Planning With Files

---
name: planning-with-files
version: "3.2.0"
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. Now with automatic session recovery after /clear and optional Git worktree mode.
user-invocable: true
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - Bash
  - Glob
  - Grep
  - WebFetch
  - WebSearch
hooks:
  PreToolUse:
    # Location verification for worktree mode (Write/Edit operations only)
    - matcher: "Write|Edit"
      hooks:
        - type: command
          command: |
            SCRIPT_DIR="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-$HOME/.claude/plugins/planning-with-files}/scripts"
            # Check for worktree config and verify location
            if [ -f ".planning-config.json" ]; then
              # Determine which verification script to use
              if command -v pwsh &> /dev/null && [[ "$OSTYPE" == "msys" || "$OSTYPE" == "win32" || "$OS" == "Windows_NT" ]]; then
                pwsh -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$SCRIPT_DIR/verify-location.ps1" 2>/dev/null || powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$SCRIPT_DIR/verify-location.ps1" 2>/dev/null || bash "$SCRIPT_DIR/verify-location.sh"
              else
                bash "$SCRIPT_DIR/verify-location.sh"
              fi
              # Exit code 1 means wrong location - block the operation
              if [ $? -eq 1 ]; then
                exit 1
              fi
            fi
    # Show task_plan context for all operations (except in worktree mode for read/grep/glob)
    - matcher: "Write|Edit|Bash|Read|Glob|Grep"
      hooks:
        - type: command
          command: |
            # In worktree mode, silence read/grep/glob operations
            if [ -f ".planning-config.json" ]; then
              MODE=$(jq -r '.mode' .planning-config.json 2>/dev/null || echo "")
              if [ "$MODE" = "worktree" ]; then
                # Silent for read/grep/glob in worktree mode
                case "$CLAUDE_TOOL_NAME" in
                  Read|Glob|Grep) exit 0 ;;
                esac
              fi
            fi
            # Show task_plan for write/edit/bash or standard mode
            cat task_plan.md 2>/dev/null | head -30 || true
  PostToolUse:
    - matcher: "Write|Edit"
      hooks:
        - type: command
          command: "echo '[planning-with-files] File updated. If this completes a phase, update task_plan.md status.'"
  Stop:
    - hooks:
        - type: command
          command: |
            SCRIPT_DIR="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-$HOME/.claude/plugins/planning-with-files}/scripts"
            if command -v pwsh &> /dev/null && [[ "$OSTYPE" == "msys" || "$OSTYPE" == "win32" || "$OS" == "Windows_NT" ]]; then
              pwsh -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$SCRIPT_DIR/check-complete.ps1" 2>/dev/null || powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$SCRIPT_DIR/check-complete.ps1" 2>/dev/null || bash "$SCRIPT_DIR/check-complete.sh"
            else
              bash "$SCRIPT_DIR/check-complete.sh"
            fi
---

# Planning with Files

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

## FIRST: Check for Previous Session (v2.2.0)

**Before starting work**, check for unsynced context from a previous session:

```bash
# Linux/macOS
uv run python ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/session-catchup.py "$(pwd)"
```

```powershell
# Windows PowerShell
& (Get-Command python -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Source "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude\skills\planning-with-files\scripts\session-catchup.py" (Get-Location)
```

If catchup report shows unsynced context:
1. Run `git diff --stat` to see actual code changes
2. Read current planning files
3. Update planning files based on catchup + git diff
4. Then proceed with task

## Important: Where Files Go

- **Templates** are in `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/`
- **Your planning files** go in **your project directory**

| Location | What Goes There |
|----------|-----------------|
| Skill directory (`${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/`) | Templates, scripts, reference docs |
| Your project directory | `task_plan.md`, `findings.md`, `progress.md` |

## Quick Start

### Standard Mode

Before ANY complex task:

1. **Create `task_plan.md`** — Use [templates/task_plan.md](templates/task_plan.md) as reference
2. **Create `findings.md`** — Use [templates/findings.md](templates/findings.md) as reference
3. **Create `progress.md`** — Use [templates/progress.md](templates/progress.md) as reference
4. **Re-read plan before decisions** — Refreshes goals in attention window
5. **Update after each phase** — Mark complete, log errors

### Worktree Mode (Multi-Task Parallel Development)

For **parallel multi-task development** with isolated Git worktrees:

1. **Start worktree mode** — Use `/planning-with-files:worktree [task-name] [target-branch]`
   - Example: `/planning-with-files:worktree feature-auth main`
   - Creates a new Git worktree directory (`.worktree/feature-auth/`)
   - Creates a task branch with planning files inside the worktree
   - **Main directory stays on original branch** (no switching!)
   - **Multiple worktrees can exist simultaneously** for parallel tasks

2. **Navigate to worktree** — `cd .worktree/feature-auth`
   - Work on your task in this isolated environment
   - Follow standard planning workflow

3. **Complete and merge** — Use `/planning-with-files:complete [target-branch]` from **inside the worktree**
   - Deletes planning files from worktree
   - Navigates to root directory
   - Merges task branch to target
   - Removes the worktree directory
   - Deletes the task branch

**Multi-Task Example:**
```bash
# Start task 1
/planning-with-files:worktree fix-auth-bug
cd .worktree/fix-auth-bug

# In another terminal, start task 2 (parallel!)
/planning-with-files:worktree refactor-api
cd .worktree/refactor-api

# Each task has its own directory and branch
# No conflicts, no branch switching needed
```

**Benefits:**
- Work on multiple tasks simultaneously without conflicts
- Each task has its own isolated environment
- No need to switch branches in the main directory
- Easy cleanup when tasks are complete

> **Note:** Planning files go in your project root, not the skill installation folder.

## The Core Pattern

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

→ Anything important gets written to disk.
```

## 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.

```markdown
## 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 |

## 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 |

## 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

## Templates

Copy these templates to start:

- [templates/task_plan.md](templates/task_plan.md) — Phase tracking
- [templates/findings.md](templates/findings.md) — Research storage
- [templates/progress.md](templates/progress.md) — Session logging

## Scripts

Helper scripts for automation:

### Standard Mode Scripts
- `scripts/init-session.sh` — Initialize all planning files
- `scripts/check-complete.sh` — Verify all phases complete
- `scripts/session-catchup.py` — Recover context from previous session (v2.2.0)

### Worktree Mode Scripts (v2.7.2)
- `scripts/worktree-init.sh` — Start a new worktree session (bash)
- `scripts/worktree-init.ps1` — Start a new worktree session (PowerShell)
- `scripts/worktree-complete.sh` — Complete and merge worktree (bash)
- `scripts/worktree-complete.ps1` — Complete and merge worktree (PowerShell)

## Advanced Topics

- **Manus Principles:** See [reference.md](reference.md)
- **Real Examples:** See [examples.md](examples.md)

## 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 |
| Create files in skill directory | Create files in your project |