How to Use MakerManifest

Build your first gear list and get it in front of your audience in under 10 minutes.

Create Your Account

Sign up at MakerManifest.co with your email address. Your username becomes your public profile URL — for example, makermanifest.co/TheNewJankyWorkshop.

Set Up Your Affiliate Tags

Go to Dashboard → Settings → Affiliate Links. Add your Amazon Associates tag and any other affiliate network rules. MakerManifest automatically applies your tag to every matching link in every gear list — set it once and it works everywhere.

Tip: Built-in presets for Howl, eBay EPN, AWIN, VigLink, SkimLinks, and more. Howl users can add all their stores in one click with the bulk setup tool. You can also add a catch-all aggregator rule (VigLink/SkimLinks) that applies to any store without its own specific rule.

Create a Gear List

Click "New List" from your dashboard. Give it a title and description — something specific like "My CNC Router Build" or "Leather Working Starter Kit". You can also upload a cover image, pick a category, and link a YouTube video so viewers can watch the build right from the list.

Add Products

Paste any product URL into the Add Item box and click Fetch. MakerManifest scrapes the product title, image, and price automatically. Review the details, pick the best product image, and click "Add to List". Repeat for every item in your kit.

Tip: You can edit the title and description before adding — useful for notes like "this is the one I use". If a site blocks scraping (like Harbor Freight), use the Upload button to add your own product image. Already have items but images are missing? Use the Fetch All Images button at the top of the editor — it re-scrapes every item and updates automatically.

Publish Your List

When you're happy with the list, toggle it from Draft to Published and hit Save Changes. Your list is now live at your public URL — share it anywhere.

Share Your Short Link

Every gear list gets a short link like mkr.ms/aB3xYz. Drop this in your YouTube description, Instagram bio, or wherever you direct your audience. When viewers click through and buy, your affiliate tag is already on every link.

Tip: Individual items also have their own short links for when you want to highlight a single product.

Track Your Views

Your dashboard shows view counts for each gear list and click counts per item. Use this to see which products your audience is most interested in.

Shorten Any URL

Dashboard → Shorten URL lets you create short links for any URL — not just gear lists. Useful for affiliate links, landing pages, or anything else you want to share with a clean short link. Each shortened URL gets its own click counter.

Tip: Short links use the mkr.ms domain (e.g. mkr.ms/aB3xYz) when configured, so they're compact and memorable.

Have questions?

Check the FAQ for answers about gear lists, affiliate links, short links, analytics, and more.

View FAQ

Ready to get started?

Create your account and build your first gear list in minutes.

Open Dashboard