Work like Manus — the AI agent company Meta acquired for $2 billion.
💬 A Note from the Author
To everyone who starred, forked, and shared this skill — thank you. This project blew up in less than 24 hours, and the support from the community has been incredible.
If this skill helps you work smarter, that's all I wanted.
🌍 See What the Community Built
| Fork | Author | Features |
|---|---|---|
| devis | @st01cs | Interview-first workflow, /devis:intv and /devis:impl commands, guaranteed activation |
| multi-manus-planning | @kmichels | Multi-project support, SessionStart git sync |
| plan-cascade | @Taoidle | Multi-level task orchestration, parallel execution, multi-agent collaboration |
| agentfund-skill | @RioTheGreat-ai | Crowdfunding for AI agents with milestone-based escrow on Base |
Built something? Open an issue to get listed!
🤝 Contributors
Everyone who made this project better — bug reports, PRs, and integrations.
| Contributor | Contribution |
|---|---|
| @popey | Skill metadata & discoverability fixes (PR #83) |
| @lincolnwan | GitHub Copilot hooks support (PR #80) |
| @gydx6 | Session catchup false-positive fix (PR #79) |
| @ciberponk | Isolated plan sessions with UUID pinning (PR #77) |
| @jonthebeef | /plan:status command (PR #75) |
| @codelyc | OpenCode scripts + CodeBuddy path fixes (PRs #76, #70, #66) |
| @ttttmr | Pi Agent integration (PR #67) |
| @AZLabsAI | OpenClaw docs update (PR #65) |
| @ZWkang | CodeBuddy integration (PR #60) |
| @SaladDay | POSIX stop hook fix (PR #57) |
| @murphyXu | Continue IDE integration (PR #56) |
| @Guozihong | Start command (PR #51) |
| @fahmyelraie | Stop hook path resolution fix (PR #49) |
| @olgasafonova | SkillCheck validation badge (PR #46) |
| @lasmarois | Session catchup cross-session improvements (PRs #37, #34) |
| @RioTheGreat-ai | AgentFund community extension (PR #72) |
| @Hexiaopi | Copilot garbled characters bug report (Issue #82) |
📦 Releases & Session Recovery
| Version | Highlights |
|---|---|
| v2.18.2 | Mastra Code hooks fix (hooks.json + docs accuracy) |
| v2.18.1 | Copilot garbled characters complete fix |
| v2.18.0 | BoxLite sandbox runtime integration |
| v2.17.0 | Mastra Code support + all IDE SKILL.md spec fixes |
| v2.16.1 | Copilot garbled characters fix — PS1 UTF-8 encoding + bash ensure_ascii (thanks @Hexiaopi!) |
| v2.16.0 | GitHub Copilot hooks support (thanks @lincolnwan!) |
| v2.15.1 | Session catchup false-positive fix (thanks @gydx6!) |
| v2.15.0 | /plan:status command, OpenCode compatibility fix |
| v2.14.0 | Pi Agent support, OpenClaw docs update, Codex path fix |
| v2.11.0 | /plan command for easier autocomplete |
| v2.10.0 | Kiro steering files support |
| v2.7.0 | Gemini CLI support |
| v2.2.0 | Session recovery, Windows PowerShell, OS-aware hooks |
🧪 Experimental: Isolated parallel planning (
.planning/{uuid}/folders) is being tested onexperimental/isolated-planning. Try it and share feedback!
When your context fills up and you run /clear, this skill automatically recovers your previous session.
How it works:
- Checks for previous session data in
~/.claude/projects/ - Finds when planning files were last updated
- Extracts conversation that happened after (potentially lost context)
- Shows a catchup report so you can sync
Pro tip: Disable auto-compact to maximize context before clearing:
{ "autoCompact": false }🛠️ Supported IDEs (16 Platforms)
| IDE | Status | Installation Guide | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | ✅ Full Support | Installation | Plugin + SKILL.md |
| Gemini CLI | ✅ Full Support | Gemini Setup | Agent Skills |
| OpenClaw | ✅ Full Support | OpenClaw Setup | Workspace/Local Skills |
| Kiro | ✅ Full Support | Kiro Setup | Steering Files |
| Cursor | ✅ Full Support | Cursor Setup | Skills + Hooks |
| Continue | ✅ Full Support | Continue Setup | Skills + Prompt files |
| Kilocode | ✅ Full Support | Kilocode Setup | Skills |
| OpenCode | ✅ Full Support | OpenCode Setup | Personal/Project Skill |
| Codex | ✅ Full Support | Codex Setup | Personal Skill |
| FactoryAI Droid | ✅ Full Support | Factory Setup | Workspace/Personal Skill |
| Antigravity | ✅ Full Support | Antigravity Setup | Workspace/Personal Skill |
| CodeBuddy | ✅ Full Support | CodeBuddy Setup | Workspace/Personal Skill |
| AdaL CLI (Sylph AI) | ✅ Full Support | AdaL Setup | Personal/Project Skills |
| Pi Agent | ✅ Full Support | Pi Agent Setup | Agent Skills |
| GitHub Copilot | ✅ Full Support | Copilot Setup | Hooks |
| Mastra Code | ✅ Full Support | Mastra Setup | Skills + Hooks |
Note: If your IDE uses the legacy Rules system instead of Skills, see the
legacy-rules-supportbranch.
🧱 Sandbox Runtimes (1 Platform)
| Runtime | Status | Guide | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BoxLite | ✅ Documented | BoxLite Setup | Run Claude Code + planning-with-files inside hardware-isolated micro-VMs |
Note: BoxLite is a sandbox runtime, not an IDE. Skills load via ClaudeBox — BoxLite’s official Claude Code integration layer.
A Claude Code plugin that transforms your workflow to use persistent markdown files for planning, progress tracking, and knowledge storage — the exact pattern that made Manus worth billions.
In Claude Code, run:
/plugin marketplace add OthmanAdi/planning-with-files
/plugin install planning-with-files@planning-with-files
That's it! Now use one of these commands in Claude Code:
| Command | Autocomplete | Description |
|---|---|---|
/planning-with-files:plan |
Type /plan |
Start planning session (v2.11.0+) |
/planning-with-files:status |
Type /plan:status |
Show planning progress at a glance (v2.15.0+) |
/planning-with-files:start |
Type /planning |
Original start command |
Alternative: If you want /planning-with-files (without prefix), copy skills to your local folder:
macOS/Linux:
cp -r ~/.claude/plugins/cache/planning-with-files/planning-with-files/*/skills/planning-with-files ~/.claude/skills/Windows (PowerShell):
Copy-Item -Recurse -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude\plugins\cache\planning-with-files\planning-with-files\*\skills\planning-with-files" -Destination "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude\skills\"See docs/installation.md for all installation methods.
On December 29, 2025, Meta acquired Manus for $2 billion. In just 8 months, Manus went from launch to $100M+ revenue. Their secret? Context engineering.
"Markdown is my 'working memory' on disk. Since I process information iteratively and my active context has limits, Markdown files serve as scratch pads for notes, checkpoints for progress, building blocks for final deliverables." — Manus AI
Claude Code (and most AI agents) suffer from:
- Volatile memory — TodoWrite tool disappears on context reset
- Goal drift — After 50+ tool calls, original goals get forgotten
- Hidden errors — Failures aren't tracked, so the same mistakes repeat
- Context stuffing — Everything crammed into context instead of stored
For every complex task, create THREE files:
task_plan.md → Track phases and progress
findings.md → Store research and findings
progress.md → Session log and test results
Context Window = RAM (volatile, limited)
Filesystem = Disk (persistent, unlimited)
→ Anything important gets written to disk.
| Principle | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Filesystem as memory | Store in files, not context |
| Attention manipulation | Re-read plan before decisions (hooks) |
| Error persistence | Log failures in plan file |
| Goal tracking | Checkboxes show progress |
| Completion verification | Stop hook checks all phases |
Once installed, the AI agent will:
- Ask for your task if no description is provided
- Create
task_plan.md,findings.md, andprogress.mdin your project directory - Re-read plan before major decisions (via PreToolUse hook)
- Remind you to update status after file writes (via PostToolUse hook)
- Store findings in
findings.mdinstead of stuffing context - Log errors for future reference
- Verify completion before stopping (via Stop hook)
Invoke with:
/planning-with-files:plan- Type/planto find in autocomplete (v2.11.0+)/planning-with-files:start- Type/planningto find in autocomplete/planning-with-files- Only if you copied skills to~/.claude/skills/
See docs/quickstart.md for the full 5-step guide.
- Create Plan First — Never start without
task_plan.md - The 2-Action Rule — Save findings after every 2 view/browser operations
- Log ALL Errors — They help avoid repetition
- Never Repeat Failures — Track attempts, mutate approach
Use this pattern for:
- Multi-step tasks (3+ steps)
- Research tasks
- Building/creating projects
- Tasks spanning many tool calls
Skip for:
- Simple questions
- Single-file edits
- Quick lookups
planning-with-files/
├── commands/ # Plugin commands
│ ├── plan.md # /planning-with-files:plan command (v2.11.0+)
│ └── start.md # /planning-with-files:start command
├── templates/ # Root-level templates (for CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT)
├── scripts/ # Root-level scripts (for CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT)
├── docs/ # Documentation
│ ├── installation.md
│ ├── quickstart.md
│ ├── workflow.md
│ ├── troubleshooting.md
│ ├── gemini.md # Gemini CLI setup
│ ├── cursor.md
│ ├── windows.md
│ ├── kilocode.md
│ ├── codex.md
│ ├── opencode.md
│ ├── mastra.md # Mastra Code setup
│ └── boxlite.md # BoxLite sandbox setup
├── examples/ # Integration examples
│ └── boxlite/ # BoxLite quickstart
│ ├── README.md
│ └── quickstart.py
├── planning-with-files/ # Plugin skill folder
│ ├── SKILL.md
│ ├── templates/
│ └── scripts/
├── skills/ # Legacy skill folder
│ └── planning-with-files/
│ ├── SKILL.md
│ ├── examples.md
│ ├── reference.md
│ ├── templates/
│ └── scripts/
│ ├── init-session.sh
│ ├── check-complete.sh
│ ├── init-session.ps1 # Windows PowerShell
│ └── check-complete.ps1 # Windows PowerShell
├── .gemini/ # Gemini CLI skills
│ └── skills/
│ └── planning-with-files/
├── .codex/ # Codex IDE skills
│ └── skills/
├── .opencode/ # OpenCode IDE skills
│ └── skills/
├── .claude-plugin/ # Plugin manifest
├── .cursor/ # Cursor skills + hooks
│ ├── hooks.json # Hook configuration
│ ├── hooks/ # Hook scripts (bash + PowerShell)
│ └── skills/
├── .kilocode/ # Kilo Code skills
│ └── skills/
├── .openclaw/ # OpenClaw skills
│ └── skills/
├── .adal/ # AdaL CLI / Sylph AI skills
│ └── skills/
├── .pi/ # Pi Agent skills
│ └── skills/
│ └── planning-with-files/
├── .github/ # GitHub Copilot hooks
│ └── hooks/
│ ├── planning-with-files.json # Hook configuration
│ └── scripts/ # Hook scripts (bash + PowerShell)
├── .mastracode/ # Mastra Code skills + hooks
│ └── skills/
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── LICENSE
└── README.md
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Installation Guide | All installation methods (plugin, manual, Cursor, Windows) |
| Quick Start | 5-step guide to using the pattern |
| Workflow Diagram | Visual diagram of how files and hooks interact |
| Troubleshooting | Common issues and solutions |
| Gemini CLI Setup | Google Gemini CLI integration guide |
| OpenClaw Setup | OpenClaw integration guide |
| Kiro Setup | Kiro steering files integration |
| Cursor Setup | Cursor IDE-specific instructions |
| Continue Setup | Continue integration guide (skills + slash prompt) |
| Windows Setup | Windows-specific notes |
| Kilo Code Support | Kilo Code integration guide |
| Codex Setup | Codex IDE installation and usage |
| OpenCode Setup | OpenCode IDE installation, oh-my-opencode config |
| FactoryAI Droid Setup | FactoryAI Droid integration guide |
| Antigravity Setup | Antigravity IDE integration guide |
| CodeBuddy Setup | CodeBuddy IDE integration guide |
| AdaL CLI Setup | AdaL CLI / Sylph AI integration guide |
| Pi Agent Setup | Pi Agent integration guide |
| Copilot Setup | GitHub Copilot hooks integration guide |
| Mastra Setup | Mastra Code integration guide |
| BoxLite Setup | BoxLite micro-VM sandbox integration guide |
- Manus AI — For pioneering context engineering patterns
- Anthropic — For Claude Code, Agent Skills, and the Plugin system
- Lance Martin — For the detailed Manus architecture analysis
- Based on Context Engineering for AI Agents
Contributions welcome! Please:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch
- Submit a pull request
MIT License — feel free to use, modify, and distribute.
Author: Ahmad Othman Ammar Adi