Mantis Manager Skill (Enhanced)

🔐 Base URL & Token Resolution

Base URL Resolution

Base URL precedence (highest to lowest):

1. temporary_base_url — one-time use URL for specific operations
2. user_base_url — user-defined URL for the current session
3. MANTIS_BASE_URL — environment default URL

This allows you to:

• Switch between multiple Mantis instances dynamically
• Test against staging/production environments
• Work with different client instances without changing config

Example:

// Default: uses MANTIS_BASE_URL from environment
GET {{resolved_base_url}}/issues

// Override for one operation:
temporary_base_url = "https://mantis-staging.example.com/api/rest"
GET {{resolved_base_url}}/issues

// Override for session:
user_base_url = "https://client-mantis.example.com/api/rest"
GET {{resolved_base_url}}/issues

Token Resolution

Token precedence (highest to lowest):

1. temporary_token — one-time use token for specific operations
2. user_token — user-defined token for the current session
3. MANTIS_API_TOKEN — environment default token

Environment variables are handled via standard OpenClaw metadata: requires.env declares required variables (MANTIS_BASE_URL, MANTIS_API_TOKEN). Any other environment variables you use for Mantis should be treated as normal process env vars and are not modeled as special OpenClaw metadata fields.

Authentication Headers

All API requests must include:

Authorization: Bearer {{resolved_token}}
Content-Type: application/json

Note: The {{resolved_base_url}} and {{resolved_token}} are determined at runtime based on the precedence rules above.

📌 Notation Used in Examples

Throughout this documentation:

• {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}} refers to the resolved base URL (could be temporary_base_url, user_base_url, or env MANTIS_BASE_URL)
• {{resolved_token}} refers to the resolved token (could be temporary_token, user_token, or env MANTIS_API_TOKEN)
• All endpoints use the pattern: {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/resource/path

Important: Always use the resolution logic to determine the actual URL and token at runtime.

🔄 Context Management

> The temporary_* and user_* names here are runtime context variables used by the skill logic, not OpenClaw metadata fields. OpenClaw does not define an optional.context metadata key; context is resolved dynamically at runtime as described below.

Setting Temporary Values (One-Time Use)

User queries:

• "Use https://staging.mantis.com/api/rest for this request"
• "Connect to production instance for this operation"
• "Use token ABC123 just this once"

Action:

Set temporary_base_url = "https://staging.mantis.com/api/rest"
Set temporary_token = "ABC123"
... perform operation ...
Clear temporary_base_url
Clear temporary_token

Behavior: Temporary values are automatically cleared after one use.

Setting Session Values (Current Session)

User queries:

• "Switch to client XYZ's Mantis instance"
• "Use my personal API token for all requests"
• "Connect to staging environment"

Action:

Set user_base_url = "https://client-xyz.mantis.com/api/rest"
Set user_token = "personal_token_123"
... perform multiple operations ...
// Values persist for the entire session

Behavior: Session values persist until explicitly cleared or session ends.

Clearing Context Values

User queries:

• "Reset to default Mantis instance"
• "Clear my custom token"
• "Go back to environment defaults"

Action:

Clear user_base_url
Clear user_token
// Now uses MANTIS_BASE_URL and MANTIS_API_TOKEN from environment

Viewing Current Context

User queries:

• "What Mantis instance am I connected to?"
• "Show current API configuration"
• "Which token am I using?"

Response should show:

Current Context:
- Base URL: https://client-xyz.mantis.com/api/rest (user_base_url)
- Token: user_t***123 (user_token)
- Fallback Base URL: https://default.mantis.com/api/rest (MANTIS_BASE_URL)
- Fallback Token: env_t***789 (MANTIS_API_TOKEN)

Use Cases

Multi-Instance Management

// Check production issue
Set temporary_base_url = "https://prod.mantis.com/api/rest"
Get issue 123

// Check staging issue  
Set temporary_base_url = "https://staging.mantis.com/api/rest"
Get issue 123

// Compare results

Client Switching

// Switch to Client A
Set user_base_url = "https://clienta.mantis.com/api/rest"
Set user_token = "clienta_token"
List all projects
Get issues for project 5

// Switch to Client B
Set user_base_url = "https://clientb.mantis.com/api/rest"
Set user_token = "clientb_token"
List all projects
Get issues for project 3

Admin Operations with Impersonation

// Connect to main instance as admin
Set user_token = "admin_token"

// Perform operation as specific user
Set temporary header: X-Impersonate-User = "john.doe"
Get user issues

// Back to admin
Clear temporary header

🐞 ISSUES Operations

List Issues

User queries:

• "List all issues"
• "Get issues for project 5"
• "Get issues matching filter 10"
• "Show issues assigned to me"
• "Get unassigned issues"

Actions:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues

Query Parameters:

• page_size — number of issues per page (default: 50)
• page — page number (1-indexed)
• filter_id — ID of saved filter to apply
• project_id — filter by specific project
• select — comma-separated fields to return (e.g., "id,summary,status")

Special endpoints:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues?filter_id={{filter_id}}
GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{project_id}}/issues

Get Single Issue

User queries:

• "Show issue 123"
• "Get details for bug 456"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}

Create Issue

User queries:

• "Create issue with summary 'Login bug' and description 'Cannot login'"
• "Create bug in project 5 with priority high"
• "Create issue with attachments"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues

Minimal body:

json
{
  "summary": "Issue summary",
  "description": "Detailed description",
  "category": {"name": "General"},
  "project": {"id": 1}
}

Full body (optional fields):

json
{
  "summary": "Issue summary",
  "description": "Detailed description",
  "steps_to_reproduce": "1. Do this\n2. Do that",
  "additional_information": "Extra info",
  "category": {"id": 1, "name": "General"},
  "project": {"id": 1},
  "priority": {"id": 30, "name": "normal"},
  "severity": {"id": 50, "name": "minor"},
  "status": {"id": 10, "name": "new"},
  "reproducibility": {"id": 10, "name": "always"},
  "handler": {"id": 5},
  "tags": [{"name": "bug"}, {"name": "ui"}],
  "custom_fields": [{"field": {"id": 1}, "value": "custom value"}],
  "due_date": "2026-12-31T23:59:59+00:00",
  "version": {"name": "1.0"},
  "target_version": {"name": "2.0"}
}

Create with attachments:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues

Include files array in body with base64-encoded content.

Update Issue

User queries:

• "Update issue 123 status to resolved"
• "Change priority of bug 456 to high"
• "Assign issue 789 to user 10"

Action:

PATCH {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}

Example body:

json
{
  "status": {"name": "resolved"},
  "handler": {"id": 10},
  "priority": {"name": "high"},
  "summary": "Updated summary"
}

Delete Issue

User queries:

• "Delete issue 123"
• "Remove bug 456"

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}

Monitor/Unmonitor Issue

User queries:

• "Monitor issue 123"
• "Stop monitoring bug 456"
• "Add user 10 as monitor on issue 789"

Actions:

POST   {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}/monitors
DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}/monitors

Body (for specific user):

json
{
  "user": {"id": 10}
}

Attach/Detach Tags

User queries:

• "Add tag 'critical' to issue 123"
• "Remove tag 'bug' from issue 456"

Actions:

POST   {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}/tags
PATCH  {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}/tags
DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}/tags

Body:

json
{
  "tags": [
    {"name": "bug"},
    {"name": "critical"}
  ]
}

Add Issue Relationship

User queries:

• "Link issue 123 to issue 456 as duplicate"
• "Add parent relationship from 789 to 101"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}/relationships

Body:

json
{
  "type": {"name": "duplicate-of"},
  "target_issue": {"id": 456}
}

Relationship types:

• duplicate-of
• related-to
• parent-of
• child-of
• has-duplicate

Attach Files

User queries:

• "Attach file to issue 123"
• "Add screenshot to bug 456"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}/files

Body:

json
{
  "files": [
    {
      "name": "screenshot.png",
      "content": "base64_encoded_content_here"
    }
  ]
}

Delete Attachment

User queries:

• "Delete attachment 789 from issue 123"
• "Remove file 101 from bug 456"

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{issue_id}}/files/{{file_id}}

Issue Notes

Add Note

User queries:

• "Add note to issue 123: 'This is fixed now'"
• "Add note with time tracking 2 hours"
• "Add private note to bug 456"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{id}}/notes

Body:

json
{
  "text": "Note content here",
  "view_state": {"name": "public"},
  "time_tracking": "PT2H30M"
}

With attachment:

json
{
  "text": "Note with file",
  "files": [
    {
      "name": "log.txt",
      "content": "base64_content"
    }
  ]
}

Delete Note

User queries:

• "Delete note 55 from issue 123"
• "Remove comment 99 from bug 456"

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/issues/{{issue_id}}/notes/{{note_id}}

📁 PROJECTS Operations

List All Projects

User queries:

• "List all projects"
• "Show all projects"
• "Get projects"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects

Get Project by ID

User queries:

• "Show project 5"
• "Get details for project 10"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}

Create Project

User queries:

• "Create project named 'New Product'"
• "Add project with description 'Internal tools'"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects

Body:

json
{
  "name": "Project Name",
  "description": "Project description",
  "enabled": true,
  "inherit_global": true,
  "view_state": {"name": "public"},
  "status": {"name": "development"}
}

Update Project

User queries:

• "Update project 5 description"
• "Change project 10 status to stable"

Action:

PATCH {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}

Delete Project

User queries:

• "Delete project 5"
• "Remove project 10"

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}

Sub-Projects

Get Sub-Projects

User queries:

• "Show sub-projects of project 5"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}/subprojects

Create Sub-Project

User queries:

• "Create sub-project under project 5"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}/subprojects

Body:

json
{
  "subproject": {"id": 10}
}

Delete Sub-Project

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}/subprojects/{{subproject_id}}

Project Users

Get Project Users

User queries:

• "Show users in project 5"
• "List members of project 10"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}/users

Add User to Project

User queries:

• "Add user 20 to project 5 as developer"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}/users

Body:

json
{
  "user": {"id": 20},
  "access_level": {"name": "developer"}
}

Access levels:

• viewer (10)
• reporter (25)
• updater (40)
• developer (55)
• manager (70)
• administrator (90)

Delete User from Project

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{project_id}}/users/{{user_id}}

Project Versions

Get Versions

User queries:

• "Show versions of project 5"
• "List releases for project 10"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}/versions

Create Version

User queries:

• "Create version 2.0 for project 5"
• "Add release 1.5 to project 10"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{id}}/versions

Body:

json
{
  "name": "2.0",
  "description": "Major release",
  "released": true,
  "obsolete": false,
  "timestamp": "2026-06-01T00:00:00+00:00"
}

Update Version

Action:

PATCH {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{project_id}}/versions/{{version_id}}

Delete Version

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/projects/{{project_id}}/versions/{{version_id}}

👥 USERS Operations

Get My User Info

User queries:

• "Show my user info"
• "Get my profile"
• "Who am I?"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users/me

Get User by ID

User queries:

• "Show user 10"
• "Get info for user 25"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users/{{id}}

Get User by Username

User queries:

• "Find user 'john.doe'"
• "Get user with username 'admin'"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users?name={{username}}

Create User

User queries:

• "Create user 'jane.smith' with email 'jane@example.com'"
• "Add new user"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users

Minimal body:

json
{
  "username": "jane.smith",
  "email": "jane@example.com",
  "access_level": {"name": "reporter"}
}

Full body:

json
{
  "username": "jane.smith",
  "password": "SecurePass123!",
  "real_name": "Jane Smith",
  "email": "jane@example.com",
  "access_level": {"name": "developer"},
  "enabled": true,
  "protected": false
}

Update User

User queries:

• "Update user 10 email to 'new@example.com'"
• "Change user 25 access level to developer"

Action:

PATCH {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users/{{id}}

Body:

json
{
  "real_name": "Updated Name",
  "email": "new@example.com",
  "access_level": {"name": "developer"},
  "enabled": false
}

Reset User Password

User queries:

• "Reset password for user 10"

Action:

PUT {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users/{{id}}/reset-password

Body:

json
{
  "password": "NewSecurePassword123!"
}

Delete User

User queries:

• "Delete user 10"
• "Remove user 'john.doe'"

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users/{{id}}

🔍 FILTERS Operations

Get All Filters

User queries:

• "List all filters"
• "Show my saved filters"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/filters

Get Filter by ID

User queries:

• "Show filter 5"
• "Get details for filter 10"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/filters/{{id}}

Delete Filter

User queries:

• "Delete filter 5"
• "Remove saved filter 10"

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/filters/{{id}}

🔐 TOKEN MANAGEMENT

Create Token for Self

User queries:

• "Create my API token"
• "Generate token for me"
• "Create new token named 'automation'"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/user_tokens

Body:

json
{
  "name": "automation_token",
  "date_expiry": "2027-12-31T23:59:59+00:00"
}

Delete Token for Self

User queries:

• "Delete my token"
• "Revoke my API token"

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/user_tokens/{{token_id}}

Create Token for Another User

User queries:

• "Create token for user 10"
• "Generate API token for user 'john.doe'"

Action:

POST {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users/{{user_id}}/tokens

Body:

json
{
  "name": "user_token",
  "date_expiry": "2027-12-31T23:59:59+00:00"
}

Delete Token for Another User

Action:

DELETE {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users/{{user_id}}/tokens/{{token_id}}

⚙️ CONFIG Operations

Get Single Configuration Option

User queries:

• "Get config option 'bug_report_page_fields'"
• "Show configuration for 'default_category_for_moves'"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/config/{{option}}

Get Multiple Configuration Options

User queries:

• "Get configs for project 5"
• "Show all config options"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/config

Query parameters:

• option — specific option name
• project_id — filter by project
• user_id — filter by user

Set Configuration Option

User queries:

• "Set config 'allow_signup' to true"
• "Update config option"

Action:

PATCH {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/config

Body:

json
{
  "configs": [
    {
      "option": "allow_signup",
      "value": "1"
    }
  ]
}

🌍 LOCALIZATION Operations

Get Localized String

User queries:

• "Get localized string 'status_new'"
• "Translate 'priority_high' to French"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/lang/{{string}}

Query parameter:

• language — language code (e.g., 'fr', 'en', 'de')

Get Multiple Localized Strings

User queries:

• "Get all status translations"
• "Get localized strings for priorities"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/lang

Query parameters:

• strings — comma-separated list of string keys
• language — language code

🔒 IMPERSONATION

Get User Info with Impersonation

User queries:

• "Impersonate user 10 and get their info"
• "Get info as user 'john.doe'"

Action:

GET {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/users/me

Header:

X-Impersonate-User: {{username_or_id}}

⚠️ Error Handling

Handle HTTP errors gracefully:

401 Unauthorized:

• Token is invalid or expired
• Action: Inform user to check MANTIS_API_TOKEN or provide valid temporary_token

403 Forbidden:

• User doesn't have permission for this operation
• Action: Inform user about insufficient permissions

404 Not Found:

• Resource (issue, project, user, etc.) doesn't exist
• Action: Inform user that the requested resource was not found

422 Unprocessable Entity:

• Validation error in request body
• Action: Show validation errors from response and guide user

500 Internal Server Error:

• Server-side error
• Action: Inform user of server error and suggest retrying later

General error response format:

json
{
  "message": "Error description",
  "code": 1234,
  "localized": "Localized error message"
}

📋 Best Practices

Pagination

• Always support page_size and page parameters for list operations
• Default page size: 50
• Inform user when results are paginated

Field Selection

• Use select parameter to return only needed fields
• Example: select=id,summary,status,priority
• Reduces bandwidth and improves performance

Filtering

• Use filter_id to apply saved filters
• Combine with pagination for large datasets
• Consider project-specific filtering with project_id

Attachments

• Files must be base64-encoded
• Include filename and content in request
• Verify file size limits (check Mantis config)

Time Tracking

• Use ISO 8601 duration format: PT2H30M (2 hours 30 minutes)
• Can be added to notes for time tracking

Date Formats

• Use ISO 8601: 2026-12-31T23:59:59+00:00
• Include timezone for accuracy

Custom Fields

• Check project configuration for available custom fields
• Reference by field ID in requests

Relationships

• Verify relationship types supported by your Mantis version
• Some relationships auto-create reciprocal links

🚀 Quick Examples

Create and Monitor Issue

1. POST /issues with summary and description
2. POST /issues/{{new_id}}/monitors to monitor

Assign Issue and Add Note

1. PATCH /issues/{{id}} with handler
2. POST /issues/{{id}}/notes with assignment comment

Create Project with Version

1. POST /projects with project details
2. POST /projects/{{id}}/versions with version info

User Management Flow

1. POST /users to create user
2. POST /projects/{{id}}/users to add to project
3. POST /users/{{id}}/tokens to create API token

🎯 Advanced Use Cases

Bulk Issue Updates

When updating multiple issues:

• Loop through issue IDs
• Use PATCH for each issue
• Collect results and report summary

Filter-Based Operations

Get all high-priority bugs:

1. GET /filters to find priority filter ID
2. GET /issues?filter_id={{filter_id}}&page_size=100
3. Process paginated results

Project Migration

Copy project structure:

1. GET /projects/{{source_id}} to get project details
2. GET /projects/{{source_id}}/versions for versions
3. POST /projects to create new project
4. POST /projects/{{new_id}}/versions for each version

User Audit

Track user activity:

1. GET /issues?reporter_id={{user_id}}
2. GET /issues?handler_id={{user_id}}
3. GET /issues?monitor_id={{user_id}}
4. Compile activity report

Multi-Instance Management

Work with multiple Mantis instances:

// Scenario: Compare issue status across environments

1. Check production:
   Set temporary_base_url = "https://prod.mantis.com/api/rest"
   Set temporary_token = "prod_token"
   GET /issues/123
   Record status

2. Check staging:
   Set temporary_base_url = "https://staging.mantis.com/api/rest"
   Set temporary_token = "staging_token"
   GET /issues/123
   Record status

3. Compare and report differences

Cross-Instance Synchronization

Sync data between instances:

// Scenario: Clone project from one instance to another

1. Connect to source instance:
   Set user_base_url = "https://source.mantis.com/api/rest"
   Set user_token = "source_token"
   GET /projects/5 (get project details)
   GET /projects/5/versions (get versions)
   GET /projects/5/users (get users)

2. Connect to target instance:
   Set user_base_url = "https://target.mantis.com/api/rest"
   Set user_token = "target_token"
   POST /projects (create project)
   POST /projects/{{new_id}}/versions (create versions)
   POST /projects/{{new_id}}/users (add users)

3. Report sync results

Client-Specific Operations

Manage multiple client instances:

// Scenario: Daily status report for all clients

For each client in [ClientA, ClientB, ClientC]:
  1. Set user_base_url = client.mantis_url
  2. Set user_token = client.api_token
  3. GET /issues?filter_id=1 (get today's issues)
  4. Collect statistics
  5. Clear context

Generate consolidated report

📚 Resources

• Mantis API Documentation: Check your Mantis instance at {{MANTIS_BASE_URL}}/api/rest/swagger.yaml
• Issue Statuses: new, feedback, acknowledged, confirmed, assigned, resolved, closed
• Priorities: none, low, normal, high, urgent, immediate
• Severities: feature, trivial, text, tweak, minor, major, crash, block
• Access Levels: 10=viewer, 25=reporter, 40=updater, 55=developer, 70=manager, 90=administrator

✅ Skill Capabilities Summary

This skill enables you to:

Core Operations

• ✅ Full CRUD operations on issues
• ✅ Manage issue relationships, tags, monitors
• ✅ Add notes with time tracking and attachments
• ✅ Full project management (create, update, delete)
• ✅ Manage sub-projects, versions, and project users
• ✅ User management (CRUD, password reset)
• ✅ API token management (create, delete for self and others)
• ✅ Filter management and filtered queries
• ✅ Configuration management
• ✅ Localization support
• ✅ Impersonation capabilities

Advanced Features

• ✅ Dynamic instance switching — Switch between multiple Mantis instances on-the-fly
• ✅ Context-aware URL resolution — temporary_base_url → user_base_url → MANTIS_BASE_URL
• ✅ Context-aware token resolution — temporary_token → user_token → MANTIS_API_TOKEN
• ✅ Multi-instance management — Manage multiple clients/environments simultaneously
• ✅ Cross-instance operations — Compare, sync, and migrate data between instances
• ✅ Comprehensive error handling
• ✅ Pagination and field selection
• ✅ Advanced workflows and bulk operations