Manus composer UX: assign tasks, modes & agent tiers
Updated June 30, 2026
Manus treats the composer as a task assignment bar, not a chat box. Users attach files and skills from +, arm mode chips (Slides, Design, Meeting minutes), and pick Lite vs Pro vs Max before the agent runs. Suggested connector cards and slash-invoked skills offer second front doors for users who do not want to invent a prompt from scratch.
Assign-a-task default
What works
- Placeholder “Assign a task or ask anything” sets agent framing, not open-ended chat.
- Suggested cards bundle connector icons with a concrete outcome (“Analyze your ad campaigns…”).
- Quick-action chips below (Create slides, Build website) teach mode entry points.
- Credits and Upgrade stay in the header so cost is visible before send.
What we would push on
- Suggested cards and chips are two discovery paths for the same jobs.
- Cloud computers “New” badge in the bar adds chrome before first send.
Business strategy
Manus competes on autonomous multi-app work. Connector-forward suggestions teach that Manus reads Meta Ads, Gmail, and Slack, not just the prompt text.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Task assignment bar with connector suggestion cards | Jobs obvious; integrations visible pre-prompt | Busy home vs a fully empty composer |
Takeaway
Steal outcome-labeled suggestion cards with app icons when your agent spans connectors.
Pattern: Tool Switching in Composer
Pattern: Prompt Templates
+ menu for files & cloud
What works
- + groups attach paths by source (local, Drive, OneDrive, Figma), so users pick where files live.
- Use Skills sits in the same menu so skills feel like context, not a separate product.
- Chevrons on Drive, OneDrive, and Skills signal submenus without cluttering the first level.
What we would push on
- No in-composer chip shows what is attached until after selection.
- Five attach paths may overwhelm users who only need one upload button.
Business strategy
Manus tasks often need external context. Bundling cloud and design tool imports in + positions Manus as a hub across the user’s stack, not a siloed chat window.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-source attach tree under + | Matches real file locations; skills co-located | Menu depth; weak pre-send attachment preview |
Takeaway
Group attach by source system and keep skills in the same menu as files.
Pattern: Tool Switching in Composer
Skills from + menu
What works
- Search Skills at the top of the flyout scales as the catalog grows.
- Official badge and one-line descriptions explain when to invoke each skill.
- Add Skills and Manage Skills at the bottom link to creation without leaving attach flow.
What we would push on
- Nested flyout from + is two clicks deep, power-user path.
- Skill names like tts-prompter assume insider knowledge without preview.
Business strategy
Skills are Manus’s extensibility layer, packaged prompts and tool chains users reuse. Surfacing them at attach time encourages composable workflows and an ecosystem play similar to GPTs or Claude skills.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Searchable skills flyout inside + attach menu | Reusable workflows at attach time; scalable catalog | Nested UI; opaque skill names for newcomers |
Takeaway
Expose reusable agent capabilities from the attach menu with search and plain descriptions.
Pattern: Tool Switching in Composer
Pattern: Progressive Disclosure
Slash-invoked skills
What works
- Slash palette mirrors the + skills list, keyboard and mouse paths stay consistent.
- Descriptions truncate but still signal purpose before selection.
- Add Skills submenu offers Create, Upload, and Import from GitHub inline.
What we would push on
- Discoverability depends on users knowing to type /; no persistent hint on empty composer.
Business strategy
Slash commands reward repeat users and signal pro-tool status. Pairing / with + keeps skills accessible to both keyboard-first and click-first cohorts.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| / skill palette parallel to + flyout | Fast recall for power users; same catalog everywhere | Hidden until users discover slash syntax |
Takeaway
Offer slash-invoked skills for power users but mirror the list in + for everyone else.
Pattern: Tool Switching in Composer
Pattern: Prompt Templates
Cloud computer workspace
What works
- Popover explains the concept in one line, persistent agent environment, not a vague icon.
- Create is a single primary action; Add local folder links desktop files to the cloud workspace.
- New badge draws attention without opening settings.
What we would push on
- Cloud computer competes for attention with + and mode chips. Casual users may ignore it.
- Local folder sync implications are not explained in the popover.
Business strategy
A 24/7 cloud computer is Manus’s stickiness play, agents that keep state, files, and scheduled work without the user’s laptop open. Tying it to the composer makes infrastructure feel like a feature, not DevOps.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud computer entry in composer with local folder bridge | Persistent agent workspace; desktop file access | Concept-heavy; easy to skip on first task |
Takeaway
When agents need persistence, surface “always-on workspace” from the composer with a plain one-liner.
Pattern: Tool Switching in Composer
Pattern: Progressive Disclosure
Mode chips in the bar
What works
- Active mode appears as a pill inside the composer, so users see what job type is armed before send.
- Chips are removable, so users can clear a mode without resetting the whole prompt.
- Meeting minutes and similar modes change the downstream UI (recording surface) predictably.
What we would push on
- Relationship between quick-action chips below and in-bar mode pills is not spelled out.
Business strategy
Mode chips let Manus route tasks to specialized pipelines (slides, design, meeting notes) without separate products. Users stay on one home screen while Manus changes behavior behind the scenes.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| In-composer mode pills for job types | Explicit job routing; visible armed state | Overlap with starter chips; mode vocabulary to learn |
Takeaway
Show armed job mode as a chip in the composer, not only as a pre-send dropdown elsewhere.
Pattern: Tool Switching in Composer
Pattern: Input Mode Toggle
Agent tier picker
What works
- Three tiers use outcome language (everyday vs complex), not opaque model names.
- Picker lives in the header, tier is a session-level choice visible before typing.
- Checkmark on current tier reduces ambiguity after switching.
What we would push on
- No per-task cost estimate when switching Lite → Max.
- Lite default may under-deliver on hard tasks without nudging users up mid-session.
Business strategy
Agent tier is Manus’s quality lever and upsell surface. Naming tiers Lite/Pro/Max maps cleanly to credits and Pro subscription while letting users self-select capability vs cost.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Header agent tier dropdown with outcome descriptions | Cost-quality tradeoff explicit before work starts | No inline cost preview; tier choice may be wrong for task |
Takeaway
Label agent tiers by task complexity, keep the picker in the chrome, and describe each tier in one line.
Pattern: Model Selection UI
Pattern: Tool Switching in Composer
Voice in the composer
What works
- Recording replaces placeholder text with a live waveform, so users see capture in progress.
- Confirm and cancel sit beside the waveform without leaving the composer card.
- Voice tooltip on hover (“Voice input”) labels the mic for first-time users.
What we would push on
- Voice competes with text and mode chips; no guidance on when voice fits agent tasks.
Business strategy
Voice lowers friction for delegating long tasks on mobile and desktop. Inline waveform keeps users in the assignment metaphor instead of a separate dictation mode.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Inline voice capture with waveform in assignment bar | Fast delegation; visual recording feedback | Unclear when voice vs typed task brief is better |
Takeaway
Embed voice capture in the task bar with waveform and confirm/cancel; do not route to a separate full-screen dictation UI.
Pattern: Voice Input
Pattern: Input Mode Toggle
More job types menu
What works
- Secondary job types hide behind More, home stays calm while depth stays one click away.
- Each row pairs icon + label (Schedule tasks, Wide Research) for scannable intent.
- Playbook shows external-link affordance for docs or templates outside the app.
What we would push on
- Nine entries in More is a lot. They overlap with quick chips and slash skills.
Business strategy
Manus sells breadth (research, slides, video, scheduling) without turning the home page into a grid of 15 buttons. More is the overflow for growth features and experiments.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Overflow More menu for secondary job types | Calm default; full catalog still reachable | Discovery buried; duplicates other entry points |
Takeaway
Put starter jobs on chips; tuck long-tail modes in a labeled More menu with icons.
Pattern: Tool Switching in Composer
Pattern: Progressive Disclosure
Slides mode configuration
What works
- Composer copy changes to “Describe your presentation topic”, job context is obvious.
- Slides and style chips (Professional) sit in-bar; model icons show which image engine applies.
- Sample prompts and template thumbnails offer browse paths beside free text.
- Page-count dropdown (8–12) sets scope before the agent runs.
What we would push on
- Style tooltip explains narrative decks but preview is still post-generation.
- Template + sample + free text is three input metaphors on one screen.
Business strategy
Slides are a flagship deliverable for Manus. Dedicated mode UI with templates and page count signals professional output, justifying higher credit tiers vs a generic chat prompt.
Tradeoff
| Decision | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Mode-specific composer with templates, style, and page count | Scoped deck generation; browse + type paths | Busy mode UI; preview still after send |
Takeaway
When a mode produces a heavy artifact, reshape the composer with templates, style, and scope controls, not just a chip.
Pattern: Prompt Templates
Pattern: Tool Switching in Composer
Steal this
- “Assign a task” framing instead of “Message” placeholder copy
- Connector suggestion cards with app icons and outcome one-liners
- Skills in both + flyout and / slash palette with search
- Cloud computer popover with Create + local folder bridge
- In-composer mode chips for job types like Meeting minutes
- Header agent tier dropdown (Lite / Pro / Max) with outcome descriptions
- Slides mode with templates, style chip, and page-count scope
Skip this
- Empty chat composer with no suggested jobs for an agent product
- Hiding skills only in settings with no attach or slash path
- Agent tier buried in a per-message menu
- Mode-specific flows that look identical to generic chat until after send
How others design the composer
Same job, different product bets, and what each tradeoff reveals.
LovableLovable forces Build vs Plan before code generation; Manus arms job modes (Slides, Design) and agent tiers in one assignment bar.
Read teardown
ChatGPTChatGPT exposes tools via + and mode toggles in-thread; Manus centers connector suggestions and skills at assign time.
Read teardown
ClaudeClaude surfaces model and effort on the default card; Manus adds cloud computer, skills, and multi-app suggestion cards.
Read teardownOriginal gallery pages: Task composer & modes