CodeBuddy IDE Setup

CodeBuddy IDE Setup

Using planning-with-files with CodeBuddy.

Installation

CodeBuddy auto-discovers skills from .codebuddy/skills/ directories. Two installation methods:

Method 1: Workspace Installation (Recommended)

Share the skill with your entire team by adding it to your repository:

# In your project repository
git clone https://github.com/OthmanAdi/planning-with-files.git /tmp/planning-with-files

# Copy the CodeBuddy skill to your repo
cp -r /tmp/planning-with-files/.codebuddy .

# Commit to share with team
git add .codebuddy/
git commit -m "Add planning-with-files skill for CodeBuddy"
git push

# Clean up
rm -rf /tmp/planning-with-files

Now everyone on your team using CodeBuddy will have access to the skill!

Method 2: Personal Installation

Install just for yourself:

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/OthmanAdi/planning-with-files.git /tmp/planning-with-files

# Copy to your personal CodeBuddy skills folder
mkdir -p ~/.codebuddy/skills
cp -r /tmp/planning-with-files/.codebuddy/skills/planning-with-files ~/.codebuddy/skills/

# Clean up
rm -rf /tmp/planning-with-files

Verification

Restart your CodeBuddy session, then the skill will auto-activate when you work on complex tasks.

No slash command needed - CodeBuddy automatically invokes skills based on your task description!

How It Works

Auto-Activation

CodeBuddy scans your task and automatically activates the skill when you:

• Mention "complex task" or "multi-step project"
• Request planning or organization
• Start research tasks
• Work on projects requiring >5 steps

Trigger Phrases

Increase auto-activation likelihood by using these phrases:

• "Create a task plan for..."
• "This is a multi-step project..."
• "I need planning for..."
• "Help me organize this complex task..."

Example Request

I need to build a REST API with authentication,
database integration, and comprehensive testing.
This is a complex multi-step project that will
require careful planning.

CodeBuddy will automatically invoke planning-with-files and create the three planning files.

The Three Files

Once activated, the skill creates:

Templates

The skill includes starter templates in .codebuddy/skills/planning-with-files/references/:

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

Usage Pattern

1. Start Complex Task

Describe your task with complexity indicators:

I'm building a user authentication system.
This is a multi-phase project requiring database
setup, API endpoints, testing, and documentation.

2. Skill Auto-Activates

CodeBuddy invokes planning-with-files and creates the planning files.

3. Work Through Phases

The AI will:

• ✅ Create task_plan.md with phases
• ✅ Update progress as work completes
• ✅ Store research in findings.md
• ✅ Log actions in progress.md
• ✅ Re-read plans before major decisions

4. Track Everything

All important information gets written to disk, not lost in context window.

Skill Features

The 3-Strike Error Protocol

When errors occur, the AI:

1. Attempt 1: Diagnose and fix
2. Attempt 2: Try alternative approach
3. Attempt 3: Broader rethink
4. After 3 failures: Escalate to you

The 2-Action Rule

After every 2 search/view operations, findings are saved to findings.md.

Prevents losing visual/multimodal information.

Read Before Decide

Before major decisions, the AI re-reads planning files to refresh goals.

Prevents goal drift in long sessions.

Team Workflow

Workspace Skills (Recommended)

With workspace installation (.codebuddy/skills/):

• ✅ Everyone on team has the skill
• ✅ Consistent planning across projects
• ✅ Version controlled with your repo
• ✅ Changes sync via git

Personal Skills

With personal installation (~/.codebuddy/skills/):

• ✅ Use across all your projects
• ✅ Keep it even if you switch teams
• ❌ Not shared with teammates

Why This Works

This pattern is why Manus AI (acquired by Meta for $2 billion) succeeded:

"Markdown is my 'working memory' on disk. Since I process information iteratively and my active context has limits, Markdown files serve as scratch pads for notes, checkpoints for progress, building blocks for final deliverables." — Manus AI

Key insight: Context window = RAM (volatile). Filesystem = Disk (persistent).

Write important information to disk, not context.

Troubleshooting

Skill Not Activating?

1. Add trigger phrases: Use "complex task", "multi-step", "planning" in your request
2. Be explicit: Mention number of phases or complexity
3. Restart CodeBuddy: Agent rescans skills on restart

Files Not Created?

Check:

• Current directory is writable
• No file permission issues
• Agent has file system access

Need Templates?

Templates are in:

• Workspace: .codebuddy/skills/planning-with-files/references/
• Personal: ~/.codebuddy/skills/planning-with-files/references/

Copy them to your project root and customize.

Advanced: Customization

Modify the Skill

Edit .codebuddy/skills/planning-with-files/SKILL.md to customize:

• Change trigger phrases in description
• Adjust planning patterns
• Add team-specific rules

Add Custom Templates

Place custom templates in:

.codebuddy/skills/planning-with-files/references/

CodeBuddy will reference them automatically.

Agent Skills Standard

This skill follows the Agent Skills Specification, an open standard for AI coding assistants.

The same skill format works across:

• CodeBuddy
• Claude Code
• Cursor
• And other Agent Skills-compatible IDEs

Support

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/OthmanAdi/planning-with-files/issues
• CodeBuddy Docs: https://www.codebuddy.ai/docs/ide/Features/Skills
• Agent Skills Spec: https://agentskills.io/specification
• Author: @OthmanAdi

See Also

• Quick Start Guide
• Workflow Diagram
• Manus Principles
• Real Examples