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Local mode runs a complete Manifest server on your machine with zero configuration. It’s perfect for individual developers, local testing, and getting started quickly.

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How It Works

When you set mode: local, the Manifest plugin:
  1. Starts an embedded NestJS server on http://127.0.0.1:2099 (configurable)
  2. Creates a SQLite database at ~/.openclaw/manifest/manifest.db
  3. Auto-generates an API key stored in ~/.openclaw/manifest/config.json
  4. Registers itself as a provider so you can use manifest/auto for routing
  5. Serves the dashboard UI at the same address
No external dependencies, no cloud services, no authentication — everything runs locally.

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Setup

1

Install the plugin

openclaw plugins install manifest
2

Configure local mode

openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.mode local
This is the default mode, so you can skip this step if you haven’t changed it.
3

Optional: Customize port and host

# Change port (default: 2099)
openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.port 3030

# Change host (default: 127.0.0.1)
openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.host 0.0.0.0
4

Restart the gateway

openclaw gateway restart
The plugin will start the embedded server. You’ll see output like:
[manifest] Local mode — starting embedded server...
[manifest] Local server running on http://127.0.0.1:2099
[manifest]   Dashboard: http://127.0.0.1:2099
[manifest]   DB: /home/you/.openclaw/manifest/manifest.db
5

Access the dashboard

Open http://127.0.0.1:2099 in your browser (or your configured port).The dashboard shows a Dev badge in the header when running in local mode.

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Database Location

The SQLite database is stored at: 
~/.openclaw/manifest/manifest.db
This file contains:
  • Agent metadata
  • Message logs and telemetry data
  • Token usage and cost records
  • LLM routing decisions
  • Security events
The database persists across gateway restarts. To reset everything: 
rm -rf ~/.openclaw/manifest/
openclaw gateway restart

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Auto-Generated API Key

Local mode generates a unique API key on first run: 
// ~/.openclaw/manifest/config.json
{
  "apiKey": "mnfst_local_a1b2c3d4e5f6..."
}
This key is used for:
  • OTLP authentication (telemetry ingestion)
  • Provider registration with OpenClaw
  • Dashboard authentication bypass (loopback connections are trusted)
You don’t need to manage this key — it’s automatically injected into OpenClaw’s config.

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Provider Configuration

Local mode automatically registers the manifest provider in OpenClaw’s configuration: 
// ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (auto-updated)
{
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "manifest": {
        "baseUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:2099/v1",
        "api": "openai-completions",
        "apiKey": "mnfst_local_a1b2c3d4e5f6...",
        "models": [{"id": "auto", "name": "auto"}]
      }
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "models": ["manifest/auto"]
    }
  }
}
This enables you to use manifest/auto as a model without manual configuration.

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Authentication in Local Mode

Local mode uses loopback bypass authentication:
  • Requests from 127.0.0.1 or ::1 are trusted without Bearer token validation
  • The OtlpAuthGuard accepts any non-mnfst_* token from loopback IPs
  • The gateway sends Authorization: Bearer dev-no-auth which is accepted
  • No Better Auth session management — all routes are accessible
Local mode should only be used for development. The authentication bypass makes it unsuitable for production or shared environments.

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Using Local Mode

Once configured, use Manifest just like cloud mode: 
# Smart routing with auto model selection
openclaw chat --model manifest/auto "Write a sorting algorithm"

# Check plugin status
/manifest

# View dashboard
open http://127.0.0.1:2099
All telemetry data stays on your machine.

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Port Conflicts

If port 2099 is already in use, you’ll see: 
[manifest] Port 2099 is already in use by another process.
  Change it with: openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.port 2100
  Then restart the gateway.
The plugin will check if the existing process is Manifest. If so, it reuses the connection: 
[manifest] Reusing existing server at http://127.0.0.1:2099
To use a different port: 
openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.port 3030
openclaw gateway restart

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Embedded Server Architecture

The local mode server is the same NestJS backend used in production, bundled with the plugin: 
packages/openclaw-plugin/
├── dist/
│   ├── index.js          # Plugin entry point
│   ├── server.js         # Embedded server launcher
│   ├── backend/          # Compiled NestJS backend
│   └── ...
└── public/               # Frontend dashboard assets
When started, the server:
  1. Initializes a SQLite database using sql.js (WASM-based, zero native deps)
  2. Runs TypeORM migrations automatically
  3. Serves the frontend from public/
  4. Exposes API routes at /api/* and OTLP ingestion at /otlp/*
  5. Skips Better Auth (session management) in favor of loopback auth
The server is started via api.registerService() and stopped when the gateway shuts down.

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Data Persistence

SQLite data persists between restarts. The database file is in autoSave: true mode, so writes are immediately flushed to disk. To view the database directly: 
sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/manifest/manifest.db
Key tables:
  • agents — Your agents
  • agent_messages — Message logs
  • llm_calls — Individual LLM API calls
  • tier_assignments — Routing tier configurations
  • user_providers — Connected LLM providers

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Switching to Cloud Mode

To migrate from local to cloud mode:
1

Sign up for Manifest Cloud

Go to app.manifest.build and create an account.
2

Get your API key

Navigate to Settings → API Keys and generate a new key.
3

Update configuration

openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.mode cloud
openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.apiKey mnfst_YOUR_KEY
openclaw gateway restart
Your local data stays in ~/.openclaw/manifest/ but won’t be used. Cloud mode stores data on Manifest’s servers.

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Troubleshooting

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Server fails to start

Check the error message: 
[manifest] Failed to start local server: <error>
  Try reinstalling: openclaw plugins install manifest
  Then restart: openclaw gateway restart
Common causes:
  • Missing embedded server files (reinstall the plugin)
  • Port conflict (change the port)
  • Corrupted database (delete ~/.openclaw/manifest/ and restart)

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Dashboard not loading

Verify the server is running: 
curl http://127.0.0.1:2099/api/v1/health
Expected response: {"status":"ok"} If the health check fails, check gateway logs for startup errors.

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Telemetry not appearing

Telemetry is batched and sent every 10-30 seconds. New messages may take a moment to appear. If data still doesn’t appear:
  1. Verify the gateway is using the plugin: 
    /manifest
  2. Check the connection status: 
    Mode: local
Endpoint reachable: yes
Auth valid: yes
  3. Restart the gateway to reset the OTLP pipeline: 
    openclaw gateway restart

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Next Steps

Cloud Mode

Switch to cloud mode for team collaboration

Custom Providers

Add your LLM provider API keys for routing

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