> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.pgschema.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Direct CLI demo with Manus and asciinema

> Using Manus AI agent to script and record a polished CLI demo with asciinema, complete with human-like typing and proper pauses.

export const AsciinemaPlayer = ({recordingId, title = "Terminal Recording", height}) => <div className="my-8 overflow-hidden rounded-xl shadow-lg">
    <iframe className="w-full border-0" src={`https://asciinema.org/a/${recordingId}/iframe?fit=width&autoplay=0`} title={title} allowFullScreen style={{
  height,
  overflow: 'hidden',
  scrollbarWidth: 'none',
  msOverflowStyle: 'none'
}} />
  </div>;

## Background

When demonstrating CLI tools like pgschema, [asciinema](https://asciinema.org) is a good way
to record the demo. I started by creating the recording manually.

<AsciinemaPlayer recordingId="a3nNUOReLrkW2yWzJs7TF1T7W" title="manual recording" height="400px" />

However, even though I had prepared and practiced, the manual recording still included typos and pauses.

Not a smooth experience.

Then it occurred to me that I could use AI to script the demo.

## Process

[Manus](https://manus.im) is a general AI agent. I have been using it for various research tasks. I watch it spin up browsers, click links, and extract information. Scripting a terminal demo is a natural extension of its capabilities.

### 1st Recording: Too fast

I started by giving Manus this instruction.

```text theme={null}
Read https://www.pgschema.com/.

Use asciinema to record a cast to demonstrate. Dump, edit, plan, apply workflow 
```

Since pgschema is new, I needed to explicitly provide the URL. On the other hand, I assumed asciinema is well-known and doesn't need further introduction.

It was doing the right thing, but too fast—the demo finished in the blink of an eye. Well, it's AI after all.

### 2nd Recording: Add delays

I then gently asked Manus to simulate human typing behavior:

```text theme={null}
You are doing it too fast. Please simulate human typing behavior.
This way the cast is more realistic and people can follow along.
```

There were some problems along the way—for example, at one point it didn't generate the cast file as instructed at all.

After some additional tweaking, it was finally on track.

### 3rd Recording: Polish

There were still some rough edges.

In particular, the demo added a `CREATE TABLE` change, but to showcase
the declarative approach, it would be better to demonstrate an `ALTER TABLE` change—essentially comparing
two `CREATE TABLE` statements and generating the `ALTER TABLE` migration.

This is my prompt:

```text theme={null}
This is too short, we still need to:

1. After dumping, show the initial schema
2. Show exactly what we change in the schema
3. Apply, then confirm with a small pause so it's visible to the viewer
4. Dump and show the schema after the change

Also, to show the declarative approach, we should add a column instead of
creating a table. Creating a table can't demonstrate the difference of the
declarative approach.
```

### Found a Bug

Now Manus generated a near-perfect demo with:

1. Clear workflow with all requested steps
2. Proper pauses
3. Color highlighting
4. Readable text

The imperfect part wasn't caused by Manus, but my pgschema.

![\_](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pgplex/pgschema/main/docs/images/blog/demo-with-manus-and-asciinema/bad-newline.webp)

The generated dump didn't end with a newline. This was obvious from the playback.

### Final Recording

After I fixed the bug, I asked Manus to generate the final version.

```text theme={null}
This pgschema version has a bug where the dump doesn't end with a newline.
I have fixed the issue. Please force pull the latest pgschema and rerun
the same script.
```

This time, Manus delivered a clean demo as shown below.

<AsciinemaPlayer recordingId="vXHygDMUkGYsF6nmz2h0ONEQC" title="pgschema workflow demo" height="550px" />

## Reflection

I have made the entire Manus session public and you can check it [here](https://manus.im/share/8fEln1OzxpnsRSU1PnHweG?replay=1).

Manus didn't just execute commands—it interpreted my intent, made mistakes, course-corrected, and even helped me discover a bug in my own software.

Fittingly, the first feature request for pgschema was to make it more AI coding friendly:

![\_](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pgplex/pgschema/main/docs/images/blog/demo-with-manus-and-asciinema/ai-feature-request.webp)

An AI-built codebase, demoed by an AI agent, for an audience that will likely include developers working alongside AI. Perhaps this is just a glimpse of how software development is evolving.