Our rating: 2/5 for this setup

A Manus-style agent team built from Claude Code skills

A newsletter writer stopped paying for Manus credits and built a Manus-like setup inside Claude Code from 10 skills that act as a team. An orchestrator hands each request to a planner, and long jobs run in the background with checkpoints every 30 minutes. A code generator builds models in Python, and a quality checker scores the result before it reaches you.

New Added Nov 2, 2026 · ✓ Last checked Nov 2, 2026

It broke for meBroke?

Diagram drawn by AppToBot from this recipe's source. It shows the flow, not a screenshot of the product.

Setup steps

Create an orchestrator skill that receives requests and delegates them
Add planner, workflow designer, progress tracker, quality checker and pattern learner skills
Add an async executor, code generator, long task manager and event stream for heavy jobs
Give it a multi-step task and let long jobs run in the background
Review the report when the notification arrives

Steps summarized from the original Blog source ↗. Use “Copy” to grab them with the tools and source link, or copy an AI prompt.

How it went

The writer's first test, a market research task with a financial model and an investment report, came back in 42 minutes without them touching it, and they rated it better than anything their old setup produced.

Worth knowing

The 92% quality score comes from the system's own checker, not an outside review. The roughly 1,000 lines of prompts are only for subscribers, and the post links to Manus with a referral code.

Only what the original source ↗ says, re-read Nov 2, 2026. How we write these

Try it with AI

Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude or your own agent for step-by-step help. Prompt written by AppToBot from this recipe's data, not by the original author. It keeps drafts for your review and asks before anything is sent or paid.

Help me set up this automation using Claude Code with 10 custom skills (orchestrator, planner, quality checker and more): "A Manus-style agent team built from Claude Code skills".
Goal: replace Manus AI.

How it should work:
- Trigger: You give Claude Code a multi-step task
- Then: The orchestrator and planner split it into stages
- Then: Background agents research, write code and draft
- Then: A quality checker scores the result
- Result: A finished report and a notification

Setup steps (summarized from the original source):
1. Create an orchestrator skill that receives requests and delegates them
2. Add planner, workflow designer, progress tracker, quality checker and pattern learner skills
3. Add an async executor, code generator, long task manager and event stream for heavy jobs
4. Give it a multi-step task and let long jobs run in the background
5. Review the report when the notification arrives

Guide me one step at a time. Ask me for anything you need (accounts, sheet or channel names) before you start.

Safety rules:
- Build and test with sample data first, and show me a sample result before anything goes live.
- Keep anything that goes to other people (emails, posts, replies, record updates) as drafts for my review until I say otherwise.
- Never send, post, buy, pay, delete or change records without my approval.
- Tell me about any cost (paid plans, API usage) before I'd incur it, and help me set a spending limit.
- Keep API keys and passwords out of shared docs and chats.
- Privacy: Runs in your Claude Code session, so task data goes to Anthropic.

Based on: https://www.restless-brain.com/p/how-i-stopped-paying-for-manus-ai

Manus AIClaude Code with 10 custom skills (orchestrator, planner, quality checker and more)

Tool names link to each official site (opens in a new tab).

Cost afterNot reported

SetupHard · Not reported

Time savedNot reported

SkillAdvanced

Running cost: Not reported The writer says it runs 'for free' in Claude Code but doesn't say which Claude plan they use. How we sort costs
Stack: Claude

App vs bot, side by side

Old app vs bot
	Old app / habit	Bot
Tool	Manus	Claude Code skills that plan, research, code, write and check quality
Monthly cost	Credit-based; hard tasks use many credits (per writer, no amount)	Not reported
Setup	None (already in use)	Not reported · Advanced
Your time	Baseline	Not reported
Maintenance	Handled by vendor/you as before	You maintain about 1,000 lines of prompts and instructions.
Privacy	Data stays with the app vendor	Runs in your Claude Code session, so task data goes to Anthropic.

Full comparison

Replaces	Manus
Bot / agent stack	Claude Code skills that plan, research, code, write and check quality
Monthly cost before	Credit-based; hard tasks use many credits (per writer, no amount)
Monthly cost after	Not reported
Setup time	Not reported
Time saved	Not reported
Skill level	Advanced
Reliability	2/5: one test, graded by the system's own quality checker, and the setup instructions are gated.
Maintenance	You maintain about 1,000 lines of prompts and instructions.
Privacy & data	Runs in your Claude Code session, so task data goes to Anthropic.
Best for	Claude Code users who keep running long multi-step research jobs
Not for	People who want a hosted agent that just works

Pros and cons

Pros

No per-task credits
Long jobs keep running in the background with checkpoints
You can read and change every agent's instructions

Cons

One test, scored by its own checker
Full setup instructions only for subscribers

Source and evidence

Newsletter post (Nov 2025) with one test: a market research, financial model and report task finished in 42 minutes with a 92% score from the system's own checker. The full instructions are for subscribers, and the post includes a Manus referral link.

Read the original Blog source ↗

“Not reported” means the source doesn't say. We never fill gaps with guesses. Numbers marked “per author” or “vendor claim” are the source's own and weren't independently tested. Source last checked Nov 2, 2026.

Our rating is an editorial opinion based on the public source above, not lab testing. Spot an error? Request a correction.

Plain-text summary (for search and AI assistants)

A Manus-style agent team built from Claude Code skills. Replaces Manus with Claude Code skills that plan, research, code, write and check quality. Cost before: Credit-based; hard tasks use many credits (per writer, no amount). Cost after: Not reported. Setup: Not reported, Advanced. Time saved: Not reported. Reliability 2/5: 2/5: one test, graded by the system's own quality checker, and the setup instructions are gated. Best for: Claude Code users who keep running long multi-step research jobs. Not for: People who want a hosted agent that just works. How it went (per source): The writer's first test, a market research task with a financial model and an investment report, came back in 42 minutes without them touching it, and they rated it better than anything their old setup produced. Worth knowing: The 92% quality score comes from the system's own checker, not an outside review. The roughly 1,000 lines of prompts are only for subscribers, and the post links to Manus with a referral code. Source: https://www.restless-brain.com/p/how-i-stopped-paying-for-manus-ai

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Starting your own newsletter? Try beehiiv ↗

What is beehiiv?

beehiiv is a newsletter platform: you write and send emails, host a newsletter website, and grow and monetize a list from one place. We've used it for our own newsletter.

beehiiv says (vendor claims, not tested by us):

Free plan with up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends
Built-in website, recommendation network and analytics
0% cut of paid subscription revenue (Stripe fees apply)

Good for: starting or growing an email newsletter. Not ideal for: email automations or removing beehiiv branding on a $0 budget (those need Lite or Pro).

Free plan: $0, no card needed. Paid plans from $49/mo billed annually (Lite, up to 1,000 subscribers). People who sign up through our link get a 14-day trial plus 20% off their first 3 months, per beehiiv's partner page. Facts as of Oct 2026, from beehiiv's own website. More about beehiiv →