Manus-Style GitHub Promotion Analysis
Case Study: planning-with-files
Repository: OthmanAdi/planning-with-filesStars: 4.7k in 5 days Created: January 3, 2026
Why It Went Viral
1. News Jacking Strategy
Meta acquired Manus for $2B on December 29, 2025. The repo was created just 5 days later with a description that directly references:
"Claude Code skill implementing Manus-style persistent markdown planning — the workflow pattern behind the $2B acquisition."
This created immediate curiosity and FOMO among developers.
2. Perfect Timing
- Posted during "The Great Coding Agent Race" week
- Context engineering was trending topic
- Multiple related repos gaining traction simultaneously
- Claude Code ecosystem rapidly growing
3. Confirmed Promotion Channels
| Platform | Evidence | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Hacker News | Posted by "jurnalanas" | Major developer reach |
| GitHub Trending | Listed in trending repos | Algorithmic visibility boost |
| News Cycle | Riding Manus acquisition buzz | Organic viral spread |
4. Viral-Ready Format
- One-line install:
git cloneto~/.claude/skills/ - Simple concept: 3 files (task_plan.md, notes.md, deliverable.md)
- MIT license: Zero friction
- Clear value prop: "Markdown is my working memory on disk"
The Core Insight
The repo implemented "context engineering" - keeping goals in the attention window by re-reading a plan file before each decision. This prevents "lost in the middle" effect after ~50 tool calls.
Promotion Sequence (Recommended)
Day 0: Create repo with viral-ready README + news hook
Day 0: Post to Twitter/X with compelling demo
Day 1: Submit to Hacker News (Show HN)
Day 1: Post to r/ClaudeAI, r/LocalLLaMA
Day 2: Share in Discord communities (Claude, AI dev)
Day 3: Write a blog post / dev.to articleKey Success Factors
- News Hook - Connect to trending topics ($2B acquisition)
- Simple Pitch - One sentence "aha!" moment
- Low Friction - Dead simple installation
- Perfect Timing - Post when related topics are hot
- Multi-Channel - HN + Twitter + Reddit + Discord