planning-with-files

To prevent context loss during long multi-step tasks, use file-based planning to store progress in persistent markdown files like task_plan.md and progress.md. This durable working memory automatically re-syncs your session after context clears.

The best way to track parallel task execution is using file-based planning with isolated plan directories. This allows you to manage multiple independent tasks in the same repository simultaneously without losing track of individual phases or research findings.

File-based planning protects against prompt injection by applying SHA-256 plan attestation and hook-based context injection. These guardrails treat plan content strictly as structured data, blocking execution of malicious instructions embedded in markdown files.

You need persistent markdown files for complex task tracking when your workflow requires 5 or more tool calls. This approach is ideal for software engineering, academic research, and project management to track phases, log errors, and store research.

Yes, you can automatically resume progress after context compaction or session restart. File-based planning uses persistent markdown files as durable memory, allowing automatic session recovery so you never have to restart long tasks from scratch.

To log research findings and errors across multiple tool calls, use file-based planning to maintain findings.md and progress.md. These persistent files act as durable working memory, ensuring discoveries and session logs survive context window limits.