Planning with Files

"Work like Manus" — Uses persistent markdown files for planning, progress tracking, and knowledge storage.

Description

A Claude Code skill that transforms your workflow to use persistent markdown files for planning and progress tracking — the pattern that made Manus AI worth billions.

The Problem

Claude Code (and most AI agents) suffer from:

• Volatile memory — TodoWrite tool disappears on context reset
• Goal drift — Original goals get forgotten after many tool calls
• Hidden errors — Failures aren't tracked, mistakes repeat
• Context stuffing — Everything crammed into context instead of stored

The Solution: 3-File Pattern

For every complex task, create THREE files:

task_plan.md      → Track phases and progress
notes.md          → Store research and findings
[deliverable].md  → Final output

The Workflow Loop

1. Create task_plan.md with goal and phases
2. Research → save to notes.md → update task_plan.md
3. Read notes.md → create deliverable → update task_plan.md
4. Deliver final output

When to Use

Use this pattern 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

Installation

This skill is typically installed globally at ~/.claude/skills/planning-with-files/.

From this repository:

ln -s /path/to/agent-playbook/skills/planning-with-files ~/.claude/skills/planning-with-files

If you prefer the standalone workflow, see the upstream repository in the Links section.

The Manus Principles

Example

You: "Research the benefits of TypeScript and write a summary"

Claude creates:

# Task Plan: TypeScript Benefits Research

## Goal
Create a research summary on TypeScript benefits.

## Phases
- [x] Phase 1: Create plan ✓
- [ ] Phase 2: Research and gather sources (CURRENT)
- [ ] Phase 3: Synthesize findings
- [ ] Phase 4: Deliver summary

## Status
**Currently in Phase 2** - Searching for sources

Links

• GitHub Repository
• Context Engineering for AI Agents