Manifold
Constraint-first development framework that makes ALL constraints visible BEFORE implementation.
TRADITIONAL MANIFOLD
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Spec → Design → Build → Test All constraints exist NOW
Discover problems during build Problems visible before build
Sequential planning Constraint satisfaction
Forward reasoning Backward from outcome
Start Here
Features
- Constraint-First Development -- Surface all constraints before writing code
- Backward Reasoning -- Reason from desired outcomes to required truths, with recursive decomposition for multi-level dependency chains
- Tension Detection -- Find conflicts between constraints early, with TRIZ-guided resolution and directional propagation checks
- Pre-mortem Stress Testing -- Mandatory failure-story pass in constraint discovery surfaces assumptions single-pass elicitation misses
- Constraint Genealogy -- Track constraint origins (
source) and challengeability (challenger) to guide tension resolution direction
- Probabilistic Bounds -- Express metric constraints as statistical targets (p99, p50, failure rates) rather than only deterministic thresholds
- Bottleneck Identification -- Theory of Constraints integration surfaces the binding constraint before solution generation
- Reversibility Tagging -- Every action step tagged as TWO_WAY, REVERSIBLE_WITH_COST, or ONE_WAY with explicit acknowledgment for irreversible decisions
- Non-Software Domain Support --
--domain=non-software activates universal categories (Obligations, Desires, Resources, Risks, Dependencies) and decision-focused artifacts
- All-at-Once Generation -- Generate code, tests, docs, runbooks, and alerts from a single source
- Evidence System -- Verify constraints with concrete proof
- Drift Detection -- Detect post-verification file changes using SHA-256 hashing
- Guided Workflow -- Structured next-step suggestions guide you through each phase
- Constraint Templates -- Pre-built patterns for auth, CRUD, API, payment, and 13 PM templates
- Light Mode -- Simplified 3-phase workflow for quick changes
- PM Workflows -- Generate PRDs and user stories with constraint traceability
- Parallel Execution -- Run independent tasks concurrently using git worktrees
- Native CLI -- Fast, deterministic operations (<100ms) for CI/CD
- Multi-Agent Support -- Works with Claude Code, AMP, Gemini CLI, and Codex CLI
Install
Claude Code Plugin (Recommended for Claude Code users)
claude plugin:install github:dhanesh/manifold#plugin
This installs Manifold as a native Claude Code plugin, giving you:
- 12 slash commands (
/manifold:m0-init through /manifold:parallel)
- 2 hooks (context preservation across compaction + schema injection at session start)
- Constraint templates (auth, CRUD, API, payment, + 13 PM templates)
/manifold:setup command to install the native CLI binary
After installing the plugin, run /manifold:setup inside Claude Code to get the fast CLI binary.
Shell Installer (All Agents)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dhanesh/manifold/main/install/install.sh | bash
The installer auto-detects which AI agents you have and installs per-agent:
