writing-structured-todos

To persist long-form planning notes for future LLM agents, write structured TODO entries into a project's .llm/todo.md file. This ensures future agents can resume work with full context, including background, goal, steps, verification, and cost.

A structured TODO entry for cross-session project planning should include five sections: background, goal, concrete steps with file paths, verification, and cost. This anatomy ensures entries remain discoverable and actionable for future AI agents or teammates.

Writing structured TODOs does support multi-user collaboration scenarios by allowing team members to append and restructure persistent plan entries in .llm/todo.md. This reflects evolving context across sessions so teammates can pick up work without re-asking questions.

To update an existing TODO entry without losing previous context, use the append and restructure functions on the persistent .llm/todo.md file. This modifies running plan entries to reflect new information while maintaining the full background and goal for future agents.

Use a persistent design doc TODO instead of a simple in-session task tracker when work spans multiple sessions or team members. The structured format enforces documentation of background, verification, and cost, excluding simple tasks that do not require future context handoff.

You can restructure existing TODO entries to reflect evolving project context across sessions by modifying the persistent .llm/todo.md file. This supports adding, updating, appending, or restructuring entries so future agents and teammates retain full actionable context.