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How to move from Manus to Turnstone: projects, knowledge and scheduled tasks (2026)

Want a Manus alternative? How to export your Manus Projects, Knowledge and scheduled tasks and rebuild them as Turnstone Agents.

Aryan Vij ·
YouShared Brain

To move from Manus to Turnstone, ask Manus to write out your Projects, Knowledge, Skills and scheduled tasks in full, then paste each part into a Turnstone Agent. If your Manus account offers sign-in for custom connectors, you can also connect Turnstone and let Manus create the Agents itself.

Most people looking for a Manus alternative mention credits. Manus says unused monthly credits don't roll over, and its Terms say credit purchases are "final and non-refundable". You also can't run Manus on the ChatGPT or Claude plan you already pay for. We make Turnstone, a free, model-agnostic Grok Bot alternative that runs on the AI subscriptions you already have. Turnstone doesn't run on Manus, so this is a real switch, not a sync. This guide shows the manual way first, because it works on every Manus account, then the connector way. Everything was checked on October 27 and 28, 2026. Menus move often, so look for the closest match if a name has changed.

What moves from Manus to Turnstone, and what doesn't?

Manus's docs don't describe an export for Knowledge, Projects or Automations. So the move happens in writing. Turnstone only gets what Manus writes out, which is why the prompts below ask for everything in full.

In ManusIn Turnstone
A Project, with its master instruction and knowledge base filesAn Agent, with a short job and a first message holding the instruction and the key facts from each file
Knowledge entries (up to 100 on Pro, 50 on Free)Saved in one shared memory of your people, projects and decisions, which you can open and correct
Skills (file-based SKILL.md instructions)Sent as full text to the Agent that uses them
Scheduled and triggered AutomationsRebuilt as Schedules, one at a time
Connectors like Gmail, Notion, Slack and Google Calendar60+ apps built in, any website through its own browser, the apps on your Mac, and connectors you add. You sign in again
Manus picks the model for each stepYour choice of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, OpenRouter, Ollama or your own OpenAI or Anthropic key, per Agent
Credits for every taskYour own AI plan's limits, with no credits
A cloud sandbox that runs with your laptop closedYour Mac today. Turnstone Cloud, the iPhone app and the web app are coming soon
Task history and files in the sandboxDon't move. Download what you want to keep
Logins and connector tokensDon't move. You connect your apps again in Turnstone

What should I save from Manus before I switch?

  • Project instructions and files. Each Project has a master instruction and a knowledge base. Download the original files, not just a summary.
  • Knowledge entries. Open your Knowledge list and copy each entry. The cap is 100 on Pro, so the list stays manageable.
  • Skills. They live in the Skills tab on the left, as files, so copy the full text of each SKILL.md.
  • Automations. Open Automations, then Manage. Note each one's time or event, conditions, and what it does.
  • Generated files. Download sites, slides, reports and media. Manus's privacy policy says sandbox data is kept up to 7 days on free plans and 21 days on paid plans. For a web app, you can download the whole codebase.
  • Cloud Computer files. Manus says they're deleted when you stop paying, so copy them off first.

How do I move from Manus to Turnstone by hand?

  1. Install Turnstone on your Mac and sign in with the AI plan you want your Agents to use.
  2. Open a Manus task inside your first Project. A task sees its own Project's instruction and files, so you'll do this once per Project.
  3. Paste the export prompt below. Manus can create files, so it writes one Markdown file you can download. With the desktop app's My Computer, it can save it straight to a folder you've connected.
  4. Check the file against the app. Compare it with your Knowledge list and Automations page, and add anything Manus missed.
  5. Create a Turnstone Agent for that Project. Give it a clear name and a one-line job, like "Weekly competitor research".
  6. Paste that Project's section into the Agent's chat, followed by the short Turnstone prompt below.
  7. Create one Agent called "About me" and paste in the general Knowledge and everything Manus wrote about you.
  8. Repeat for each Project, then check each Agent's memory and fix anything that's off.

Here's the export prompt to paste into Manus:

Write one Markdown file I can download, called manus-export.md. Include, in full:
1. This Project's master instruction, word for word.
2. Every file in this Project's knowledge base, with the key facts and
   decisions from each one.
3. Every Knowledge entry you can see, with its name, when to use it and
   its content.
4. The full text of every Skill I've added.
5. Every Automation I have, with its schedule or trigger, its conditions
   and what it does.
6. The connectors I use and what I use each one for.
7. Everything you know about me, my work, the people I work with and
   my preferences.
Write it all out. Don't summarize away details. If you can't see
something, say so.

And here's what to add when you paste it into a Turnstone Agent:

This is my setup from Manus. Save the facts about me, my people and my
projects to memory. Treat the instructions as your job. Set up each
recurring task as a Schedule and list each one back to me. Tell me
anything that looks out of date or unclear.

Each export task spends Manus credits like any other task, so do this before your credits reset or run out.

Can Manus move my setup into Turnstone by itself?

Maybe. Turnstone has a hosted MCP server that lets another AI app create Agents and send them work. If Manus can connect to it, Manus does the copying, the way Grok Bot does in our Grok Bot switching guide.

The catch is sign-in. Turnstone's MCP server needs a standard sign-in (OAuth), with no API key option. Manus's custom MCP doc lists only an "API key, Bearer token, or other credentials". Apify's guide for its Manus connector says Manus asks you to log in through OAuth on first use, so some accounts may get a sign-in step. We couldn't confirm it works with Turnstone, and Manus says available apps "can depend on your account". So it may not connect. Treat it as a bonus, not the plan.

If your Manus account offers sign-in for custom connectors, here's how to try it:

  1. Copy your Turnstone MCP link. In Turnstone on your Mac, open Settings, then MCP and webhooks, and copy the MCP link.
  2. Add it in Manus. Manus's connectors page says to open Connectors, choose Create, then Add MCP by URL. Enter a name like "Turnstone" and paste the link as the server URL. Save.
  3. Sign in and allow. If Manus shows a Turnstone sign-in, use the same Turnstone account that's signed in on your Mac, and allow access. If Manus asks for an API key or token instead, stop here and use the manual route.
  4. Keep Turnstone open. The Agents run on your Mac, so Turnstone needs to be open and signed in while Manus sends the work.
  5. Paste the move prompt below into a Manus task.
Using the Turnstone connector, move my setup into Turnstone.
For each Project I use, create a Turnstone Agent with a clear name and a
one-paragraph job. Then send that Agent one message with everything it
needs: the Project's master instruction, the key facts from each of its
files, everything you remember about me that matters for it, the full
text of any Skills it relies on, and any Automations with their timing
or trigger, so it can set them up as Schedules. Also create one Agent
called "About me" and send it everything you know about me in general.
Write it all out in full, don't summarize away details. Tell me when
every Agent has its message.

The job description is short, about 1,000 characters, but the first message can run to 100,000, so the details go in the message. Each Agent shows where its work came from. It uses the AI you pick there. Manus's side of the chat still spends Manus credits.

Is there a Manus alternative without credits?

Yes. Turnstone is free and signs in to the AI plan you already pay for. For ChatGPT and Claude plans it runs the official Codex and Claude Code apps on your Mac with your own login, and usage counts against that plan's normal limits. There's no credit meter and nothing to expire.

Inside Manus, the free plan gives 300 daily credits, and Manus Flex lets you bring an API key from a supported provider. That's API billing, not your ChatGPT or Claude subscription. Our Turnstone vs Manus page compares pricing, memory and apps in detail, and our facts page lists what Turnstone does today.

What does Manus do better than Turnstone?

  • It runs with your laptop closed. Manus's privacy policy says scheduled and background tasks run in the cloud "even when you close your browser or device". Turnstone runs on your Mac today. Turnstone Cloud is coming soon.
  • It has its own cloud computer. Each task gets a sandbox with a browser and code.
  • It builds finished products. Hosted websites and apps, slides, video and media come back from one prompt.
  • It runs big jobs in parallel. Wide Research gives each item in a long list its own sub-agent.
  • It runs everywhere. Web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Turnstone is Mac only today, with no Windows, Linux or Android app.
  • It needs no AI subscription. Free daily credits are a simple start.

Turnstone is the better fit for ongoing work across your own apps, with named Agents that share one memory you can read and fix. Our guide to AI agent memory explains why that matters.

What should I do before I cancel Manus?

  1. Run each new Schedule once while you watch. Check it does what the Manus Automation did.
  2. Pause your Manus Automations. Use each one's More actions menu to pause or delete it. Each run spends credits.
  3. Remove saved logins. Manus's privacy policy says you can delete saved third-party credentials by asking in chat.
  4. Cancel before your renewal date. Monthly credits don't carry over, and the Terms say payments aren't refundable except where the law requires.

Questions

Can I export my data from Manus? Partly. You can download files from your tasks and the full codebase of a web app you built. Manus's docs don't describe an export for Knowledge, Projects or Automations, so ask Manus to write them out in a file and copy anything it misses.

Does Manus work with Turnstone's MCP connector? It may not. Turnstone's connector needs a standard sign-in, with no API key option. Manus's custom MCP doc lists API keys and tokens, though Apify's guide describes an OAuth login prompt in Manus. Try it if your account offers sign-in, and use the manual route if not.

How do I move my Manus Knowledge? Ask Manus to list every entry in full, check it against the app, then paste it into a Turnstone Agent and ask it to save the facts to memory. You can open that memory and correct it.

Will my Manus scheduled tasks keep running after I switch? Yes, until you pause them. Manus Automations run in the cloud and spend credits each time. Rebuild each one as a Turnstone Schedule, test it, then pause the Manus one.

Can I use my ChatGPT or Claude subscription instead of Manus credits? Not inside Manus. Manus Flex takes an API key, which is billed by the provider. Turnstone signs in with your ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok or Cursor plan, or uses OpenRouter, Ollama or your own OpenAI or Anthropic key.

Do my Manus connectors move over? No. Logins and connector tokens never move between apps. In Turnstone you connect your apps again. It has 60+ built in, plus any website, the apps on your Mac and connectors you add.

Will Turnstone keep working when my Mac is closed? Not today. Your Mac needs to be on with Turnstone open. Turnstone Cloud, the iPhone app and the web app are coming soon. If that matters most, Manus may suit you better for now.

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