planning-with-files▌
sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills · updated Apr 8, 2026
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Persistent markdown-based planning system for organizing complex multi-step tasks and research projects.
- ›Creates three working files ( task_plan.md , findings.md , progress.md ) in your project directory to serve as persistent \"working memory\" across agent commands
- ›Enforces the 2-Action Rule: save key findings to disk immediately after viewing/searching to prevent multimodal information loss
- ›Includes a 3-Strike Error Protocol for systematic debugging: diagnose and fix on attempt 1,
Planning with Files
Work like Manus: Use persistent markdown files as your "working memory on disk."
Important: Where Files Go
When using this skill:
- Templates are stored in the skill directory at
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/ - Your planning files (
task_plan.md,findings.md,progress.md) should be created in your project directory — the folder where you're working
| Location | What Goes There |
|---|---|
Skill directory (${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/) |
Templates, scripts, reference docs |
| Your project directory | task_plan.md, findings.md, progress.md |
This ensures your planning files live alongside your code, not buried in the skill installation folder.
Quick Start
Before ANY complex task:
- Create
task_plan.mdin your project — Use templates/task_plan.md as reference - Create
findings.mdin your project — Use templates/findings.md as reference - Create
progress.mdin your project — Use templates/progress.md as reference - Re-read plan before decisions — Refreshes goals in attention window
- Update after each phase — Mark complete, log errors
Note: All three planning files should be created in your current working directory (your project root), not in the skill's 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.
## 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 — Phase tracking
- templates/findings.md — Research storage
- templates/progress.md — Session logging
Scripts
Helper scripts for automation:
scripts/init-session.sh— Initialize all planning filesscripts/check-complete.sh— Verify all phases complete
Advanced Topics
- Manus Principles: See reference.md
- Real Examples: See 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 |
How to use planning-with-files on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
- ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
- ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with
node --version) - ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add planning-with-files
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
The skills CLI fetches planning-with-files from GitHub repository sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills and configures it for Cursor.
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
Reload or restart Cursor to activate planning-with-files. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /planning-with-files) or your agent's skill management interface.
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
List & Monetize Your Skill
Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning
Use Cases▌
User Story & Requirements Generation
Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs
Example
Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios
Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage
Competitive Analysis
Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps
Example
Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities
Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days
Roadmap Prioritization
Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs
Example
Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale
Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster
Stakeholder Communication
Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations
Example
Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement
Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead
Implementation Guide▌
Prerequisites
- ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
- ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
- ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
- ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels
Time Estimate
30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements
Installation Steps
- 1.Install product management skill
- 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
- 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
- 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
- 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
- 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
- 7.Share effective prompts with product team
Common Pitfalls
- ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
- ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
- ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
- ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
- ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements
Best Practices▌
✓ Do
- +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
- +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
- +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
- +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
- +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
- +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition
✗ Don't
- −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
- −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
- −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
- −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
- −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture
💡 Pro Tips
- ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
- ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
- ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
- ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs
When to Use This▌
✓ Use When
Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.
✗ Avoid When
Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.
Learning Path▌
- 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
- 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
- 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
- 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation
Discussion
Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)- No comments yet — start the thread.
Ratings
4.5★★★★★52 reviews- ★★★★★Meera Kapoor· Dec 20, 2024
We added planning-with-files from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.
- ★★★★★Valentina Smith· Dec 16, 2024
planning-with-files reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.
- ★★★★★Sophia Jackson· Dec 8, 2024
planning-with-files reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.
- ★★★★★Valentina Brown· Nov 27, 2024
planning-with-files has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
- ★★★★★Maya Ramirez· Nov 11, 2024
planning-with-files fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- ★★★★★Soo Menon· Oct 18, 2024
planning-with-files fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- ★★★★★Kiara Flores· Oct 2, 2024
planning-with-files has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
- ★★★★★Mateo Sanchez· Sep 25, 2024
planning-with-files is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.
- ★★★★★Sakshi Patil· Sep 21, 2024
planning-with-files fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- ★★★★★Ren Sharma· Sep 13, 2024
Useful defaults in planning-with-files — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.
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