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using-superpowers

skill · 65 lines · MIT · skills/using-superpowers/SKILL.md

The facts

Its description

Use when starting any conversation - establishes how to find and use skills, requiring skill invocation before ANY response including clarifying questions

The description the agent reads to decide when to use it.

From its settingsline 3

When it starts

This is a bootstrap skill: its description says to use it when starting any conversation, and the Muse reference notes it is injected automatically at SessionStart by the plugin hook, so it is loaded by the harness rather than by anything a person says. Its job is to make the agent invoke relevant skills before any response, including clarifying questions.

A model's summary of when it is used.

A model's reading

Who can start it

A hook loads it

A hook loads it by itself, with no request from you.

From its settingssession-start, line 20

Starts other agents

3 lines mention starting other agents

Lines in the file that mention starting another agent. Found by matching words, so treat them as pointers.

Found by matching wordsline 6 line 7 line 8

Files it mentions

references/claude-code-tools.md, references/codex-tools.md, references/pi-tools.md, references/antigravity-tools.md, references/hermes-tools.md (first 5 of 6 lines)

Files the text names, such as ones to read or write. Found by matching words, so treat them as pointers.

Found by matching wordsline 56 line 57 line 58 line 59 line 60

What it leads to

Other skills this one hands off to, calls, requires or offers instead, as a model read them.

A model's reading

Names skills outside this collection

Skills the text names that are not in this collection, as a model read them.

A model's reading

Licence

MIT, from LICENSE

The terms its author shares it under, which let it be shown here.

From the repositorylicence text
Other files in this skill (7) Close

The text

Open on GitHub

Most marks come from matching words in the file, so treat them as pointers.

1---
2name: using-superpowers
3description: Use when starting any conversation - establishes how to find and use skills, requiring skill invocation before ANY response including clarifying questions
4---
5
6<SUBAGENT-STOP>
7If you were dispatched as a subagent to execute a specific task, ignore this skill.
8</SUBAGENT-STOP>
9
10<EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT>
11If you think there is even a 1% chance a skill might apply to what you are doing, you ABSOLUTELY MUST invoke the skill.
13IF A SKILL APPLIES TO YOUR TASK, YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. YOU MUST USE IT.
15This is not negotiable. You cannot rationalize your way out of this.
16</EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT>

<SUBAGENT-STOP> If you were dispatched as a subagent to execute a specific task, ignore this skill. </SUBAGENT-STOP>

<EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT> If you think there is even a 1% chance a skill might apply to what you are doing, you ABSOLUTELY MUST invoke the skill.

IF A SKILL APPLIES TO YOUR TASK, YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. YOU MUST USE IT.

This is not negotiable. You cannot rationalize your way out of this. </EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT>

Raw lines 1 to 17
Starts an agent SUBAGENT :6
Starts an agent dispatched :7
Starts an agent subagent :7
18## The Rule
20**Invoke relevant or requested skills BEFORE any response or action** — including clarifying questions, exploring the codebase, or checking files. If it turns out wrong for the situation, you don't have to use it.
22**Before entering plan mode:** if you haven't already brainstormed, invoke the brainstorming skill first.
24Then announce "Using [skill] to [purpose]" and follow the skill exactly. If it has a checklist, create a todo per item.

The Rule

Invoke relevant or requested skills BEFORE any response or action — including clarifying questions, exploring the codebase, or checking files. If it turns out wrong for the situation, you don't have to use it.

Before entering plan mode: if you haven't already brainstormed, invoke the brainstorming skill first.

Then announce "Using [skill] to [purpose]" and follow the skill exactly. If it has a checklist, create a todo per item.

Raw lines 18 to 25
Names a skill brainstorming :22
26## Skill Priority
28When multiple skills apply, process skills come first — they set the approach, then implementation skills (frontend-design, etc.) carry it out. Brainstorming and systematic-debugging are Superpowers' most common process skills, but the rule holds for any of them.
30- "Let's build X" → superpowers:brainstorming first, then implementation skills.
31- "Fix this bug" → superpowers:systematic-debugging first, then domain skills.

Skill Priority

When multiple skills apply, process skills come first — they set the approach, then implementation skills (frontend-design, etc.) carry it out. Brainstorming and systematic-debugging are Superpowers' most common process skills, but the rule holds for any of them.

Raw lines 26 to 32
Names a skill brainstorming :30
Names a skill systematic-debugging :31
33## Red Flags
35These thoughts mean STOP—you're rationalizing:
37| Thought | Reality |
38|---------|---------|
39| "This is just a simple question" | Questions are tasks. Check for skills. |
40| "I need more context first" | Skill check comes BEFORE clarifying questions. |
41| "Let me explore the codebase first" | Skills tell you HOW to explore. Check first. |
42| "I can check git/files quickly" | Files lack conversation context. Check for skills. |
43| "Let me gather information first" | Skills tell you HOW to gather information. |
44| "This doesn't need a formal skill" | If a skill exists, use it. |
45| "I remember this skill" | Skills evolve. Read current version. |
46| "This doesn't count as a task" | Action = task. Check for skills. |
47| "The skill is overkill" | Simple things become complex. Use it. |
48| "I'll just do this one thing first" | Check BEFORE doing anything. |
49| "This feels productive" | Undisciplined action wastes time. Skills prevent this. |
50| "I know what that means" | Knowing the concept ≠ using the skill. Invoke it. |

Red Flags

These thoughts mean STOP—you're rationalizing:

ThoughtReality
"This is just a simple question"Questions are tasks. Check for skills.
"I need more context first"Skill check comes BEFORE clarifying questions.
"Let me explore the codebase first"Skills tell you HOW to explore. Check first.
"I can check git/files quickly"Files lack conversation context. Check for skills.
"Let me gather information first"Skills tell you HOW to gather information.
"This doesn't need a formal skill"If a skill exists, use it.
"I remember this skill"Skills evolve. Read current version.
"This doesn't count as a task"Action = task. Check for skills.
"The skill is overkill"Simple things become complex. Use it.
"I'll just do this one thing first"Check BEFORE doing anything.
"This feels productive"Undisciplined action wastes time. Skills prevent this.
"I know what that means"Knowing the concept ≠ using the skill. Invoke it.
Raw lines 33 to 51
52## Platform Adaptation
54If your harness appears here, read its reference file for special instructions:

Platform Adaptation

If your harness appears here, read its reference file for special instructions:

Raw lines 52 to 62
Reads a file references/claude-code-tools.md :56
Reads a file references/codex-tools.md :57
Reads a file references/pi-tools.md :58
Reads a file references/antigravity-tools.md :59
Reads a file references/hermes-tools.md :60
Reads a file references/muse-tools.md :61
63## User Instructions
65User instructions (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md, etc, direct requests) take precedence over skills, which in turn override default behavior. Only skip skill workflows or instructions when your human partner has explicitly told you to.

User Instructions

User instructions (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md, etc, direct requests) take precedence over skills, which in turn override default behavior. Only skip skill workflows or instructions when your human partner has explicitly told you to.

Raw lines 63 to 65
Project instruction file CLAUDE.md :65
Project instruction file AGENTS.md :65
Project instruction file GEMINI.md :65

From obra/superpowers at 2ce8aa1, 2026-10-21. Skills read by DeepSeek V4.1 Flash on 2026-11-04. Summary and techniques by Claude Opus 5.5 on 2026-11-06.