planning
The planning skill creates and manages persistent markdown files organized across three documents (task_plan.md, findings.md, progress.md) to maintain focus and context during complex multi-step tasks. Use it when tackling research projects, features requiring more than five tool calls, or any structured work where progress tracking prevents goal drift and lost context across multiple phases.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates /tmp/planning && cp -r /tmp/planning/cli-tool/components/skills/ai-maestro/planning ~/.claude/skills/planningSKILL.md
# AI Maestro Planning
Solve the execution problem -- staying focused during complex, multi-step tasks. Uses persistent markdown files to track goals, findings, and progress so you never lose context. Part of the [AI Maestro](https://github.com/23blocks-OS/ai-maestro) suite.
## When to Use
- Multi-step tasks (3+ steps)
- Research projects
- Building features requiring >5 tool calls
- Any task where you might lose track of the goal
## The 3-File Pattern
Create in `docs_dev/` (or `$AIMAESTRO_PLANNING_DIR`):
| File | Purpose | Update When |
|------|---------|-------------|
| `task_plan.md` | Goals, phases, decisions, errors | After each phase |
| `findings.md` | Research, discoveries, resources | During research |
| `progress.md` | Session log, test results | Throughout session |
## Quick Start
```bash
PLAN_DIR="${AIMAESTRO_PLANNING_DIR:-docs_dev}"
mkdir -p "$PLAN_DIR"
```
Then create `task_plan.md` with:
```markdown
# Task: [Goal]
## Phases
- [ ] Phase 1: Research
- [ ] Phase 2: Design
- [ ] Phase 3: Implement
- [ ] Phase 4: Test
## Decisions
| Decision | Rationale | Date |
|----------|-----------|------|
## Errors Encountered
| Error | Attempt | Resolution |
|-------|---------|------------|
```
## The 6 Rules
1. **Create plan first** -- Never start complex work without `task_plan.md`
2. **Read before decide** -- Re-read the plan before any major decision
3. **Update after act** -- Mark phases complete, log what changed
4. **2-action rule** -- After every 2 search/browse operations, save findings to `findings.md`
5. **Log all errors** -- Every error goes in the plan with attempt number and resolution
6. **Never repeat failures** -- If an action failed, change your approach
## The 3-Strike Protocol
| Strike | Action |
|--------|--------|
| 1 | Diagnose root cause, apply targeted fix |
| 2 | Try a different approach entirely |
| 3 | Question assumptions, search for similar issues |
| After 3 | Escalate to user with all attempts documented |
## The 5-Question Reboot
Lost? Answer these from your planning files:
1. Where am I? (current phase in `task_plan.md`)
2. Where am I going? (remaining phases)
3. What's the goal? (goal section)
4. What have I learned? (`findings.md`)
5. What have I done? (`progress.md`)
## Full AI Maestro Experience
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