Claude-code-templates planning

Create and manage persistent markdown planning files for structured task execution. Use when the user asks to "create a plan", "track progress", "start a research project", or when a task requires more than 5 tool calls and needs structured phase tracking to stay focused and avoid goal drift.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/cli-tool/components/skills/ai-maestro/planning" ~/.claude/skills/davila7-claude-code-templates-planning && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: cli-tool/components/skills/ai-maestro/planning/SKILL.md

source content

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 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

PLAN_DIR="${AIMAESTRO_PLANNING_DIR:-docs_dev}"
mkdir -p "$PLAN_DIR"

Then create

task_plan.md

with:

# 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

Create plan first -- Never start complex work without
```
task_plan.md
```
Read before decide -- Re-read the plan before any major decision
Update after act -- Mark phases complete, log what changed
2-action rule -- After every 2 search/browse operations, save findings to
```
findings.md
```
Log all errors -- Every error goes in the plan with attempt number and resolution
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:

Where am I? (current phase in
```
task_plan.md
```
)
Where am I going? (remaining phases)
What's the goal? (goal section)
What have I learned? (
```
findings.md
```
)
What have I done? (
```
progress.md
```
)

Full AI Maestro Experience

This skill works standalone with no dependencies. For the complete experience including memory search, docs search, graph query, agent messaging, and agent management, install the full AI Maestro platform.