---
title: "microManager FAQ"
description: "Short answers about microManager's price, privacy, supported systems and agents, Conductor compatibility, updates and how it relates to Conductor."
url: "https://micromanager.win/docs/faq"
updated: "2026-11-09"
---

# Frequently asked questions

microManager is free, needs no account, runs on macOS, Windows and Linux with the agent CLIs you already use, and reads Conductor’s settings files so you can switch the same day. The answers below cover price, privacy, compatibility and updates.

Updated 9 November 2026

## Where do I start?

New to microManager? Read [getting started](https://micromanager.win/docs/getting-started). Coming from Conductor? The [migration guide](https://micromanager.win/migrate-from-conductor) walks through the import, and the [shutdown timeline](https://micromanager.win/conductor-shutdown) lists the dates that matter. Something not working? Try [troubleshooting](https://micromanager.win/docs/troubleshooting).

## Where to go next

- [Getting started](https://micromanager.win/docs/getting-started)
- [Troubleshooting](https://micromanager.win/docs/troubleshooting)
- [Privacy](https://micromanager.win/privacy)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is microManager free?

Yes. microManager is free to download and use, with no account and no paid tier. You pay your agent providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXSI and so on) directly, the same way you do when you use their CLIs on their own.

### Do I need an account?

No. There is no microManager account or sign-in. Your agent CLIs keep their own sign-ins, and the GitHub CLI keeps its own for pull requests.

### Does microManager send my code or chats anywhere?

No. Workspaces, chats and settings stay on your computer, and microManager has no telemetry. Your agents talk to their own providers exactly as they do outside microManager, and git and the GitHub CLI talk to your remotes. Beyond that, microManager only contacts micromanager.win, to check for updates. The one exception is naming. When Claude Code is installed, the first message of each new chat goes through it to Anthropic’s Haiku model, which names the chat and a new workspace, whichever agent the chat runs. Turn off “Name workspaces and chats from the first message” in Settings → General to name them on your computer instead.

### Which systems does it run on?

macOS 13 Ventura or later on Apple Silicon (and on Intel for releases that have an Intel build), Windows on x64 PCs, and Linux on x64, as an AppImage or a .deb. Windows on ARM and ARM64 Linux are not supported yet.

### Which coding agents does it support?

Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build, OpenCode and Gemini CLI are built in, and you can add any other agent that speaks the Agent Client Protocol (ACP).

### Does microManager need its own API keys?

No. microManager runs the Claude Code and Codex CLIs you already have installed and signed in, so they work the way they do in your terminal, with whatever account each one is signed in to. It does not sign you in to anything itself.

### Can I import my Conductor workspaces?

Yes, on a Mac, where Conductor keeps its data. Import from Conductor reads Conductor's local database read-only and brings over your repositories, workspaces, chat tabs, agent paths and settings in one step, leaving every worktree where it is. It never writes to Conductor's data.

### Will my .conductor/settings.toml and scripts keep working?

Yes. microManager reads .conductor/settings.toml, .conductor/settings.local.toml, conductor.json and .worktreeinclude, and sets the CONDUCTOR\_\* environment variables Conductor gave local scripts, with the same meanings, alongside its own MICROMANAGER\_\* ones. Imported workspaces get new ports.

### Can I use microManager and Conductor side by side?

Yes, while Conductor's local app still works. Importing leaves Conductor's data and your worktrees untouched, so both apps can show the same workspaces. Avoid running agents in the same worktree from both apps at once.

### How does microManager update?

It checks micromanager.win when it starts and every six hours, downloads new versions in the background and shows a Restart to update button when one is ready.

### Is microManager open source?

Not at the moment. It is free to use; whether to publish the source has not been decided.

### Is microManager made by Conductor or Meta?

No. microManager is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Conductor, its maker or Meta.