Superpowers is a complete software development workflow for your coding agents, built on top of a set of composable "skills" and some initial instructions that make sure your agent uses them.
It starts from the moment you fire up your coding agent. As soon as it sees that you're building something, it doesn't just jump into trying to write code. Instead, it steps back and asks you what you're really trying to do.
Once it's teased a spec out of the conversation, it shows it to you in chunks short enough to actually read and digest.
After you've signed off on the design, your agent puts together an implementation plan that's clear enough for an enthusiastic junior engineer with poor taste, no judgement, no project context, and an aversion to testing to follow. It emphasizes true red/green TDD, YAGNI (You Aren't Gonna Need It), and DRY.
Next up, once you say "go", it launches a subagent-driven-development process, having agents work through each engineering task, inspecting and reviewing their work, and continuing forward. It's not uncommon for Claude to be able to work autonomously for a couple hours at a time without deviating from the plan you put together.
There's a bunch more to it, but that's the core of the system. And because the skills trigger automatically, you don't need to do anything special. Your coding agent just has Superpowers.
If Superpowers has helped you do stuff that makes money and you are so inclined, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd consider sponsoring my opensource work.
Thanks!
- Jesse
Note: Installation differs by platform. Claude Code has a built-in plugin system. Codex and OpenCode require manual setup.
In Claude Code, register the marketplace first:
/plugin marketplace add obra/superpowers-marketplaceThen install the plugin from this marketplace:
/plugin install superpowers@superpowers-marketplaceCheck that commands appear:
/help# Should see:
# /superpowers:brainstorm - Interactive design refinement
# /superpowers:write-plan - Create implementation plan
# /superpowers:execute-plan - Execute plan in batches
Tell Codex:
Fetch and follow instructions from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/obra/superpowers/refs/heads/main/.codex/INSTALL.md
Detailed docs: docs/README.codex.md
Tell OpenCode:
Fetch and follow instructions from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/obra/superpowers/refs/heads/main/.opencode/INSTALL.md
Detailed docs: docs/README.opencode.md
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brainstorming - Activates before writing code. Refines rough ideas through questions, explores alternatives, presents design in sections for validation. Saves design document.
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using-git-worktrees - Activates after design approval. Creates isolated workspace on new branch, runs project setup, verifies clean test baseline.
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writing-plans - Activates with approved design. Breaks work into bite-sized tasks (2-5 minutes each). Every task has exact file paths, complete code, verification steps.
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subagent-driven-development or executing-plans - Activates with plan. Dispatches fresh subagent per task (same session, fast iteration) or executes in batches (parallel session, human checkpoints).
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test-driven-development - Activates during implementation. Enforces RED-GREEN-REFACTOR: write failing test, watch it fail, write minimal code, watch it pass, commit. Deletes code written before tests.
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requesting-code-review - Activates between tasks. Reviews against plan, reports issues by severity. Critical issues block progress.
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finishing-a-development-branch - Activates when tasks complete. Verifies tests, presents options (merge/PR/keep/discard), cleans up worktree.
The agent checks for relevant skills before any task. Mandatory workflows, not suggestions.
Testing
- test-driven-development - RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle
- condition-based-waiting - Async test patterns
- testing-anti-patterns - Common pitfalls to avoid
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
- 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
- writing-skills - Create new skills following best practices
- testing-skills-with-subagents - Validate skill quality
- using-superpowers - Introduction to the skills system
- 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
Read more: Superpowers for Claude Code
Skills live directly in this repository. To contribute:
- Fork the repository
- Create a branch for your skill
- Follow the
writing-skillsskill for creating new skills - Use the
testing-skills-with-subagentsskill to validate quality - Submit a PR
See skills/writing-skills/SKILL.md for the complete guide.
Skills update automatically when you update the plugin:
/plugin update superpowersMIT License - see LICENSE file for details
