Manim Cue
Manim Cue adds a live preview and execution timeline for Manim scenes to VS Code.
It helps you inspect a scene while you edit instead of repeatedly switching to a
terminal and video player.
- See the selected frame soon after saving.
- Scrub and play the finished preview.
- Inspect animations, waits, sections, captions, and sound cues on a timeline.
- Jump from a timeline event to its Python source.
- Compare two captured frames with a wipe or opacity overlay.
- Measure coordinates and distances in a fixed 2D camera frame.
- Save frames, preview videos, timeline data, or a new MP4 render.
Get started
You need desktop VS Code 1.96+, the Microsoft Python extension, and Python 3.11+.
[!IMPORTANT]
Manim Cue currently requires a preview version of Manim. The setup command installs
the upstream refactor/manager-targeted-frame branch from a source archive into a new
project-local .venv. If uv is on VS Code's PATH, Cue can use it with Python 3.13;
otherwise you can use the interpreter selected by the Python extension or locate uv
yourself. Cue never searches other executable paths or modifies an existing environment.
To install the branch manually in an existing uv project, use:
uv add "manim @ https://github.com/ManimCommunity/manim/archive/refs/heads/refactor/manager-targeted-frame.zip"
Or activate an existing virtual environment and use pip:
pip install --upgrade --no-cache-dir "manim @ https://github.com/ManimCommunity/manim/archive/refs/heads/refactor/manager-targeted-frame.zip"
Manim may also need system packages
for Cairo, text rendering, and video encoding. The preview branch may identify itself
as version 0.21.0, so Cue checks its available features rather than its version number.
- Find Manim Cue in the Extensions view and choose Install Pre-Release Version.
You can also install a downloaded VSIX with Extensions → … → Install from VSIX….
- Open the folder containing your scene and trust the workspace.
- Run Manim Cue: Set Up Python Environment. Alternatively, install Manim manually
and run Python: Select Interpreter to choose that environment.
- Run Manim Cue: Check Python Environment. The result should say Ready.
- Open a saved Python file containing a
Scene class.
- Click ▶ Open Manim Cue above the class, or run Manim Cue: Open Scene.
You can try the included examples/cue_demo.py scene first.
Everyday use
Save your scene to update the selected frame and timeline. The previous image remains
visible with an OLD PREVIEW label until the update is ready.
Use the scrubber or timeline to choose a time. Press Space to play or pause and
Left/Right to step by one frame while the preview is focused. Select timeline events
and turn on Loop selection to repeat that part of the scene.
The controls above the preview provide the main tools:
- Export… saves the current frame, preview video, timeline JSON, or a new MP4 render.
- Compare pins a frame, then shows later frames with a wipe or opacity overlay.
- Measure shows Manim coordinates and measures distances.
- The settings cog opens preview width, frame rate, and automatic video settings.
Preview playback is muted. Sound cues still appear on the timeline and exported renders
include scene audio. Measurement is intended for a centred, unrotated 2D camera.
Your scene runs as normal Python code with your user account's file, network, and process
access. Only run scenes and plugins you trust.
Learn more
Third-party notices · License
