diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 4e0fdad..e9daf8b 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -6,16 +6,16 @@ import { detectOS, updateSoftware, installRequired, setNodeVersion } from './scr
 import { checkAoEnvFile, aoEnv, setAoEnv, AO_ENV_FILE_PATH } from './scripts/settings.js'
 import { unicornPortal, asciiArt, clearScreen, spinnerWait } from './scripts/console.js'
 import { welcome, exclaim, roger, farewell } from './scripts/welcome.js'
-import { printManualPage, manualFolderAsMenu } from './scripts/manual.js'
+import { printManualPage, manualFolderAsMenu, AO_MANUAL_PATH } from './scripts/manual.js'
+import { isFolder } from './scripts/files.js'
 import { sleep } from './scripts/util.js'
 import { tests } from './scripts/tests.js'
 import { headerStyle } from './scripts/chalkStyles.js'
 import './scripts/strings.js'
-import { installAoAlias } from './scripts/features.js'
+import { installAoAlias, downloadManual, updateManual } from './scripts/features.js'
 import { startPublicBootstrap } from './scripts/bootstrap.js'
 
 // These should become .env variables that are loaded intelligently
-const MANUAL_PATH = process.env.HOME + '/.ao/manual'
 let distro
 let memberName
 
@@ -66,10 +66,21 @@ async function mainMenu() {
       while(await testsMenu()) {}
       break
     case 'Manual':
-      await printManualPage(MANUAL_PATH) // Fencepost case - print overview page
+      if(!isFolder(AO_MANUAL_PATH)) {
+        console.log("Downloading the AO manual...")
+        if(downloadManual()) {
+          console.log("Downloaded the AO Manual from the official git repo via http and saved to", AO_MANUAL_PATH + '.')
+        } else {
+          console.log('Failed to download the AO manual, sorry.')
+          return false
+        }
+      } else {
+        updateManual()
+      }
+      await printManualPage(AO_MANUAL_PATH) // Fencepost case - print overview page
       let previousChoice = 0
       do {
-        previousChoice = await manualFolderAsMenu(MANUAL_PATH, 'AO User Manual', 'Back to Main Menu', previousChoice + 1)
+        previousChoice = await manualFolderAsMenu(AO_MANUAL_PATH, 'AO User Manual', 'Back to Main Menu', previousChoice + 1)
       } while(previousChoice !== false)
       break
     case 'Log Out':
diff --git a/scripts/features.js b/scripts/features.js
index 246b8f8..8af0ba6 100644
--- a/scripts/features.js
+++ b/scripts/features.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 // Functions to add and remove AO features
-import { execSync } from 'child_process'
+import { execSync, exec } from 'child_process'
+import { AO_MANUAL_PATH } from './manual.js'
 
 // Adds a line to .bashrc to make 'ao' an alias for 'ao-cli', to simplify using the AO from the command line
 export function installAoAlias() {
@@ -12,8 +13,28 @@ export function installAoAlias() {
   }
 }
 
-// Downloads the ao-manual repo to ~/.ao/manual/
-export function downloadAoManual() {
-  console.log(execSync('git clone https://git.coalitionofinvisiblecolleges.org:3009/autonomousorganization/ao-manual.git'))
+export async function updateManual() {
+  exec('cd ' + process.env.HOME + '/.ao/manual && git pull origin main 2>&1', (error, stdout, stderr) => {
+    //console.log('error:', error, 'stdout:', stdout, 'stderr:', stderr)
+    if(error) {
+      console.log('git pull failed with error:', error)
+    }
+    if(stdout.includes('Already up to date.')) {
+      return
+    }
+    console.log('/nAO User Manual was updated.')
+  })
 }
 
+// Downloads the ao-manual repo to ~/.ao/manual/
+export function downloadManual() {
+  try {
+    execSync('git clone http://git.coalitionofinvisiblecolleges.org:3009/autonomousorganization/ao-manual.git ' + AO_MANUAL_PATH + ' 2>&1')
+  } catch(err) {
+    switch(err.code) {
+      case 128:
+        return false
+    }
+  }
+  return true
+}
diff --git a/scripts/manual.js b/scripts/manual.js
index d75e4f4..ec31f1f 100644
--- a/scripts/manual.js
+++ b/scripts/manual.js
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import { loadYamlMarkdownFile, lsFolder, isFolder } from './files.js'
 import { repeatString, centerLines } from './strings.js'
 import { headerStyle, manualTitleStyle } from './chalkStyles.js'
 
+export const AO_MANUAL_PATH = process.env.HOME + '/.ao/manual'
+
 // Removes numbered prefix such as 12_ and .md suffix, replaces underscores with spaces, and adds titlecase
 function formatManualTitleString(title) {
   // Remove .md suffix