Skip to content

Mantis 101: The Essential Questions

Instructions:

  1. Use ManolisGPT to answer these questions: ManolisGPT

  2. Take your time and explore each topic thoroughly. Ask follow-up questions as needed — the goal is to develop a deep, foundational understanding of how Mantis functions internally.

  • What’s the simplest way to describe how Mantis works?
  • What’s a “waypoint,” and how do I share exactly what I’m seeing?
  • What is an embedding (embedding vector)?
  • How do agents fit into Mantis?
  • How does the frontend talk to the backend (and vice versa)?
  • What is a WebSocket?
  • What is an API, and what are API keys?
  • What are endpoints?
  • What is MCP?
  • What is OAuth?
  • How does sign-in with Google/GitHub relate to my saved data, and where is it stored?
  • What is a schema migration?

Behind the Code: Video Series

Instructions:

  1. Feel free to watch any relevant videos that will help you better understand the tools we work with.

JavaScript, HTML, CSS

React, Next.js

Mantis Architectural Diagram

Instructions:

  1. Based on what you learned in the previous exercise—and using all available resources (including ManolisGPT and the Mantis codebase)—create an architectural diagram that illustrates how Mantis works.

Architectural Diagram: A visual representation that shows the key components of a system, how they interact, and how data flows between them. It helps communicate the internal structure and overall design of the system.

Start Coding

Instructions:

  1. Take time to revisit any bugs or issues you ran into during the homework. Try to understand why they happened, and work on fixing them. Debugging is a valuable part of learning how the system works on a deeper level.