Superpowers

1. 01

   Skills fire on their own

   using-superpowers makes the agent look for a matching skill before any reply, even a plain question. You don't have to remember the names.

   How
2. 02

   Design before code

   brainstorming asks what you really want, offers alternatives, and shows the design in chunks short enough to read. Code waits until you sign off.

   How
3. 03

   Every job gets its own workspace

   After the design is approved, the work moves to a new branch in a worktree, with a clean test run before anyone writes code.

   How
4. 04

   Plans a junior could follow

   writing-plans cuts the work into 2 to 5 minute tasks. Each has the file paths, the code and a way to check it.

   How
5. 05

   A fresh agent for each task

   subagent-driven-development hands each task to a new subagent and reviews it before the next. executing-plans is the cheaper lane: one session, one review at the end.

   How
6. 06

   Tests first, always

   Red, green, refactor. Code written before a failing test gets deleted.

   How
7. 07

   Evidence over claims

   Nothing is done until it is proven. systematic-debugging finds the root cause, verification-before-completion checks the fix.

   How

Skill

A short instruction file the agent reads when a task matches. Each name in the catalog below is one skill.

Plugin

A bundle of skills you install into your coding agent in one go. Superpowers is one plugin with all of these skills inside.

Spec

The written design: what you are building and why. brainstorming saves it before any code.

Branch

A separate line of work in git, so changes don't touch the main copy until you merge them.

Worktree

A second folder of the same project, checked out on its own branch. Lets work happen in isolation without disturbing your main folder.

Implementation plan

The list of small tasks that turns the spec into code, in order, each with a check.

Subagent

A fresh helper agent the main agent starts for one task. It begins with a clean slate and reports back.

TDD (red, green, refactor)

Test-driven development. Write a test that fails (red), write just enough code to pass it (green), then tidy up (refactor).

Code review

Checking finished work against the plan before moving on. Superpowers rates each issue by severity; critical ones stop the next task.

Root cause

The real reason a bug happens, not the first symptom you see.

PR (pull request)

A request to merge a branch into the main code, usually so someone can review it first.

1. 01

   Install the plugin

   In Claude Code, this installs it from Anthropic's official marketplace. The README has a separate install for Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Copilot CLI, OpenCode, Pi and others. If you use more than one agent, install it in each.

   Command

   ⧉Copy

   /plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official

   Install for other agents
2. 02

   Start a fresh session and test it

   The README's check: send a small build request. A working install starts brainstorming before any code is written.

   Command

   ⧉Copy

   Let's make a react todo list

3. 03

   Answer the questions, then approve the design

   brainstorming asks, offers options and shows the design in sections. Read each one. Nothing gets built until you say it's right.

   The path
4. 04

   Say go on the plan

   After the plan is written, the agent works through the tasks, with a review after each. You come back to a branch you can merge, open as a PR, keep or throw away.

   The path
5. 05

   If a session goes wrong, ask it why

   Say this and the agent runs diagnosing-superpowers: it reads the transcript and shows what went wrong, line by line.

   Command

   ⧉Copy

   figure out what went wrong with superpowers in this session

   Debugging skills

I want to build [one small thing, e.g. a one-page reading list where I can add and tick off books].

Before any code, brainstorm with me: one question at a time, then show me the design in short sections.
When I approve it, write the plan and stop. Wait for me to say go.

Related on this site: Pocock Skills, the sibling set: smaller pieces you start yourself. Compound Engineering, another skills plugin with its own loop.

• obra/superpowers by Jesse Vincent and Prime Radiant, MIT license. The skill names, the workflow order, the install command and the test message are from the repo and its README, summarized in our words.
• Prime Radiant sells commercial support for Superpowers. The optional visual companion in brainstorming loads a Prime Radiant logo that tells them which version you run; the README says to set SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY to turn it off.
• The one-line skill summaries, the signals, the glossary, the starter prompt and the takes are FakeNerd's. Not sponsored by anyone on this page.