superpowers

Superpowers

A comprehensive skills library of proven techniques, patterns, and workflows for AI coding assistants.

What You Get

• Testing Skills - TDD, async testing, anti-patterns
• Debugging Skills - Systematic debugging, root cause tracing, verification
• Collaboration Skills - Brainstorming, planning, code review, parallel agents
• Development Skills - Git worktrees, finishing branches, subagent workflows
• Meta Skills - Creating, testing, and sharing skills

Plus:

• Slash Commands - /superpowers:brainstorm, /superpowers:write-plan, /superpowers:execute-plan
• Automatic Integration - Skills activate automatically when relevant
• Consistent Workflows - Systematic approaches to common engineering tasks

Learn More

Read the introduction: Superpowers for Claude Code

Installation

Claude Code (via Plugin Marketplace)

In Claude Code, register the marketplace first:

/plugin marketplace add obra/superpowers-marketplace

Then install the plugin from this marketplace:

/plugin install superpowers@superpowers-marketplace

Verify Installation

Check that commands appear:

/help

# Should see:
# /superpowers:brainstorm - Interactive design refinement
# /superpowers:write-plan - Create implementation plan
# /superpowers:execute-plan - Execute plan in batches

Codex (Experimental)

Note: Codex support is experimental and may require refinement based on user feedback.

Tell Codex to fetch https://raw.githubusercontent.com/obra/superpowers/refs/heads/main/.codex/INSTALL.md and follow the instructions.

Quick Start

Using Slash Commands

Brainstorm a design:

/superpowers:brainstorm

Create an implementation plan:

/superpowers:write-plan

Execute the plan:

/superpowers:execute-plan

Automatic Skill Activation

Skills activate automatically when relevant. For example:

• test-driven-development activates when implementing features
• systematic-debugging activates when debugging issues
• verification-before-completion activates before claiming work is done

What's Inside

Skills Library

Testing (skills/testing/)

• test-driven-development - RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle
• condition-based-waiting - Async test patterns
• testing-anti-patterns - Common pitfalls to avoid

Debugging (skills/debugging/)

• systematic-debugging - 4-phase root cause process
• root-cause-tracing - Find the real problem
• verification-before-completion - Ensure it's actually fixed
• defense-in-depth - Multiple validation layers

Collaboration (skills/collaboration/)

• brainstorming - Socratic design refinement
• writing-plans - Detailed implementation plans
• executing-plans - Batch execution with checkpoints
• dispatching-parallel-agents - Concurrent subagent workflows
• requesting-code-review - Pre-review checklist
• receiving-code-review - Responding to feedback
• using-git-worktrees - Parallel development branches
• finishing-a-development-branch - Merge/PR decision workflow
• subagent-driven-development - Fast iteration with quality gates

Meta (skills/meta/)

• writing-skills - Create new skills following best practices
• sharing-skills - Contribute skills back via branch and PR
• testing-skills-with-subagents - Validate skill quality
• using-superpowers - Introduction to the skills system

Commands

All commands are thin wrappers that activate the corresponding skill:

• brainstorm.md - Activates the brainstorming skill
• write-plan.md - Activates the writing-plans skill
• execute-plan.md - Activates the executing-plans skill

How It Works

1. SessionStart Hook - Loads the using-superpowers skill at session start
2. Skills System - Uses Claude Code's first-party skills system
3. Automatic Discovery - Claude finds and uses relevant skills for your task
4. Mandatory Workflows - When a skill exists for your task, using it becomes required

Philosophy

• Test-Driven Development - Write tests first, always
• Systematic over ad-hoc - Process over guessing
• Complexity reduction - Simplicity as primary goal
• Evidence over claims - Verify before declaring success
• Domain over implementation - Work at problem level, not solution level

Contributing

Skills live directly in this repository. To contribute:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a branch for your skill
3. Follow the writing-skills skill for creating new skills
4. Use the testing-skills-with-subagents skill to validate quality
5. Submit a PR

See skills/meta/writing-skills/SKILL.md for the complete guide.

Updating

Skills update automatically when you update the plugin:

/plugin update superpowers

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Support