obra/superpowers: the coding-agent framework that makes your AI plan before it codes

The most reliable way to get bad output from a coding agent is to let it start coding immediately. obra/superpowers, Jesse Vincent's agentic skills framework, fixes that by enforcing mandatory checkpoints: your agent cannot write a line until it has asked clarifying questions, gotten design approval, and built a granular plan. In the coding-agent ecosystem, that constraint has proven popular — 258k GitHub stars and 22.9k forks popular.

Seven phases, mandatory checkpoints

The framework structures every feature build as a sequential workflow. Brainstorm — the agent asks what you're actually trying to build and surfaces the design in digestible chunks for you to approve or push back on. Git Worktrees — it isolates the feature on a clean branch with a working test baseline. Planning — it breaks work into 2–5 minute tasks with exact file paths and verification steps. Subagent-Driven Development — fresh subagents handle each task with a two-stage review pass. TDD — red/green/refactor cycles, enforced not suggested. Code Review — work is checked against the approved plan before proceeding. Branch Finishing — merge and PR options, cleanly presented.

Each gate requires human sign-off. The agent won't proceed to implementation until you've approved the design; it won't merge until review is done. The methodology calls out "evidence over claims" — the agent must verify, not just assert.

When it shines and when to skip it

Superpowers earns its keep on features you'd write a real ticket for: multi-file changes, anything touching public APIs, features with non-obvious edge cases. The structured workflow catches scope creep at the design stage, where it's cheap, rather than after three hours of generated code.

The honest caveat: the full pipeline is heavy. For a one-line bug fix or a quick script you already understand, Socratic design refinement and a formal plan-approval loop are pure friction. You'll sit through clarifying questions for a task that didn't need them. Most experienced users treat Superpowers as an explicit mode — invoked on real features, bypassed for small tasks. Some configure a /big-feature command to trigger it and leave the normal workflow alone.

Install (Claude Code)

/plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official

The framework also works with Cursor, GitHub Copilot CLI, Kimi Code, OpenCode, Pi, Antigravity, and Factory Droid — each with its own install command in the README. MIT licensed, actively maintained at v6.1.1 as of July 2026. Repo and full docs at obra/superpowers, by Jesse Vincent.