planning-with-files

Name: planning-with-files
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)
Author: mxyhi

by @mxyhi in AI & LLM

# Install this skill:

npx skills add mxyhi/ok-skills --skill "planning-with-files"

Install specific skill from multi-skill repository

# Description

Implements Manus-style file-based planning for complex tasks. Creates task_plan.md, findings.md, and progress.md. Use when starting complex multi-step tasks, research projects, or any task requiring >5 tool calls.

# SKILL.md

name: planning-with-files
description: Implements Manus-style file-based planning for complex tasks. Creates task_plan.md, findings.md, and progress.md. Use when starting complex multi-step tasks, research projects, or any task requiring >5 tool calls.

Planning with Files

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

Core Principle

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

→ Anything important gets written to disk.

Quick Start

Before ANY complex task, create these three files:

task_plan.md — Track phases and progress
findings.md — Store research and discoveries
progress.md — Session log and test results

See templates/ for starting templates.

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

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

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

Anti-Patterns

Don't	Do Instead
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

Advanced Topics

Manus Principles: See references.md
Real Examples: See examples.md

This pattern is why Manus went from launch to $2B acquisition in 8 months.

# Supported AI Coding Agents

This skill is compatible with the SKILL.md standard and works with all major AI coding agents:

⚡ Amp 🚀 Antigravity 🤖 Claude Code 🦀 Clawdbot 📝 Codex ▶️ Cursor 🤖 Droid 💎 Gemini CLI 🐙 GitHub Copilot 🪿 Goose 📊 Kilo Code 🔧 Kiro CLI 💻 OpenCode 🦘 Roo Code 🌲 Trae 🏄 Windsurf

Learn more about the SKILL.md standard and how to use these skills with your preferred AI coding agent.