Real Agent Cases

Find flights with Manus (16-hour run, poor pick)

Posted
by Natalie Khalil (@natalienkhalil)
Last checked
Method:
How we verify

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

FailureThe source says the agent did not get the job done.

What went wrong: Ran for 16 hours, then picked what the poster called probably the most expensive option, with a 9-hour layover.

Outcome

Asked to find flights, Manus ran for 16 hours and then picked what the poster called probably the most expensive option, with a 9-hour layover.

Agent

Manus

Prompt Improved prompt

Strengthened by us to avoid the problem in the source. Not tested by the poster. It doesn't change what happened in the source.

Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start.

Goal: Find good-value flights for my trip within an hour.

Check with me first: Where from and to, which dates, and what matters most: price, total time or fewer stops?

What I'll give you:
- From [CITY] to [CITY] on [DATES]
- My limits: maximum price [PRICE], longest layover [HOURS]
- Number of travellers and bags

Rules:
- Spend no more than 60 minutes, then give me what you have.
- Don't suggest any option with a layover longer than my limit or a price above it.
- Rank options by my priority and say why the top one wins.
- Check the price on the booking page before listing it.
- Don't book. Hand the choice to me.

Output: The 3 best options with price, total travel time, layovers, airline and a link, plus one line on why each is there.

If anything here is unclear or missing, ask me instead of guessing.

You'll know it worked when: I get sensible options within an hour, none with a layover longer than I want.

Try this in:

ChatGPT Gemini Grok

This prompt has blanks to fill in, like [CITY]. We'll copy it instead of filling it in, so you can edit it before you send.

The source used Manus, which can take actions in a browser or app. These are general chat tools, so results may differ, and a normal chat may only give you a plan.

Opens in a new tab. We don't see what you send.

These links are only a shortcut. We're not affiliated with OpenAI, Google or xAI, and your results may not match the source.

The prompt they actually used (our rebuild)

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Find me flights for this trip.
Optional stronger version

Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.

Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start.

Goal: Find good-value flights for my trip within one hour.

Quick check first: tell me if anything below is missing or unclear.

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- From, to and dates
- Max price and longest layover
- Travellers and bags
- Preferred airlines or alliances

Rules:
- Time-box to 60 minutes; report progress at 20 and 40 minutes.
- Rank by total price plus time cost; reject layovers over my limit.
- Compare at least two sources.
- Give the top 3.
- Explain the trade-off between the cheapest and the fastest option in one line each.
- Note fare rules (bags, changes).

What went wrong before, and how to avoid it:
- Last time it ran 16 hours and picked an expensive option with a 9-hour layover: enforce the time limit and layover cap.

Checkpoint: Don't book.

If you get stuck: If searches stall, report best-so-far at the time limit. If a login, CAPTCHA or two-step code appears, stop and ask me to handle it; never guess or store passwords.

Verify before you finish: Recheck the top option's price.

Output: Top 3 with reasons.

Done when: I get sensible options within an hour.

Source

https://x.com/natalienkhalil/status/2107519229109182513

Related cases