How to Use Manus 2.0 with 2Slides: MCP Server and Agent Skill Guide (2026)

Quick answer (≤60 words): In Manus 2.0, open Settings → Integrations → Custom MCP Servers → Add Server, enter https://2slides.com/api/mcp as the Server URL and your 2Slides key as a Bearer token. Or go to Skills → + Add → Import from GitHub and paste the 2Slides skill repo URL. Then ask Manus for a deck, or schedule one with Automations.

Manus 2.0 shipped on Monday, September 28, 2026. It brings a new agent harness (Cascade), an optional Cloud Computer, the Manus Studio desktop app, and Automations, which extend the old Scheduled Tasks with event triggers. Manus is very good at gathering material: reading your inbox, Notion pages and files. Once you connect 2Slides, it can also turn that material into a finished, editable .pptx built on a real template, with no copying and pasting.

This guide covers both supported ways to connect them, how to choose between them, and how to run the whole thing on a schedule. Everything below reflects Manus's official docs as of September 30, 2026. The 2Slides endpoints were live-tested on production that same day.

Why pair Manus with 2Slides?

Manus can already make slides in Studio. Add 2Slides when you need something Studio doesn't aim to do:

• Template-driven, editable PowerPoint. 2Slides Fast PPT fills a real .pptx theme (1,500+ templates), so your team can open and edit the file in PowerPoint or Keynote.
• Consistent brand output on repeat. Pin a themeId and every weekly deck comes out looking the same.
• Image-designed slides with narration. The Nano Banana tools produce designed slides, and a separate tool adds AI voice narration to those jobs.
• Predictable cost. Fast PPT costs 10 credits per page. New 2Slides accounts get 500 free credits, which covers 50 Fast PPT pages.

In short, Manus handles the research, the structure and the copy, and 2Slides produces the file.

What you need first

1. A Manus account on web, desktop or mobile. Manus lists Free (300 daily credits, Lite only), Pro from $20/month, and Team plans. Custom MCP and Automations depend on the features your plan includes, so check your own settings.
2. A 2Slides API key from 2slides.com/api. Keys start with sk-2slides-.
3. That's all. Both methods run in Manus's cloud, so you don't install anything locally.

Method 1: Add 2Slides as a Custom MCP Server (recommended)

Manus's official custom MCP flow expects a hosted HTTPS endpoint, and 2Slides provides one: a Streamable HTTP server at https://2slides.com/api/mcp.

Steps:

1. In Manus, open Settings → Integrations → Custom MCP Servers and click Add Server.
2. Fill in the three fields:

1. Save. Manus runs a connection test and fetches the tool list. You should see seven 2Slides tools (listed in the table below).
2. Mention 2Slides in a prompt, just as you would a built-in connector.

If the Authentication field only takes a raw token, paste the key by itself. If it asks for a full header value, use Bearer YOUR_2SLIDES_API_KEY. Either way, 2Slides reads the standard Authorization: Bearer ... header.

Fallback if the header auth won't connect: 2Slides also accepts the key in the URL, as https://2slides.com/api/mcp?apikey=YOUR_2SLIDES_API_KEY, with no authentication set. This form works (we tested it end to end), but treat that URL as a password. Manus's own security guidance says to "never expose credentials in URLs or logs", so use this only if the header option fails, never share screenshots of it, and rotate the key at 2slides.com/api if it leaks.

Note: 2Slides does not use OAuth. If a client offers only "OAuth" or "No auth", pick No auth and use the key-in-URL form.

Method 2: Import the 2Slides Agent Skill from GitHub

Manus Skills are folders with a SKILL.md and scripts, and Manus loads them in stages (progressive disclosure). The official 2Slides skill lives at github.com/2slides/slides-generation-2slides-skills. It includes Python scripts (search_themes.py, generate_slides.py, create_pdf_slides.py, get_job_status.py, generate_narration.py, download_slides_pages_voices.py) that call the 2Slides REST API.

Steps:

1. Click Skills in the left sidebar, then + Add, then Import from GitHub.
2. Paste the repository URL: https://github.com/2slides/slides-generation-2slides-skills
3. Before first use, ask Manus to audit it. The Manus docs recommend this for any community skill:

1. In a chat, type / and choose 2slides to load it.

Import from the repo URL, not the .skill bundle file inside the repo, because the bundle is an older snapshot.

Giving the sandbox your API key

The skill's scripts read the key from one environment variable, SLIDES_2SLIDES_API_KEY. Manus has no documented "skill secrets" field, so the practical approach is to set it inside the task:

The security tradeoff: the key now sits in that task's chat history. Anyone you share the task with can read it, and every new task needs the key again. To reduce the risk:

• Create a dedicated 2Slides key just for Manus, so you can rotate it without breaking anything else.
• Don't put the key in a Project master instruction if you have invited collaborators, since everyone in the project can see that instruction.
• Rotate the key at 2slides.com/api whenever you share a task or aren't sure where it has been.

With Method 1, by contrast, the key is stored once in the integration settings and never appears in chat. That's the main reason we recommend Method 1.

MCP or Skill: which should you choose?

Rule of thumb: use MCP by default. Pick the skill when you want to read or change the code that talks to 2Slides, or when you'd like the step-by-step playbook to guide Manus. You can also use both: the skill provides the process and the MCP server provides the tools.

Verify the connection

Start a new task and send:

This calls themes_search, which is free. If you get theme names and IDs back, Manus is connected. If Manus starts browsing the web instead, the integration isn't active (see Troubleshooting).

Generate your first deck

Manus calls themes_search, then slides_generate, and gets back a downloadUrl. 2Slides download links expire after 1 hour, so always tell Manus to download and attach the file right away rather than just pasting the link. In our production test, a 3-page Fast PPT came back in about 22 seconds. Nano Banana and narration jobs run asynchronously and usually take 1 to 3 minutes. Manus should poll jobs_get every 20 to 30 seconds.

Put it on autopilot with Manus Automations

Automations are the headline feature of Manus 2.0. The docs describe three types:

• Schedule: starts at a time you choose, such as a weekly report.
• Triggered task: starts when an event happens. The picker can include Gmail, Outlook Mail, Mail Manus, Notion, Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, GitHub, Shopify, Google Workspace, advertising platforms, RSS, Webhook and more, depending on which apps you've connected. The launch post also mentions Slack messages.
• Advanced automation (Beta): you describe the routine in plain language and Manus builds the workflow.

To create one, click Automations in the sidebar, then Create, then choose the type.

Example: a Monday deck from Notion (Schedule)

Example: turn a report email into a deck (Triggered task)

Choose Gmail as the trigger source with a new-email event, and add a condition on sender or subject (for example, subject contains "Weekly Report"). Then use the same instruction, with "the triggering email" as the source.

Automation tips:

• Pin the themeId so every run looks the same. Look it up once with themes_search.
• Use Test run from Automations → Manage before you rely on it. Then check Automations → Updates to see each run's result.
• Expect delays for some triggers. Manus says GitHub, Shopify, Webhook and Mail Manus events arrive as they happen, while other sources are checked at intervals.
• Prefer Method 1 here. An automation using the skill would need the key written into its instructions.

The 2Slides MCP tool surface

What's confirmed vs. not yet documented

As of September 30, 2026:

• Confirmed (Manus docs): the Custom MCP Servers path and fields, the connection test, Skills → Import from GitHub, invoking skills with /, and the Automations types and trigger sources listed above.
• Confirmed (2Slides, live-tested): the MCP endpoint, Bearer and key-in-URL auth, all seven tools, and the skill scripts.
• Not explicitly documented by Manus: a secrets store for Skills (so we use a per-task env var), and whether every custom MCP server is available inside every automation run. Use Test run to confirm this for your account.
• Cue: Manus also launched Cue, a separate early-access app for personal agents with their own email, phone number, wallet and computer. Cue's connector, MCP and skill support isn't documented yet, so this guide covers Manus only.

Troubleshooting

• Connection test fails. Check that the URL is exactly https://2slides.com/api/mcp, with no trailing path, and that the key starts with sk-2slides-. Try the key as a bare token, then as Bearer .... As a last resort, use the key-in-URL form with no auth.
• Manus browses 2slides.com instead of calling tools. Say "use the 2Slides integration" explicitly, and confirm the server appears under Custom MCP Servers.
• Skill script says the API key is missing. SLIDES_2SLIDES_API_KEY wasn't set in this task's sandbox. Set it again, since each new task starts fresh.
• Only one slide came back from the skill. In reference-image mode (--reference-image), generate_slides.py defaults to --page 1. Ask Manus to pass --page 0 (auto) or an exact count. Theme-based Fast PPT ignores --page.
• Download link is dead. It expired after 1 hour. Ask Manus to regenerate, or to download immediately next time.
• Insufficient credits. Top up at 2slides.com/pricing. Credits never expire.

Frequently asked questions

Does Manus support custom MCP servers?

Yes. Go to Settings → Integrations → Custom MCP Servers → Add Server, and enter a server name, an HTTPS server URL and credentials (API key, Bearer token or others). Manus tests the connection and lists the tools. The documentation covers hosted HTTPS servers, not local stdio servers.

What URL and auth do I use for 2Slides in Manus?

Use Server URL https://2slides.com/api/mcp with your 2Slides API key as a Bearer token. If header auth fails, https://2slides.com/api/mcp?apikey=YOUR_2SLIDES_API_KEY with no auth also works, but that URL contains your secret.

How do I install the 2Slides skill in Manus?

Go to Skills → + Add → Import from GitHub and paste https://github.com/2slides/slides-generation-2slides-skills. Then set SLIDES_2SLIDES_API_KEY in the task's sandbox and invoke the skill with /2slides.

Can Manus make a PowerPoint automatically every week?

Yes. Create a Schedule in Automations (for example, every Monday at 8 AM), tell Manus which source to read and which 2Slides theme to use, and have it attach the .pptx. Event triggers such as a new Gmail message or a Notion update work too.

Is the MCP server or the skill better for Manus?

The MCP server is better for most people. The key is stored once in settings and never appears in chat, which matters most for automations. The skill is better when you want to read or edit the exact scripts and use the full step-by-step playbook.

How much does it cost?

Fast PPT costs 10 2Slides credits per page, and Nano Banana slides cost 100 per page (200 at 4K). New accounts get 500 free credits, and paid credits start at $5 for 2,000 and never expire. Manus task credits are billed separately by Manus.

The takeaway

Manus 2.0 finds and writes the content, and 2Slides turns it into a real PowerPoint. Add https://2slides.com/api/mcp under Custom MCP Servers with a Bearer token, or import the 2Slides skill from GitHub. Then schedule the deck in Automations and stop building the Monday update by hand.

Looking at other agents? See the personal AI agents for presentations hub, plus guides for Grok Bot, OpenAI dots, OpenClaw and Claude Code. Not sure whether you need a skill or a server? Read Agent Skills vs MCP servers for presentations, or the general guide to using any AI agent with the 2Slides MCP server.

Get your key at 2slides.com/api?tab=mcp. New accounts start with 500 free credits.

Sources:

• Introducing Manus 2.0 (Manus blog, September 28, 2026)
• Manus docs: Custom MCP Servers
• Manus docs: Skills
• Manus docs: Automations
• 2Slides Agent Skill on GitHub
• 2Slides API and MCP server