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Planning with Files

Keeps task_plan.md, findings.md and progress.md on disk so multi-step work survives context loss and /clear.

AutomationIntermediate★ 26,060⑂ 2,177AI score 8/10Last updated: Aug 9, 2026

What it does

Applies the Manus-style "working memory on disk" pattern: before any complex task, Claude creates and continuously updates three markdown files in your project root.

  • task_plan.md — phases, status, key decisions
  • findings.md — research, search results, discoveries
  • progress.md — session log, test results

It also enforces practical rules: the 2-action rule (flush findings to disk after every two view/search operations), a 3-strike error protocol so the agent never repeats the same failing action, a context-recovery routine using session-catchup.py plus git diff, and a prompt-injection boundary that keeps untrusted web content out of task_plan.md.

Who it's for

  • Developers doing refactors or migrations that span multiple sessions
  • Anyone frustrated by Claude losing the thread after /clear or a full context window
  • Researchers and PMs who want an auditable research → synthesis → execution trail
  • Teams that want to stop agents from looping on the same failed fix

Examples

  1. API v1 → v2 migration: Ask it to plan the work and it writes a 6-phase task_plan.md, storing per-endpoint research in findings.md. The next day a fresh session reads the three files and resumes at Phase 3.
  2. Competitor research: After every two web searches, key facts land in findings.md, so evidence survives even when screenshots and page text fall out of context.
  3. Build failure debugging: Attempt 1 targets the root cause, attempt 2 switches approach, attempt 3 questions assumptions — then it escalates with a written log of what was tried instead of spinning.

· · · Install guide · · ·

Install in the Claude app (no terminal)
  1. Download the ZIP with the button below.
  2. In Claude, open Settings → Capabilities and turn on 'Code execution and file creation'. (one time)
  3. Go to Customize → Skills → + → 'Upload a skill' and upload the ZIP.
↓ Download ZIP
Install in Claude Code

Let Claude do it — paste this into Claude Code

Install the skill I found on Claude Skill Mart.
Copy the .hermes/skills/planning-with-files folder from the GitHub repo OthmanAdi/planning-with-files into my ~/.claude/skills/othmanadi-planning-with-files-7/.
When it's done, tell me in one line what this skill can do.

Install with a command instead

git clone https://github.com/OthmanAdi/planning-with-files.git && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r planning-with-files/.hermes/skills/planning-with-files ~/.claude/skills/

⚠ This is a third-party skill. Check the source repository before installing.

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. Clone the repo: git clone https://github.com/OthmanAdi/planning-with-files.git
  3. Create the skills folder: mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
  4. Copy the skill: cp -r planning-with-files/.hermes/skills/planning-with-files ~/.claude/skills/
  5. Verify templates/ and scripts/ came along: ls ~/.claude/skills/planning-with-files
  6. Restart Claude Code and try a prompt like "plan this project out step by step" to trigger the skill.
  7. (Optional) The $HERMES_HOME paths in the doc are Hermes-specific — in Claude Code substitute ~/.claude/skills/planning-with-files, including when running session-catchup.py.
  8. Remember: task_plan.md, findings.md and progress.md belong in your project directory, not inside the skill folder.
View source on GitHub ↗License: MIT