planning-with-files

Planning with Files

Work like Manus: Use persistent markdown files as your "working memory on disk."

Important: Where Files Go

When using this skill:

Templates are stored in the skill directory at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/

Your planning files (task_plan.md, findings.md, progress.md) should be created in your project directory — the folder where you're working

This ensures your planning files live alongside your code, not buried in the skill installation folder.

Quick Start

Before ANY complex task:

Create task_plan.md in your project — Use templates/task_plan.md as reference

Create findings.md in your project — Use templates/findings.md as reference

Create progress.md in your project — Use templates/progress.md as reference

Re-read plan before decisions — Refreshes goals in attention window

Update after each phase — Mark complete, log errors

> Note: All three planning files should be created in your current working directory (your project root), not in the skill's installation folder.

The Core Pattern

Context Window = RAM (volatile, limited)
Filesystem = Disk (persistent, unlimited)
→ Anything important gets written to disk.

File Purposes

Critical Rules

1. Create Plan First

Never start a complex task without task_plan.md. Non-negotiable.

2. The 2-Action Rule

> "After every 2 view/browser/search operations, IMMEDIATELY save key findings to text files."

This prevents visual/multimodal information from being lost.

3. Read Before Decide

Before major decisions, read the plan file. This keeps goals in your attention window.

4. Update After Act

After completing any phase:

Mark phase status: in_progress → complete

Log any errors encountered

Note files created/modified

5. Log ALL Errors

Every error goes in the plan file. This builds knowledge and prevents repetition.

## Errors Encountered
<div class="overflow-x-auto my-6"><table class="min-w-full divide-y divide-border border border-border"><thead><tr><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-sm font-semibold text-foreground bg-muted/50">Error</th><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-sm font-semibold text-foreground bg-muted/50">Attempt</th><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-sm font-semibold text-foreground bg-muted/50">Resolution</th></tr></thead><tbody class="divide-y divide-border"><tr><td class="px-4 py-2 text-sm text-foreground">FileNotFoundError</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-sm text-foreground">1</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-sm text-foreground">Created default config</td></tr><tr><td class="px-4 py-2 text-sm text-foreground">API timeout</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-sm text-foreground">2</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-sm text-foreground">Added retry logic</td></tr></tbody></table></div>

6. Never Repeat Failures

if action_failed:
    next_action != same_action

Track what you tried. Mutate the approach.

The 3-Strike Error Protocol

ATTEMPT 1: Diagnose & Fix
  → Read error carefully
  → Identify root cause
  → Apply targeted fix
ATTEMPT 2: Alternative Approach
  → Same error? Try different method
  → Different tool? Different library?
  → NEVER repeat exact same failing action
ATTEMPT 3: Broader Rethink
  → Question assumptions
  → Search for solutions
  → Consider updating the plan
AFTER 3 FAILURES: Escalate to User
  → Explain what you tried
  → Share the specific error
  → Ask for guidance

Read vs Write Decision Matrix

The 5-Question Reboot Test

If you can answer these, your context management is solid:

When to Use This Pattern

Use for:

Multi-step tasks (3+ steps)

Research tasks

Building/creating projects

Tasks spanning many tool calls

Anything requiring organization

Skip for:

Simple questions

Single-file edits

Quick lookups

Templates

Copy these templates to start:

templates/task_plan.md — Phase tracking

templates/findings.md — Research storage

templates/progress.md — Session logging

Scripts

Helper scripts for automation:

scripts/init-session.sh — Initialize all planning files

scripts/check-complete.sh — Verify all phases complete

Advanced Topics

Manus Principles: See reference.md

Real Examples: See examples.md

Anti-Patterns