From my point of view manipulative doesn't speak to whose interest the manipulation is in, but rather to the fact that the manipulator is trying to bypass the a

From my point of view manipulative doesn't speak to whose interest the manipulation is in, but rather to the fact that the manipulator is trying to bypass the autonomy of the target - getting them to do what the manipulator wants without consciously being brought to assent to the reasons behind it. It can therefore be used with good intentions, and may often result in good outcomes if done by an effective manipulator for those good reasons but according to my moral system it is never an ethical way to act, and is likely to ultimately corrode relationships.