planning-with-files

$npx skills add othmanadi/planning-with-files --skill planning-with-files
SKILL.md

Planning With Files

Work like Manus: Use persistent markdown files as your "working memory on disk." **Before starting work**, check for unsynced context from a previous session: ```

Planning with Files

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

FIRST: Check for Previous Session (v2.2.0)

Before starting work, check for unsynced context from a previous session:
# Linux/macOS
$(command -v python3 || command -v python) ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/session-catchup.py "$(pwd)"

# Windows PowerShell
& (Get-Command python -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Source "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude\skills\planning-with-files\scripts\session-catchup.py" (Get-Location)
If catchup report shows unsynced context:
  1. Run git diff --stat to see actual code changes
  2. Read current planning files
  3. Update planning files based on catchup + git diff
  4. Then proceed with task

Important: Where Files Go

  • Templates are in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/
  • Your planning files go in your project directory
Location
What Goes There
Skill directory (${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/)
Templates, scripts, reference docs
Your project directory
task_plan.md, findings.md, progress.md

Quick Start

Before ANY complex task:
  1. Create task_plan.md — Use templates/task_plan.md as reference
  2. Create findings.md — Use templates/findings.md as reference
  3. Create progress.md — Use templates/progress.md as reference
  4. Re-read plan before decisions — Refreshes goals in attention window
  5. Update after each phase — Mark complete, log errors
Note: Planning files go in your project root, not the skill installation folder.

The Core Pattern

Context Window = RAM (volatile, limited)
Filesystem = Disk (persistent, unlimited)

→ Anything important gets written to disk.

File Purposes

File
Purpose
When to Update
task_plan.md
Phases, progress, decisions
After each phase
findings.md
Research, discoveries
After ANY discovery
progress.md
Session log, test results
Throughout session

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
| Error | Attempt | Resolution |
|-------|---------|------------|
| FileNotFoundError | 1 | Created default config |
| API timeout | 2 | Added retry logic |
`### 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

Situation
Action
Reason
Just wrote a file
DON'T read
Content still in context
Viewed image/PDF
Write findings NOW
Multimodal → text before lost
Browser returned data
Write to file
Screenshots don't persist
Starting new phase
Read plan/findings
Re-orient if context stale
Error occurred
Read relevant file
Need current state to fix
Resuming after gap
Read all planning files
Recover state

The 5-Question Reboot Test

If you can answer these, your context management is solid:
Question
Answer Source
Where am I?
Current phase in task_plan.md
Where am I going?
Remaining phases
What's the goal?
Goal statement in plan
What have I learned?
findings.md
What have I done?
progress.md

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:

Scripts

Helper scripts for automation:
  • scripts/init-session.sh — Initialize all planning files
  • scripts/check-complete.sh — Verify all phases complete
  • scripts/session-catchup.py — Recover context from previous session (v2.2.0)

Advanced Topics

Anti-Patterns

Don't
Do Instead
Use TodoWrite for persistence
Create task_plan.md file
State goals once and forget
Re-read plan before decisions
Hide errors and retry silently
Log errors to plan file
Stuff everything in context
Store large content in files
Start executing immediately
Create plan file FIRST
Repeat failed actions
Track attempts, mutate approach
Create files in skill directory
Create files in your project