In two sentences
maneku is a Mac app that puts an AI co-host into your podcast recording as a real participant, with its own tile, its own name and its own voice. It stays silent until the host summons it, then speaks in the room like any other guest.
In about 150 words
Most AI podcast tools generate the whole show for you. maneku does the opposite: the people record the show, and the AI joins them as a guest.
maneku is a Mac desktop app. It joins the recording room you already use, Descript, Riverside or Restream, as a participant with its own tile and its own voice. It listens to the conversation and transcribes it live. When the host presses summon (a button or a hotkey), it answers out loud in the room. Ask gives a quick take, Research looks things up and cites its sources, and Deep carries a longer segment.
On multitrack platforms the co-host records as its own separate track, so it can be levelled, trimmed or cut in the edit like any other guest. The host picks its voice and personality, from a dry expert to a chaotic sidekick.
maneku is in free beta for Mac.
How it works
- It listens. maneku transcribes the room in real time and knows who is talking.
- You summon it. Press the button or the hotkey and pick a mode: Ask, Research or Deep.
- It speaks. It answers out loud in the room, in its own voice, on its own track.
Fact sheet
| What it is | An AI co-host that joins a podcast recording as a participant |
|---|---|
| Platform | Mac desktop app |
| Works with | Descript Rooms, Riverside, Restream Studio |
| Modes | Ask (quick take), Research (looks things up, cites sources), Deep (carries a segment) |
| In the edit | Its own separate track on multitrack platforms |
| Pricing | Free during the beta, through December 31, 2026. Runs on your own AI provider keys. Keyless press access on request. |
| Founder | Danny Abdeljabbar |
| Based in | Puerto Rico |
| Website | maneku.ai |
| Contact | manekuapp@gmail.com |
A word from the founder
"I want people to create alongside AI, not be replaced by it. Especially new podcasters: having another voice in the room means you're not speaking into the void."
Danny Abdeljabbar, founder of manekuAbout the founder
Danny Abdeljabbar built maneku. He also makes the artwork and marketing for Dry Quest, an app he developed with his wife, and co-hosts the Bro History podcast, where maneku sits in as a guest. By day he works in revenue operations. Before all of this, he was an artist across a lot of mediums, including music and audio.
Want to try it?
Three ways, whichever suits the piece you're writing:
Take the kit and write
Everything on this page is yours to use.
Sit in on a recording
Fifteen minutes in a live room with the co-host. Talk to it yourself, ask it anything, and leave with your own clip.
Get a press seat
Install it and run your own recording. No API keys needed, it's on us.
Email manekuapp@gmail.com and Danny will reply personally.
Email Danny
