEY. The CLI then uses those and leaves the stored config alone. Tokens expire after 30 days without use, and at most 90 days after they are issued. mnfst logout revokes the token on the server and removes it locally.

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Manage harnesses

agent create returns the harness key and the setup instructions for its platform. Without --key-file, the key goes to a managed store and is printed only by agent key show. --if-absent makes the command safe to re-run. mnfst agent key path <name> prints where the key lives, and agent key show <name> --raw prints it. mnfst agent env <name> >> .env emits MANIFEST_AGENT_KEY and MANIFEST_AGENT_URL lines for an app or service.

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Connect providers

provider * acts on the workspace. agent provider enable|disable controls which providers a single harness can use.

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Set routing

agent configure sets the default tier: the first model in --models is the route, and the rest are fallbacks. Add --tier <name> to upsert a custom tier that callers select with a request header. routing test sends one real request through the harness’s route and fails loudly when the route is broken.

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Read requests and models

requests get returns one page per call. Take next_cursor from the response and pass it back for the next page.

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Run a command with a harness key

mnfst run injects a harness key into a child process, so the secret never crosses stdout or your shell history:
The child receives the key as OPENAI_API_KEY (default MANIFEST_AGENT_KEY) and the gateway URL as MANIFEST_AGENT_URL.

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Diagnostics

doctor checks the config, the host, the credential, the providers, and the harnesses, in that order. Run it first when a command fails: it separates “the host is unreachable” from “the key is wrong for this host”.

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Agent skill

The CLI ships an operating guide for coding agents. Install it into your agent’s skills directory:
  • LLM Gateway — what the gateway does with each request
  • Providers — connect subscriptions, API keys, and local models
  • API reference — the endpoints the CLI calls
  • Telemetry — what the dashboard and CLI report