# Getting started

> Connect Manifold to your agent in a minute and make your first call.

Manifold gives your AI agent read-only tools for growth work: Google search data, what AI engines say about a brand, social platforms, ad libraries, and people and companies. It is one remote MCP server, so you connect it once and your agent calls the tools like any other. You pay per call in credits, and most calls cost a few.

## Connect in a minute

1. **Add the server to your client.** Paste the server URL, or run one command. Each client has a page with the exact steps under [Clients](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/clients).

   ```text
   https://mcp.manifoldmcp.com/mcp
   ```

2. **Sign in.** Your client opens a browser. Sign in with Google or email and approve Manifold. This creates your account and a workspace with 500 free credits, and you do not need a card.

3. **Ask for something real.** You do not need to name the tools. Ask the way you would ask a colleague, for example:
   - "What does Google show for *crm for startups*, and who ranks?"
   - "Audit example.com for technical SEO and AI readiness."
   - "Find the head of marketing at Northwind and their work email."

## What your agent can do

- [SEO tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/seo): Google organic search: keywords, rankings, results pages, domains, backlinks and site health.
- [AI answer tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/aeo): What ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers say and cite, and whether a site is ready for them.
- [People and company tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/leads): People and companies, and finding and verifying work emails. Every reveal is charged.
- [Ad library tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/ads): Ads running in the platforms' public ad libraries, by keyword, brand or advertiser.
- [Reddit tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/reddit): Posts, comments and communities: search across Reddit, or watch what appears in a subreddit.
- [TikTok tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/tiktok): Accounts, videos, comments, transcripts, followers and audiences.
- [Instagram tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/instagram): Accounts, posts, reels, comments and transcripts.
- [Facebook tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/facebook): Pages, posts, groups, comments and transcripts.
- [YouTube tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/youtube): Channels, videos, comments and transcripts.
- [LinkedIn tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/linkedin): People, company pages and posts.
- [X tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/x): Accounts and posts on X.

## Good to know

- **Nothing is ever changed.** Every tool only looks things up. Manifold never posts, sends a message or edits anything on your behalf.
- **You see what each call costs.** Most calls cost credits and a few tools are free. Every result says what it cost in `meta.credits_charged`. See [Credits](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/credits).
- **Repeat questions cost less.** An answer served from the cache costs 25% of the live price, and nothing if your workspace already paid for it. See [Caching](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/caching).
- **Your agent can check the price first.** `dry_run: true` returns the estimate for free, and `max_credits` stops any call that would cost more than you allow.

## Where to next

- [Authentication](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/authentication): Sign in from your client, or use an API key for scripts.
- [How the tools work](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools): Shared parameters, responses, pagination and async tasks.
- [Credits](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/credits): What a call costs, and how to cap it.
- [Docs for agents](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/for-agents): Every page as Markdown, and llms.txt.