We theoretically model the manipulation of a nanorod by an atomic force microscope (AFM), aiming at the determination of its sliding or rolling regimes of motion. It is found that, for contact-mode manipulation, rolling requires simultaneous fulfilment of several conditions. Namely, the corrugation of the substrate potential must be sufficiently high to overcome the effects of the particle adhesion to the substrate and to the tip. On the other hand, the corrugation of the tip potential should be relatively low to allow the particle corners to slide against the tip surface as the particle rotates. Furthermore, only sliding is possible if the tip opening angle or its radius of curvature exceed some critical values determined by the geometry of the particle cross-section. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2013