superpowers (Claude Skill) — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Tight, opinionated skill set (not a kitchen sink)
Includes meta-skills: how to brief Claude, how to self-review
Strong git workflow skills (rebase, cherry-pick, bisect)
Debugging and planning loops
MIT licensed

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

ready

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "superpowers-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/obra/superpowers",
        "~/.claude/skills/superpowers"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "superpowers-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/obra/superpowers",
        "~/.claude/skills/superpowers"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "superpowers-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/obra/superpowers",
        "~/.claude/skills/superpowers"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "superpowers-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/obra/superpowers",
        "~/.claude/skills/superpowers"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "superpowers-skill",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/obra/superpowers",
        "~/.claude/skills/superpowers"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "superpowers-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/obra/superpowers",
          "~/.claude/skills/superpowers"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add superpowers-skill -- git clone https://github.com/obra/superpowers ~/.claude/skills/superpowers

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use superpowers

Plan an ambiguous feature before writing any code

👤 Devs who jump to code too fast ⏱ ~45 min intermediate

When to use: Feature is fuzzy and you'd benefit from forced reflection.

Prerequisites

Skills installed — git clone https://github.com/obra/superpowers ~/.claude/skills/superpowers

Flow

Trigger plan skill

Apply the planning skill. Feature: per-user rate limiting that scales to 10k req/s.✓ Copied

→ Skill asks for constraints, success criteria, alternatives
Iterate on the plan

Push back on each assumption. What would Linus reject?✓ Copied

→ Stronger plan with explicit risks
Translate to first PR

What's the smallest first PR that proves the plan?✓ Copied

→ MVP-shaped first step

Outcome: A plan you'd defend in design review, not just one you guessed.

Recover from a tangled git situation cleanly

👤 Devs in 'git stash bankruptcy' ⏱ ~30 min advanced

When to use: You've got a bad merge, lost commits, or rebase gone sideways.

Flow

Diagnose

Apply the git-rescue skill. Show me what's salvageable: reflog, stash, dangling commits.✓ Copied

→ Inventory of recoverable state
Rebuild

Plan the recovery. Run only after I confirm.✓ Copied

→ Proposed sequence of git ops with explanations
Verify

After recovery, confirm tree is what I expected.✓ Copied

→ Final tree matches intent

Outcome: Recovered branch state without losing work.

Run self-review on Claude's own output before accepting

👤 Devs who trust Claude too much / too little ⏱ ~15 min beginner

When to use: You want the model to audit itself before you do.

Flow

Trigger self-review

Apply self-review skill on the diff you just produced. Be harsh.✓ Copied

→ Specific concerns, not generic 'looks good'
Address findings

Fix every sev-1 finding. Ignore sev-3 if it's nitpicks.✓ Copied

→ Tighter diff

Outcome: Higher-quality output without you having to be the only critic.

Combine with: wshobson-skills-skill

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

superpowers-skill + wshobson-agents-skill

Plan with superpowers, execute with wshobson agents

Plan via superpowers/planning; delegate implementation to backend-architect.✓ Copied

superpowers-skill + wshobson-skills-skill

Two opinions stacked

Use both skill sets — superpowers for git, wshobson for testing.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
planning	fuzzy feature	Pre-code reflection
git-rescue	broken state	Git emergencies
self-review	claude output	Pre-accept gate
debug-loop	bug	Methodical bug hunts

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: N/A — local
Tokens per call: Skills are concise here — lower per-trigger cost than larger sets
Monetary: Free (MIT)
Tip: This is the lighter set — fewer tokens per skill than wshobson

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Minimum scopes: filesystem-read

Credential storage: None

Data egress: None

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Skill not picked up

Clone path must match ~/.claude/skills/superpowers; check claude config show

Trigger collisions with wshobson

Skills auto-route by description; rename one if both fight for same intent

Alternatives

superpowers vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
wshobson/skills	You want broader coverage	Bigger but less curated
anthropics/skills (official)	Anthropic-official starter set	Official baseline; superpowers adds opinion

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills