A remote system is considered for the in-vessel maintenance of the IGNITEX device. The specified maintenance tasks include: inspection, coating repair of the first wall, and cleaning of the vacuum vessel. In this paper the conceptual design of the in-vessel remote maintenance system (IVRMS) is presented. The IVRMS consists of a manipulator chain, a series of dedicated tools as end-effectors, a control system, and a delivery system. A manipulator of snake type with 11 degrees of freedom (DOF), consisting of a toroidal chain (6 links) and a poloidal chain (3 links), is used to provide 90° toroidal reach and 360° poloidal reach in the IGNITEX vacuum vessel. The mechanical structure design of the manipulator uses light weight and compact actuator modules and carbon fiber materials for the links. The interface of the IVRMS with the IGNITEX system is described. A system control layout including the hardware and software architecture is discussed. The concept and implementation of this design provides general features for in-vessel remote maintenance of a small fusion tokamak.