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Activation Modes

Superpowers supports multiple activation modes to fit your workflow.

Modes

always (Default)

Superpowers activates on every session. Maximum automation.

# .superpowers/config.yaml
activation:
  mode: always

opt-in

Superpowers only activates when explicitly enabled.

activation:
  mode: opt-in

Then create the enable marker:

touch .superpowers/enabled

opt-out

Superpowers activates unless explicitly disabled.

activation:
  mode: opt-out

To disable for a specific project:

touch .superpowers/disabled

never

Superpowers never activates (but remains installed).

activation:
  mode: never

Activation Levels

Control how much of Superpowers loads:

full (Default)

Complete workflow: brainstorming, TDD, subagent-driven-development, etc.

activation:
  level: full

lightweight

Only core skills: brainstorming, using-superpowers.

activation:
  level: lightweight

minimal

Only using-superpowers skill.

activation:
  level: minimal

Context-Aware Activation

Superpowers can adapt based on git context:

activation:
  context_aware:
    # Don't activate when on main/master branch
    disable_on_main_branch: true
    
    # Use lightweight mode in detached HEAD
    lightweight_on_detached_head: true
    
    # Only activate in git repositories
    require_git_repo: true

Per-Skill Control

Fine-grained control over individual skills:

skills:
  brainstorming:
    enabled: true
    auto_trigger: true
    
  test-driven-development:
    enabled: true
    enforce_red_green_refactor: true
    
  dispatching-parallel-agents:
    enabled: false  # Disable advanced feature

Environment Variable Override

Quick toggle without editing config:

# Disable for this session
export SUPERPOWERS_MODE=disabled

# Force enable
export SUPERPOWERS_MODE=enabled

Commands

In Claude Code, use these commands:

  • /superpowers on - Enable for this project
  • /superpowers off - Disable for this project
  • /superpowers level full|lightweight|minimal - Change activation level
  • /superpowers status - Show current configuration

Migration from Older Versions

If you have custom skills in ~/.config/superpowers/skills, move them:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
mv ~/.config/superpowers/skills/* ~/.claude/skills/
rmdir ~/.config/superpowers/skills

This removes the migration warning from startup.