How does the 3-Strike Error Protocol work?

It is a built-in logic that forces the AI to diagnose, then try an alternative approach, and finally perform a broader rethink before escalating to the user, preventing repetitive failures.

Does this skill work after using the /clear command?

Yes, it includes a session-catchup script designed to read existing planning files and sync the AI's current context with the work already performed on disk.

What is the Manus-style planning pattern?

It is a high-efficiency workflow where the AI agent uses the filesystem as persistent working memory, writing its plans and discoveries to markdown files to maintain state across long tasks.

When should I use the Planning with Files skill?

Use it for any complex task requiring more than 5 tool calls, deep research projects, or multi-step implementations where losing context would be costly.

Where are the planning files stored?

The skill creates task_plan.md, findings.md, and progress.md directly in your project's root directory so they can be tracked by Git and referenced easily.

Planning with Files (Manus Workflow)

Name: Planning with Files (Manus Workflow)
Author: OthmanAdi

byOthmanAdi

•

13,549

•

Productivity & Workflow

Implements persistent, file-based state management and structured planning for complex multi-step coding tasks.

This skill enhances Claude Code by externalizing the agent's 'working memory' into your project's filesystem. Inspired by the high-performance Manus workflow, it forces a structured approach to complex tasks by maintaining persistent markdown files for planning, research findings, and progress tracking. By using the disk as an extension of the context window, it prevents information loss during long sessions, enables automatic context recovery after session clears, and enforces rigorous error-handling protocols to ensure successful task completion.

Key Features

01Pre-tool and Post-tool hooks that automatically verify and update project plans

02Automatic session recovery and context catch-up scripts for resuming work after /clear

03Standardized 3-Strike Error Protocol for systematic troubleshooting and debugging

04Persistent file-based state management using task_plan.md, findings.md, and progress.md

0513,549 GitHub stars

06A decision matrix for optimizing tool usage and maintaining multimodal context

Use Cases

01Maintaining continuity across long AI coding sessions that exceed context limits

02Executing complex, multi-phase refactoring or architectural changes

03Managing deep-dive research tasks where discoveries must be preserved

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add othmanadi/planning-with-files planning-with-files

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Download Skill