What you'll need: the Maneku desktop app, a Maneku account, and a recording room link. The rest depends on your plan — see below.
Two plans — pick yours: On a credit plan, you buy credits and we run the AI for you — no API keys to manage. Skip to step 3. On a bring-your-own-key (BYOK) plan, you connect your own AI accounts and pay those providers directly — do step 2 first.
1. Install, sign in & first run
Download Maneku for your platform from maneku.ai/download, open it, and sign in to your Maneku account (email magic-link or Google). On a credit plan you're ready to go to step 3. On a BYOK plan, you'll be asked for your API keys next.
2. Add your API keys BYOK plan only
On BYOK you connect your own AI accounts, and usage is billed by those providers directly. Keys are stored locally on your device, encrypted in your operating system's secure storage; they're never sent to Maneku. On a credit plan there are no keys to add — skip to step 3.
| Provider | Powers | Key looks like | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | The co-host's responses | sk-ant-… | Required |
| Groq | Live transcript the co-host responds to | gsk_… | Required |
| ElevenLabs | Higher-quality voice (vs. system voice) | xi_… | Optional |
Paste each key into its field. Maneku validates the key live against the provider and shows a green check when it's accepted. You can add or change keys anytime from Settings (the gear icon). Anthropic and Groq are both required — Anthropic generates responses, and Groq produces the live transcript the co-host listens to, so without it the co-host has nothing to respond to. ElevenLabs is optional; without it, Maneku uses your system voice.
Need the click-by-click? The key-setup walkthrough shows exactly how to get each key from Anthropic, Groq, and ElevenLabs (including the gotchas). If a key shows an error, re-check it in Settings — most problems are a copy/paste slip or an expired key; see Troubleshooting.
3. Create a show & pick a persona
A show is a preset for a podcast or series — its name, default persona, and any standing context. A persona is the AI character that joins: its name, voice, and personality (you can tune things like humor, formality, and how chatty it is). Create one of each, or use the defaults to start.
4. Point it at your room & join
On the pre-connect screen, paste your room link into the URL field. Maneku detects the platform automatically and runs the right join flow.
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| Descript | Supported |
| Riverside | Supported |
| Restream | Supported |
| Discord | Experimental |
Optionally add episode notes (free-form context sent with every summon) and reference materials — paste an article or video link and Maneku pulls in the text so the co-host can draw on it. Then click Join Room. You'll see the status move from loading to filling in the name to joined; once it's in, the panel flips to the in-room view with your stage and transcript.
Before you record: let the room know an AI co-host is present and that you're recording. We've written ready-to-use scripts in the AI Disclosure & Consent Guide.
5. Summon the co-host
The co-host listens but stays quiet until you bring it in. When you want it to speak, summon it. There are three types:
| Type | What it does | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ask | A quick, lightweight reply to what's being said | Lowest |
| Research | Can search the web to back up its answer | Medium |
| Deep | A longer, more considered response | Highest |
Trigger a summon three ways:
- Button — the Summon button on the in-room stage.
- Hotkey — Ctrl+Shift+Space by default (rebindable in Settings).
- Stream Deck — if you use the Maneku Stream Deck plugin, summon from a physical button.
The co-host thinks, then speaks into the room. To cut it off mid-sentence, press Esc or hit Stop. A live counter in the header tracks summons and estimated cost for the session, and you can set budget alerts in Settings.
6. After the show
Your transcript and a session summary (duration, summon count, estimated cost) are saved on your device. You can export the transcript from the app. Your settings and presets sync to your account so they follow you across devices, and you can separately opt in to backing up transcripts to the cloud.
Stuck on something? Head to Troubleshooting for fixes to the most common issues, or reach us at support@maneku.ai.