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
uv run 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

Standard Mode

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

Worktree Mode (Multi-Task Parallel Development)

For parallel multi-task development with isolated Git worktrees:

1. Start worktree mode — Use /planning-with-files:worktree [task-name] [target-branch]

   • Example: /planning-with-files:worktree feature-auth main
   • Creates a new Git worktree directory (.worktree/feature-auth/)
   • Creates a task branch with planning files inside the worktree
   • Main directory stays on original branch (no switching!)
   • Multiple worktrees can exist simultaneously for parallel tasks

2. Navigate to worktree — cd .worktree/feature-auth

   • Work on your task in this isolated environment
   • Follow standard planning workflow

3. Complete and merge — Use /planning-with-files:complete [target-branch] from inside the worktree

   • Deletes planning files from worktree
   • Navigates to root directory
   • Merges task branch to target
   • Removes the worktree directory
   • Deletes the task branch

Multi-Task Example:

# Start task 1
/planning-with-files:worktree fix-auth-bug
cd .worktree/fix-auth-bug

# In another terminal, start task 2 (parallel!)
/planning-with-files:worktree refactor-api
cd .worktree/refactor-api

# Each task has its own directory and branch
# No conflicts, no branch switching needed

Benefits:

• Work on multiple tasks simultaneously without conflicts
• Each task has its own isolated environment
• No need to switch branches in the main directory
• Easy cleanup when tasks are complete

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:

• templates/task_plan.md — Phase tracking
• templates/findings.md — Research storage
• templates/progress.md — Session logging

Scripts

Helper scripts for automation:

Standard Mode Scripts

• 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)

Worktree Mode Scripts (v2.7.2)

• scripts/worktree-init.sh — Start a new worktree session (bash)
• scripts/worktree-init.ps1 — Start a new worktree session (PowerShell)
• scripts/worktree-complete.sh — Complete and merge worktree (bash)
• scripts/worktree-complete.ps1 — Complete and merge worktree (PowerShell)

Advanced Topics

• Manus Principles: See reference.md
• Real Examples: See examples.md

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