Build Your Own Web Crawler with Manus (runs in the Cloud)

In this guide, you will learn how to turn Manus (https://manus.im) Cloud Computer into a private 24/7 web crawler for any site you want to monitor. Instead of having Manus burn tokens checking the same site each day, your cloud computer does the checking for cheap.

• AI users who want a simple private automation server without touching AWS.
• Researchers and operators who check job boards, RFP pages, public sites, feeds, or changelogs.
• Manus users who want to stop spending tokens on “nothing changed” checks.
• Founders and consultants who want lightweight monitoring without buying another SaaS tool.

You will set up a Cloud Computer with a web crawler that checks a site twice a day.

The crawler will:

• check [website URL]
• look for [specific information]
• log the results to a CSV
• run on a schedule with cron

For the demo, we used a Grants.gov search page because it has public data and a CSV export. You can swap in almost any public page, feed, or site you already check manually.

• A Manus (https://manus.im) account
• The Manus desktop app
• A site you want to monitor

Do not put API keys or passwords in your prompt. If your script needs credentials later, ask Manus to store them in an .env file on the Cloud Computer.

Start with a Manus skill, Claude skill, or any AI workflow you already use.

Then ask Manus:

Look at this workflow and tell me which repetitive parts can run "for free" on my Cloud Computer before the AI agent gets involved.

Separate it into:
- cheap checks the cloud computer can run
- criteria that should wake Manus
- judgment-heavy work the agent should still do
- logs or files that prove it ran

That is the real pattern. Your cloud computer handles the repetitive work. The agent handles the judgment.