Give your agent reliable memory
A new session forgets the last one. One plain plan file carries the goal, the decisions made, and a checklist the next session can resume.
- 1
- plan file
- ~10 min
- to start
- 0
- special stores required
Ch. 01 What it is
A new session forgets the last one. One plain plan file carries the goal, the decisions made, and a checklist the next session can resume.
Ch. 02 The public path
The ratified public depth, with its setup time and honest trade-off.
Tier 1 · simplest path
Plan file and resumable checklist
Keep one markdown file for the active task. State the goal, record decisions already made, and maintain a short checklist of finished and remaining work. Read it before resuming and update it before stopping.
Ch. 03 The detail
A new session forgets the last one. One plain plan file carries the goal, the decisions made, and a checklist the next session can resume.
- Category
- Work that runs itself
- Format
- System
- Level
- intermediate
- Provenance
- Own-packaged
The problem, stated plainly
A new work session does not automatically carry the decisions, failed attempts, and unfinished steps from the last one. Repeating that context wastes time and can reopen choices that were already settled.
The first working answer is a plan file that lives outside the session. It states the goal, records decisions, and shows what is done and what remains.
The plan-file rule
Read the plan file before acting. Update it before stopping. Keep each note short enough that a person can verify it at a glance, and distinguish a confirmed decision from an open question.
This public entry stops at the plan-file level.
The honest version
A plan file only remembers what someone writes into it. If it is not updated, it becomes a confident record of an old state. Keep the file small, date material decisions, and replace stale instructions when the work changes.
What it takes to stand this public version up.
- 1
Plan file and resumable checklist
Setup ~10 min
- plain markdown
The honest version. The public path carries a benefit and a cost. Both are stated plainly.
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Tier 1 · Plan file and resumable checklist
One file is easy to inspect but has a clear ceiling. When many unrelated tasks share it, the record becomes hard to scan and old decisions can be mistaken for current ones.
Edition June 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026