What is Planning with Files?

A workflow that keeps task_plan.md, findings.md, and progress.md in your repo to preserve context, decisions, and progress.

When should I use it?

Use it for complex, multi-step work or anything that needs checkpoints and clear handoffs.

Copy the Skill prompt, create the three files at the project root, and update them as you execute.

Workflow

Planning with Files

Keep complex work anchored in real files.

Capture goals, findings, and progress in three files so your team never loses context. Perfect for multi-step tasks, complex development, and long-running projects.

View the Skill See the workflow

Core files3

Best forMulti-phase

OutcomeTraceable

task_plan.mdTask blueprint

Lock goals, scope, and milestones so the work stays aligned.

findings.mdResearch log

Capture evidence, trade-offs, and alternatives.

progress.mdExecution log

Track what is done, what is blocked, and what is next.

Four steps to stay aligned

Make progress visible, decisions explainable, and scope stable.

Initialize the files

Create the three files with the minimum useful content.

Write before you do

Update the files first, then execute the step.

Record every change

Log scope shifts, risks, and decisions immediately.

Review & reuse

Wrap up the task and reuse the files as templates.

The three files

Define the work, the evidence, and the execution trail.

task_plan.mdTask blueprint

Lock goals, scope, and milestones so the work stays aligned.

Goals & success criteria
Milestones
Risks & dependencies

# Goal
- Ship onboarding v1
# Milestones
- M1: Requirements

findings.mdResearch log

Capture evidence, trade-offs, and alternatives.

Key findings
Decision rationale
Alternative options

# Findings
- Option A is cheaper
- Option B scales better

progress.mdExecution log

Track what is done, what is blocked, and what is next.

Completed work
Blockers & risks
Next steps

# Today
- Finished API wiring
# Next
- Update docs

Is it right for you?

✅ Recommended

Complex tasks with multiple stakeholders
Multi-file or multi-feature development
Projects that require audit trails
Work with staged acceptance

❌ Skip for

Tiny one-off tweaks
Quick bugfixes
Throwaway experiments

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.

planningworkflowfilesproductivity

Use when you have a spec or requirements for a multi-step task, before touching code

planningdocumentationworkflow

Use when you have a written implementation plan to execute in a separate session with review checkpoints

executionplanningworkflow

Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work - guides completion of development work by presenting structured options for merge, PR, or cleanup

gitbranchworkflow

Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence before assertions always

verificationqualityworkflow

Use when completing tasks, implementing major features, or before merging to verify work meets requirements

code-reviewcollaborationquality

Ready to plan with files?

Copy the Skill prompt and start with task_plan, findings, and progress today.

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FAQ

What is Planning with Files?
A workflow that keeps task_plan.md, findings.md, and progress.md in your repo to preserve context, decisions, and progress.
When should I use it?
Use it for complex, multi-step work or anything that needs checkpoints and clear handoffs.
How do I start?
Copy the Skill prompt, create the three files at the project root, and update them as you execute.