8 Best planning-with-files Alternatives in 2026 (Open Source)
planning-with-files — Persistent file-based planning and context recovery for AI coding agents and long-running tasks. File-based planning that persists on disk and re-injects every turn, unlike context-window-dependent to-do lists that disappear with memory resets.
Short answer
- Closest match to planning-with-files: Claude-Mem.
- Most actively developed: CowAgent (1,420 commits in the last 90 days).
- Fastest growing: Context Mode (+7,280 GitHub stars in the last 30 days).
These 8 open-source tools do the same job. They are ordered by how closely they match planning-with-files, with live GitHub data so you can see which projects are actively maintained.
By package downloads Context Mode is the most used here (88.9K in the last 30 days), even though Claude-Mem has the most GitHub stars. See all agent tools by downloads.
| Tool | GitHub stars | Stars / 30d | Last commit | Downloads / 30d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| planning-with-files(original) | 27.3k | +590 | 2026-10-01 | 2.7K |
| Claude-Mem | 95.2k | +2,090 | 2026-10-03 | 68.7K |
| memvid | 16.6k | +60 | 2026-07-14 | — |
| memU | 14.5k | -50 | 2026-09-21 | — |
| Context Mode | 25.1k | +7,280 | 2026-10-03 | 88.9K |
| claude-context | 12.6k | +60 | 2026-07-14 | — |
| code-review-graph | 31.9k | +220 | 2026-09-18 | — |
| Graft | 9.5k | +870 | 2026-09-30 | — |
| CowAgent | 47.2k | +320 | 2026-10-03 | — |
1. Claude-Mem
Captures and compresses agent activity to provide relevant context across coding sessions
What sets it apart: Provides a dedicated memory compression and injection system specifically for AI coding agents across multiple platforms.
Best for: Maintaining project context across AI coding sessions; Teams using multiple AI coding agents; Long-term development projects requiring continuity
2. memvid
Memory layer for AI Agents. Replace complex RAG pipelines with a serverless, single-file memory layer. Give your agents instant retrieval and long-term memory.
What sets it apart: Packages complete memory system into a single portable file without requiring databases or complex infrastructure.
Best for: Long-running AI agents; Offline-first AI systems; Auditable AI workflows
3. memU
Personal memory across agents
What sets it apart: Core memory logic is only 500 lines, making it compact enough to inspect, understand, and adapt.
Best for: Users running multiple AI coding agents; Teams needing shared knowledge across agents; Maintaining consistent memory across development sessions
4. Context Mode
MCP server that sandboxes tool output, persists session memory, and enforces routing across platforms
What sets it apart: Solves context window bloat by sandboxing tool output and maintaining session memory without re-injecting data into the context.
Best for: Teams building AI coding agents; Developers needing to manage agent context and memory; Projects where tool output bloats the context window
5. claude-context
Code search MCP for Claude Code. Make entire codebase the context for any coding agent.
What sets it apart: Uses semantic search to provide relevant code context to AI coding agents instead of loading entire codebases, making it cost-effective for large projects.
Best for: Developers using Claude Code; Teams with large codebases; AI coding agent users needing code context
6. code-review-graph
Local code knowledge graph serving compact review context to AI coding tools over MCP
What sets it apart: Provides AI coding tools with a local, persistent structural map of the codebase to drastically reduce the context they need to read.
Best for: Reducing context size for AI code reviews; Improving AI coding tool performance on large repositories; Providing precise code change context to assistants
7. Graft
Turbocharge Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini & every coding agent: faster, cheaper, with contextual understanding specific to your codebase.
What sets it apart: Builds a persistent, actionable knowledge graph from your codebase that coding agents use to avoid redundant exploration.
Best for: Teams using coding agents for development; Reducing costs and latency of coding agents; Maintaining context across agent sessions
8. CowAgent
Open-source AI assistant framework for planning tasks, running tools and skills, memory, and multi-agent teams
What sets it apart: Combines multi-agent collaboration, three-tier memory architecture with automatic distillation, and self-evolution capabilities in a lightweight, extensible open-source framework.
Best for: Developers building personal AI assistants; Teams implementing multi-agent systems; Projects requiring long-term memory and knowledge management
FAQ
- What are the best alternatives to planning-with-files?
- The closest open-source alternatives to planning-with-files are Claude-Mem, memvid and memU, followed by Context Mode, claude-context and code-review-graph. They are ranked by how closely they match what planning-with-files does.
- Which planning-with-files alternative is the most popular?
- Claude-Mem has the most GitHub stars among planning-with-files alternatives, with 95,227 stars.
- Which planning-with-files alternative is the most actively maintained?
- By recent activity, CowAgent (1,420 commits in the last 90 days) is the most actively developed alternative.