Compile journalist lists and search apartment listings
A reporter tested Manus on building a reporter list, searching NYC rentals and finding award candidates; results were thin at first, and a three-hour search yielded only three full profiles. Task: A reporter tasked Manus with compiling a list of China tech journalists, searching NYC two-bedroom apartments, and identifying 50 Innovators Under 35 nominees. The agent autonomously browsed the web, but the human monitored the 'Manus’s Computer' window and manually solved captchas when blocked. Initial outputs were insufficient; the reporter provided feedback, prompting Manus to expand the journalist list to 30 names and refine apartment criteria.; tools: Manus. Human role: The reporter monitored the browser window and manually handled captchas when encountered.; limitations: Access requires an invite code. Performance is hindered by paywalls, captchas, and server instability, with occasional crashes. The reported cost is approximately $2 per task. Large, open-ended research tasks often fail or produce low-quality outputs without significant human intervention and scope reduction..
Tools
Published on Agent Work Atlas:
Overview
A reporter tested Manus on building a reporter list, searching NYC rentals and finding award candidates; results were thin at first, and a three-hour search yielded only three full profiles.
Workflow
A reporter tasked Manus with compiling a list of China tech journalists, searching NYC two-bedroom apartments, and identifying 50 Innovators Under 35 nominees. The agent autonomously browsed the web, but the human monitored the 'Manus’s Computer' window and manually solved captchas when blocked. Initial outputs were insufficient; the reporter provided feedback, prompting Manus to expand the journalist list to 30 names and refine apartment criteria.
Reported result
The journalist list took over an hour, and the apartment search under 30 minutes. The award nomination task ran for three hours but yielded only three complete profiles initially. Manus struggled with paywalls and large-scale research, producing biased or incomplete results for the 50-nominee request until narrowed down.
Human role
The reporter monitored the browser window and manually handled captchas when encountered.
Limitations
Access requires an invite code. Performance is hindered by paywalls, captchas, and server instability, with occasional crashes. The reported cost is approximately $2 per task. Large, open-ended research tasks often fail or produce low-quality outputs without significant human intervention and scope reduction.
Try it
I want to use Manus to compile a shortlist of 10 niche journalists covering [replaceable topic, e.g., AI ethics in Europe]. First, provide the topic keywords and target region. Instruct Manus to search for recent articles and verify current employers. Monitor the browser window; if a captcha appears, I will solve it manually. If the initial list is short or lacks details, explicitly ask Manus to expand the search to 10 names and include notable works. Do not proceed to a larger batch until this sample is verified for accuracy. Output the final list as an Excel file. If Manus fails to find 10 valid candidates after two attempts, stop and report the limitation.
Source reports are not independently verified. Publication date is the catalog publication date, not the original article date.