Manim-Studio

Installation

Manim Studio supports three local development paths:

• reusable Docker runtime for this repo or external Manim projects
• VS Code devcontainer for contributors
• local editable Python install for environments that already have the render toolchain

Python source remains the source of truth in every path.

Runtime Image

Build the local runtime image from the repository root:

docker build --target runtime -t manim-studio:local .

The runtime image:

• uses manimcommunity/manim:v0.20.1 as its base
• installs FFmpeg, TeX Live, dvisvgm, fontconfig, DejaVu fonts, and Noto fonts
• installs Manim Studio into /opt/venv
• sets /workspace as the mounted external project root
• exposes studio and manim-mcp on PATH

Linux users can match host ownership at build time:

docker build \
  --target runtime \
  --build-arg USER_UID="$(id -u)" \
  --build-arg USER_GID="$(id -g)" \
  -t manim-studio:local .

The defaults are 1000:1000. On Docker Desktop for Windows and macOS, bind-mount ownership is mediated by Docker Desktop.

Devcontainer

Install these host tools:

• VS Code
• Docker Desktop
• VS Code Dev Containers extension
• WSL 2 on Windows hosts, with the repository cloned inside the Linux filesystem when possible

Open the repository in VS Code and run Dev Containers: Reopen in Container. The devcontainer builds the dev target from the root Dockerfile, installs the package in editable mode, and runs studio doctor after creation.

Local Python Install

For non-container development, use Python 3.11 or newer:

python -m pip install -e ".[dev]"

This path expects the local machine to already provide compatible render prerequisites such as Manim, Manim Slides, FFmpeg, LaTeX/XeLaTeX, dvisvgm, and Hebrew-capable fonts. The Docker runtime is the supported reproducible path when those tools are not already installed.

Verify Installation

Run:

studio doctor
studio doctor --catalog

Expected checks include Python, Manim, Manim Slides, FFmpeg, LaTeX, XeLaTeX, dvisvgm, and Hebrew-capable font availability. The --catalog option also checks migrated scene metadata, baseline paths, render command coverage, and font notes.

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