Planning with Files

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

The Core Pattern

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

Anything important gets written to disk.

Quick Start

Before ANY complex task:

• Create task_plan.md

• Use the template below

• Create findings.md

• For research and discoveries

• Create progress.md

• For session logging

• Re-read plan before decisions - Refreshes goals in attention window

• Update after each phase - Mark complete, log errors

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

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

Templates

task_plan.md Template

Task Plan: [Task Name]

Goal

[Clear statement of what we're trying to accomplish]

Phases

Phase 1: [Name]

• Status: pending | in_progress | complete
• Tasks:
  • Task 1
  • Task 2

Phase 2: [Name]

• Status: pending
• Tasks:
  • Task 1

Errors Encountered

Decisions Made

Files Modified

• [file1.py] - [what changed]

findings.md Template

Research Findings

[Topic 1]

• Key insight 1
• Key insight 2
• Source: [where found]

[Topic 2]

• Finding 1
• Finding 2

progress.md Template

Session Progress

[Date/Time]

• Started: [task]
• Completed: [what]
• Blocked on: [if any]
• Next: [what's next]

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

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