Planning

Core Principle

Context window = RAM (volatile, limited)
Filesystem     = Disk (persistent, unlimited)
→ Anything important gets written to disk.

Planning tokens are cheaper than implementation tokens. Front-load thinking; scale effort to complexity.

When to Plan

• Full plan (.plan/ directory): multi-file changes, new features, refactors, >5 tool calls
• Flat list (inline checklist): 3-5 file changes, clear scope, no research needed -- write a numbered task list in the conversation or a single progress.md, skip .plan/ scaffolding
• Skip planning: single-file edits, quick lookups, simple questions

Planning Files