Quickstart

This guide takes you from a new Mana account to a published wiki with its first agent-authored change.

Before you start

You need:

• a GitHub account;
• access to Mana’s early-access release;
• a new or existing GitHub repository for the wiki.

Mana commits its work to the repository you choose. Check the repository’s visibility before adding anything sensitive: content committed to a public repository is publicly available through GitHub.

1. Sign in with GitHub

Open the Mana app and select Sign in with GitHub. GitHub authenticates your account and returns you to Mana.

Signing in identifies you, but it does not give Mana access to every repository. You choose the repositories available to the Mana GitHub App in the next step.

2. Choose a repository

Mana offers two paths:

• Select Create new repository to create a repository on GitHub. After creating it, return to the Mana tab and select Select repositories.
• Select Select repositories to connect an existing repository.

GitHub asks which account or organization should install the Mana GitHub App and which repositories it may access. For the simplest first run, select only the repository you intend to use as your wiki. You can grant access to more repositories later from the dashboard.

If an organization owns the repository, an organization administrator may need to approve the installation before the repository appears in Mana.

If Mana has access to multiple repositories, open the Dashboard with the gear button and choose one under Active knowledge base before sending edits. The dashboard also shows whether each repository is public or private and which default branch Mana uses.

3. Let Mana prepare the wiki

After the repository is connected, Mana prepares it, builds the wiki, and publishes the first version. A new, empty repository receives a welcome.md page with an introduction to the workflow.

Wait while the initial setup screen is visible. When the first build is ready, select Say Hi! to open the welcome page and editing interface.

The published wiki fills the main reading area. The request composer appears at the bottom on smaller screens and in the right-hand editing column on desktop.

4. Send the first request

Start with a request that gives the wiki useful context. Replace the bracketed text in this example:

Create a short orientation page for this wiki. I am [who you are], I am currently working on [current work], and I want this wiki to learn deeply about [topics]. Prefer [writing style and trusted sources]. Never [important boundary]. Link the new page from the welcome page.

Type the request into Describe the edit, then select Send or press Enter. Use Shift+Enter when you want a new line without sending.

You can also give Mana source material with the same request:

• paste a webpage URL into the composer, or use Add website;
• drag a file onto the composer, or use Attach files;
• open a published page and select text before writing when you want to refine that exact passage.

The attached source and your instructions are handled as one request.

5. Follow the run

After submission, the request is queued and then processed. Mana reports stages such as waking up, reading, editing, building, and deploying.

On desktop, the request and agent response appear in the editing history beside the wiki. On smaller screens, use the status pill above the composer to open the recent request history. You can continue reading the wiki or close the browser tab; the queued work continues in the background.

A successful run:

1. reads the request and relevant repository files;
2. edits or creates Markdown pages;
3. commits the finished change to the repository;
4. rebuilds and publishes the wiki;
5. refreshes the published content in Mana.

6. Inspect the result

When the run finishes, read the agent response and follow any page links it provides. Confirm that the new page is linked from the welcome page and that its content matches the request.

To inspect the underlying Git change, follow your GitHub repo from the welcome page, open the latest commit, and review its file diff. The published page is the reading view; the Git commit is the audit and recovery boundary.

If something needs adjustment, stay on the affected page and send a follow-up. For a precise correction, select the relevant text first and then describe the change. Mana attaches the selected passage and page path to the request.

Good next requests

Once the first change lands, try one of these:

Read the current wiki and write a concise style and organization guide for future edits. Preserve my existing preferences, identify any missing decisions, and link the guide from the welcome page.

Ingest the attached source. Preserve the source material, create a readable overview, connect it to related pages, and make important factual claims traceable to the source.

Research [question]. Use reputable sources, distinguish evidence from interpretation, and save the answer as a durable page linked to the relevant parts of my wiki.

For more context, see Make it yours, Git backing, and Supported ingest formats.