Planning With Files

Planning with Files (Manus-style)

This skill enables the agent to maintain a persistent "working memory" on disk, allowing for complex, multi-step tasks to be executed reliably without losing context.

Core Files (The "Disk")

The agent MUST manage three specific markdown files in the project root:

1. task_plan.md (The Map): Stores the high-level goals, phases, and status.
2. findings.md (The Knowledge): Stores research, technical decisions, and content "scraped" from the environment.
3. progress.md (The Log): Stores a chronological log of actions, identifying "where we are" after a restart.

Rules of Engagement

1. The "Plan First" Rule

NEVER start a complex coding or research task without first checking for (or creating) a task_plan.md.

• If one exists, READ IT to ground yourself.
• If none exists, CREATE IT using the task_plan.md template from the references/ folder.

2. The "2-Action" Rule (Context Offloading)

The agent has a limited "RAM" (context window). To prevent "context drift":

• Every 2 browser actions (search, visit, read), you MUST summarize and save findings to findings.md.
• Every 2 major file edits, you MUST update progress.md.
• NEVER keep large blobs of text (like docs or scrape results) in your context. Save them to findings.md immediately.

3. The "Read Before Write" Rule (Attention Manipulation)

Before making a significant technical decision or starting a new phase:

• READ task_plan.md again.
• This forces the global goal back into the "recent tokens" of your attention span, reducing hallucinations.

4. The "3-Strike" Error Protocol

If a tool or action fails:

1. Attempt 1: Analyze the error, fix the arguments, and retry. Log in progress.md.
2. Attempt 2: Try a different tool or approach (e.g., if grep fails, use find). Log the pivot in progress.md.
3. Attempt 3: STOP. Do not loop. Write a "Blocker" status to task_plan.md and ask the user for help.

Workflow Triggers

Activate this skill when:

• The user asks for a "plan" or "roadmap".
• The task involves >3 files or >2 distinct phases.
• The user mentions "context lost" or "where were we?".

Setup

If the files do not exist, copy the templates from the references/ directory of this skill to the project root.

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