unmute manifest

Save a company contract and use it to create hotel-agent. The saved manifest is your reusable source; each new agent gets its own copy to validate against. On this page:

Quickstart: save a contract and use it
Create the contract: choose rules and save
Build an agent: guided setup or a coding assistant
Check the agent: validate and compile
Advanced: external editors, storage and command help
Troubleshooting: common symptoms and fixes
Where to go next

Quickstart

Run these complete commands from the directory that will hold your agent:

Terminal

unmute manifest create acme-corp
unmute init hotel-agent --manifest acme-corp
unmute validate hotel-agent
unmute compile hotel-agent

The first command opens the manifest editor. Set the rules, then choose Review and save → Save manifest. The second opens guided agent setup using those rules. Finish and save the agent before running the checks.

A manifest approves choices; it does not create models, tools or prompts. Complete the agent setup before validating or running it.

1. Create the contract

In acme-corp, set the company name and revision under Identity. Then open the sections your company needs to restrict. Omitted rules add no restriction, so you do not need to fill every section.

Choose	What it means
No restriction	the contract adds no limit for this rule
Allow selected values	only the listed values are approved
Allow all models	every current and future model from this provider is approved
Allow nothing	no values are approved; offered outside model rules

For Models, choose a role, then Add provider. Selecting a service offers Allow all models or Add model ID. The second opens the input directly; repeat it for more models. Each role supports several providers. Keep slng as the provider for models served through SLNG. Its model IDs can name different makers. Direct deepgram or cartesia connections are separate provider entries. Approval still depends on the target supporting that binding.

Move through the editor

Key	Action
Arrows, then Enter	choose and open a list row
Tab / Shift+Tab	move between form fields, Apply and Back
Enter on Apply	keep the completed form in the draft
Esc or Back	leave a page; cancel an unfinished form or incomplete setup
F2	choose another section
F1	open help
Page Up / Page Down	scroll the review
Ctrl+C	choose whether to discard unsaved changes

Arrow keys edit text in a form; they do not move between its controls. After adding a value, Add stays selected: press Enter to add another. Completed edits stay in the draft when you leave a list or section. New provider and region entries join it once their required fields are complete. Switching sections asks before discarding incomplete input. Only Review and save → Save manifest writes the file. The review names changes, validation errors and the destination. Existing saved names are never overwritten by create.

2. Build an agent from it

Choose one route for the same hotel-agent example:

Route	Command	Who completes the package
Name a saved contract	`unmute init hotel-agent --manifest acme-corp`	you, through guided setup
Choose from saved contracts	`unmute init hotel-agent --from-manifest`	you, through a picker and guided setup
Give the work to an assistant	`unmute init hotel-agent --manifest acme-corp --draft`	the coding assistant, by editing the draft

These commands are alternatives. Do not run them all against the same directory. --manifest selects directly, even if an unrelated default is broken. --from-manifest opens a picker and cannot be combined with --manifest or --draft. For the assistant route, install the Unmute skill and give it the use case and saved name acme-corp. It creates the draft, reads the copied rules, implements the agent, then validates and compiles it. A draft has no chosen models, targets or channels and is not yet runnable. Both routes copy the exact contract into hotel-agent/manifest and link it from agent.yaml. Commit both files. Validation then works on another computer or in CI without the saved library.

3. Check the agent

After completing hotel-agent, run the validation and compilation commands from the quickstart. Both read hotel-agent/manifest, not the saved library. Fix the agent when it violates a company rule; do not weaken the contract. A successful compile does not test a conversation. Use the browser loop for LiveKit or Pipecat. SLNG has no unmute dev; follow its deployment workflow.

Advanced

Update the saved contract

Reopen the same contract when your company rules change:

Terminal

unmute manifest edit acme-corp

The saved name stays fixed; the company name and revision are editable. Revisions increase only when you change them. Saving replaces formatting and comments with clean YAML and creates an exact backup beside the original. The command prints both paths. Unchanged edits preserve the original bytes and create no backup. A save error keeps the draft open for correction or retry.

Editing acme-corp does not change hotel-agent/manifest or any existing package. See updating a package contract before replacing its copy.

Choose the default for future agents

Terminal

unmute manifest use acme-corp

Plain unmute init uses this default. The first saved manifest becomes the default automatically; later creations offer to change it. Direct selection with --manifest changes only the new agent. manifest use requires a valid saved manifest and changes no existing package.

Edit YAML in an external editor

Use this alternative when you prefer YAML or need to repair an invalid saved file:

Terminal

export EDITOR='code --wait'
unmute manifest edit acme-corp --editor

--editor uses VISUAL, falling back to EDITOR. The editor must wait until you close the file. This edits the complete contract, not a fragment to merge. The same flag also works with manifest create acme-corp --editor for a new name. Temporary drafts are validated before saving. A failed editor or invalid draft leaves the saved file untouched and reports the draft path. Successful replacements use the same backup protection as the terminal editor.

Storage and terminal support

Saved files live under the user config directory at unmute/manifests/<name>/manifest; unmute/default-manifest holds the default name. Names use letters, digits, hyphens and underscores. Omitting a name from manifest create prompts for one. The editor needs at least 60 columns and 18 rows. Smaller terminals retain the draft and ask you to resize. TERM=dumb uses numbered prompts with :sections and :help instead of F2 and F1. The editor does not offer Allow nothing for models. Existing empty model rules must be repaired before saving. YAML and --editor still support them; see the manifest reference for all rule meanings.

Command help

Terminal — unmute manifest --help

$ unmute manifest --help
Save organization contracts on this computer.

Usage:
  unmute manifest [command]

Available Commands:
  create      Create a saved manifest with guided setup.
  edit        Edit a saved manifest with guided setup.
  use         Choose the default manifest for new agents.

Flags:
  -h, --help   help for manifest

Use "unmute manifest [command] --help" for more information about a command.

Terminal — unmute manifest create --help

$ unmute manifest create --help
Create a saved manifest with guided setup.

Usage:
  unmute manifest create [name] [flags]

Flags:
      --editor   Edit YAML in VISUAL or EDITOR instead.
  -h, --help     help for create

Terminal — unmute manifest edit --help

$ unmute manifest edit --help
Edit a saved manifest with guided setup.

Usage:
  unmute manifest edit <name> [flags]

Flags:
      --editor   Edit YAML in VISUAL or EDITOR instead.
  -h, --help     help for edit

Terminal — unmute manifest use --help

$ unmute manifest use --help
Choose the default manifest for new agents.

Usage:
  unmute manifest use <name> [flags]

Flags:
  -h, --help   help for use

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Arrow keys do not reach Apply	a form uses Tab for focus	press Tab, then Enter on Apply
`--from-manifest acme-corp` reports too many arguments	the flag opens a picker and takes no name	use `--manifest acme-corp`
Creation reports an existing name	`create` protects saved contracts	use `manifest edit acme-corp`
The saved default is invalid	default-based creation cannot use it	repair it with `manifest edit acme-corp --editor`, or select another valid contract with `--manifest`
The old agent still has old rules	each agent keeps its own contract copy	review and replace its `manifest`, then validate and compile
A draft fails validation	models, targets and channels are unfinished	complete it through the skill workflow before compiling

Get started

Build the agent

Best practices

Run and observe

Optimization

Deploy

Phone calls

Targets and models

Configuration files

CLI

Community

Releases

unmute manifest

Quickstart

1. Create the contract

Move through the editor

2. Build an agent from it

3. Check the agent

Advanced

Update the saved contract

Choose the default for future agents

Edit YAML in an external editor

Storage and terminal support

Command help

Troubleshooting

Where to go next

Build an agent

Use a coding assistant

​Quickstart

​1. Create the contract

​Move through the editor

​2. Build an agent from it

​3. Check the agent

​Advanced

​Update the saved contract

​Choose the default for future agents

​Edit YAML in an external editor

​Storage and terminal support

​Command help

​Troubleshooting

​Where to go next

Build an agent

Use a coding assistant

Quickstart

1. Create the contract

Move through the editor

2. Build an agent from it

3. Check the agent

Advanced

Update the saved contract

Choose the default for future agents

Edit YAML in an external editor

Storage and terminal support

Command help

Troubleshooting

Where to go next