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

1. Create plan first -- Never start complex work without task_plan.md
2. Read before decide -- Re-read the plan before any major decision
3. Update after act -- Mark phases complete, log what changed
4. 2-action rule -- After every 2 search/browse operations, save findings to findings.md
5. Log all errors -- Every error goes in the plan with attempt number and resolution
6. 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