Agent-Skills.md

Agent Skills: Planning with Files

Uses persistent markdown files for general planning, progress tracking, and knowledge storage (Manus-style workflow). Use for multi-step tasks, research projects, or general organization WITHOUT mentioning PRD. For PRD-specific work, use prd-planner skill instead.

UncategorizedID: charon-fan/agent-playbook/planning-with-files

Repository

charon-fan/agent-playbook
zhaono1
41

Install this agent skill to your local

pnpm dlx add-skill https://github.com/zhaono1/agent-playbook/tree/HEAD/skills/planning-with-files

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skills/planning-with-files/SKILL.md

Skill Metadata

Name
planning-with-files
Description
Uses persistent markdown files for general planning, progress tracking, and knowledge storage (Manus-style workflow). Use for multi-step tasks, research projects, or general organization WITHOUT mentioning PRD. For PRD-specific work, use prd-planner skill instead.

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

| Principle | Implementation | |-----------|----------------| | Filesystem as memory | Store in files, not context | | Attention manipulation | Re-read plan before decisions | | Error persistence | Log failures in plan file | | Goal tracking | Checkboxes show progress | | Append-only context | Never modify history |

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