# Migrate from Manus to an open-source AI Operating System

> Moving off Manus happens one job at a time. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System, so you bring the work product across, rebuild the agent as files, and review everything as a change request in a repo you own.

URL: https://manus-alternative.com/migrate-from-manus

## The config a migrated team starts from

`kortix.yaml`

```yaml
# kortix.yaml
agents:
  support-triage:
    file: agents/support-triage.md
    connectors: all
triggers:
  - slug: daily-digest
    type: cron
    cron: '0 0 9 * * 1-5'
```

Source: https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna

One markdown file describes the agent's behavior; one block in `kortix.yaml` scopes what it may reach.

## What a team hands to Manus

Manus calls itself an autonomous general AI agent that plans, executes and delivers complete work products, a virtual colleague with its own computer ([Manus's welcome doc](https://manus.im/docs/introduction/welcome)). A team hands it the job, the context for it, and the finished deliverable. Manus keeps the rest: its cloud infrastructure page says it manages the backend, the database and the file storage behind what you build ([Manus cloud infrastructure](https://manus.im/docs/website-builder/cloud-infrastructure)), and its Flex announcement says Manus handles model selection, the harness and the agent infrastructure ([Manus Flex](https://manus.im/blog/introducing-manus-flex)).

## What moves with you and what does not

What moves is the work product: the files, documents, prompts and decisions you take out of Manus and keep. What does not move is the agent configuration and the vendor-side memory. Manus documents no import of a Manus workspace into another platform, and its execution environment stays on its side. The move re-creates the job in a place you own; it does not port a saved state.

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System, and it puts that configuration in files a team owns. The agent, its skills, the company memory and every connector are files in one git repo. An agent's behavior is a markdown file; its governance is one block in `kortix.yaml`. A team rebuilds that once, then keeps it. [See how Kortix compares with Manus](/kortix-vs-manus).

## The move, in order

1. Start with one job. Pick one recurring task the team already runs on Manus and write it as a single agent markdown file. One job proves the loop before you move a second.
2. Run it on Kortix Cloud or self-host. Create a project and start a session. Every session clones the repo, works on its own branch, and runs in an isolated Linux sandbox.
3. Keep the work product. The agent commits to the session branch, so the deliverables land as files in the repo and nothing depends on a vendor's storage. To run the whole stack yourself, [self-host](/self-host) one Compose project.
4. Put a person at the gate. The agent opens a change request; a person reads the diff and merges it. Merge is default-deny for agents.

```sh
curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bash
kortix self-host start
kortix self-host status
```

## Where a person reviews the work

A session runs one agent on its own cloud computer. When the agent finishes, it commits, pushes the session branch and opens a change request against the project's default branch. A person with the merge permission reads the diff and merges it, and only what is committed survives. Work reaches `main` through that review, which is what lets a team hand real work to an agent without watching every step. If you are still weighing the field, the [Manus alternatives](/manus-alternatives) page maps the options.

## Switching questions buyers ask

The move in the reader's words.

### Can I import my Manus history?

Manus documents no import of a Manus workspace into another platform. What transfers is the material you copy out: files, documents, prompts and the decisions behind them. Plan to rebuild the agent configuration in Kortix as files rather than import it.

### Will I lose my workflows?

The saved agent setup on Manus does not move. The work product does. Most teams rebuild the recurring job once as an agent markdown file plus a `kortix.yaml` block, then run it from Kortix Cloud or a self-hosted instance.

### Do I have to self-host to move?

No. You can start on Kortix Cloud and move to your own VPC or on-prem network later, because the same files describe the work in both places. Self-host is free; you pay your own model and compute bills.

### How long does the move take?

There is no bulk import to size. Start with one job, run it end to end on Kortix, then move the next. The first session starts after `kortix init`, and the rest is one job at a time.

### What happens to the data Manus holds?

Manus manages the backend, database and file storage for the work you build there, so anything you leave behind stays in its workspace. Copy out the work product you need, and check the Manus terms for how long it is kept after you close the account.

## Run the first job on Kortix this week

Start on Kortix Cloud, or self-host the whole stack.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem