using-superpowers

Use it when: you install the Superpowers bundle: it's the bundle's entry point
It does: makes the agent check for a matching skill before every reply, even before a clarifying question
Priority: process skills such as brainstorming and systematic-debugging come before implementation skills
Needs: the rest of Superpowers to be useful

Skill 1 of 14 in the Superpowers bundle · After it: brainstorming

Only works inside its bundle: Makes the agent load the other Superpowers skills before it replies; alone, it has nothing to load. Install Superpowers instead.

TLDR

It's the rule that makes the other Superpowers skills fire. Loaded at the start of a session, it tells the agent that if there's even a 1% chance a skill applies, it must load it before responding, including before asking a question or exploring the code, and announce which skill it's using. When several apply, process skills come first: brainstorming before building, systematic-debugging before fixing. It lists the excuses agents use to skip skills and answers each one, adapts to harnesses such as Claude Code and Codex, and gives way to your own instructions in CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md. Subagents ignore it.

Summarizes the skill at bb92a77.

npx skills add https://github.com/obra/superpowers --skill using-superpowers

skills.sh page · Source on GitHub · All skills from obra/superpowers

Installs: 248,737 on skills.sh, Sep 21, 2026
Repo stars: 289,267 obra/superpowers
First seen: Jan 19, 2026 on skills.sh

Weekly installs

-20% over 8 weeks · week to Sep 21

Weekly values

Week to	Installs
Aug 3	7,424
Aug 10	6,980
Aug 17	6,699
Aug 24	6,880
Aug 31	6,174
Sep 7	6,071
Sep 14	5,621
Sep 21	5,962

Category	category:skill-tools category:software-engineering Find, write, vet and route to other skills. Everything for building software: planning, coding, debugging, design, frameworks, cloud, agents and skills.
Type	type:router An entry point that picks and loads other skills. Retired skills that only redirect count as routers.
Effect	effect:none Adds no side effects of its own. It shapes how the agent thinks, writes or reviews. Guidelines and routers are always effect:none, even when the task they support edits code.
Needs	needs:none Instructions only. Works in any agent that supports skills.
Publisher	by:community Everyone else. Unverified vendor claims default to community.
Topics	skill-discovery agent-workflows

SKILL.md

From obra/superpowers at bb92a77. Checked daily, last changed Oct 20, 2026.

Frontmatter

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

<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>

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.

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.

"Let's build X" → superpowers:brainstorming first, then implementation skills.
"Fix this bug" → superpowers:systematic-debugging first, then domain skills.

Red Flags

These thoughts mean STOP—you're rationalizing:

Thought	Reality
"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.

Platform Adaptation

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

Claude Code: references/claude-code-tools.md
Codex: references/codex-tools.md
Pi: references/pi-tools.md
Antigravity: references/antigravity-tools.md
Hermes Agent: references/hermes-tools.md
Muse: references/muse-tools.md

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.