Superpowers
by obra
A Claude Code plugin that replaces ad hoc prompting with a structured workflow — brainstorm, plan, build with TDD, review — built from composable, auto-updating skills.
Install in Claude Code
/plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official
About
Superpowers isn't a set of callable MCP tools so much as an installed methodology: it bundles 16+ Markdown-defined skills — brainstorming, writing-plans, test-driven-development, systematic-debugging, requesting-code-review, using-git-worktrees, and more — that your agent picks up automatically once the plugin is active. Each skill surfaces as a capability the agent reasons about mid-task, nudging it through design discussion, a written implementation plan, disciplined test-first coding, and a review checkpoint before anything gets merged.
Built by Jesse Vincent (obra), it runs across more than just Claude Code — Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, OpenCode, and several others each have their own install path for the same skill set. That breadth is the point: the workflow lives in the skills themselves rather than any one vendor's plugin format, so switching agents doesn't mean re-teaching your process.
Key features
- 16+ composable skills covering the full dev lifecycle: brainstorming, planning, TDD, debugging, code review
- Guides agents through a design → plan → implement → review → merge sequence instead of freeform prompting
- Ships as native plugins for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, and more
- Skills auto-update from the upstream repo, improving the methodology without a manual reinstall
- Includes infrastructure skills for git worktrees and dispatching parallel subagents on independent tasks
Use cases
- Keeping a coding agent from jumping straight to code before a plan and test cases exist
- Running multiple related tasks in parallel subagents without losing track of review checkpoints
- Standardizing how a team's agents debug, since systematic-debugging enforces a repeatable process
- Adopting one workflow across several different AI coding tools instead of separate prompts for each
Available tools
test-driven-development
Pushes the agent to write a failing test before writing the implementation that makes it pass.
brainstorming
Structures the design conversation before any code exists, surfacing tradeoffs and open questions.
writing-plans
Turns a design decision into a concrete, checkable implementation plan the agent executes step by step.
systematic-debugging
Walks the agent through a repeatable root-cause process instead of guessing at fixes.
requesting-code-review
Triggers a review checkpoint before a branch is considered done or merged.
Frequently asked questions
Does Superpowers expose MCP tools I can call directly?
Not in the classic sense — it's a skills plugin. Claude Code and compatible agents pick up its Markdown-defined skills automatically once installed, rather than you invoking named MCP functions.
Do I need Claude Code specifically to use it?
No. Superpowers ships install paths for Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, OpenCode, and a few other agent platforms, all built from the same skill set.