Superpowers (obra/superpowers)
Also known as: obra superpowers, superpowers framework, superpowers skills framework
Superpowers, created by Jesse Vincent (obra), addresses a specific failure pattern in AI-assisted coding: models that rush to produce output without writing specs, planning file structure, or running tests first. The framework installs as a plugin into your coding agent and automatically activates a set of composable skills that enforce process discipline. You do not need to remember to invoke them; they trigger on their own.
The core methodology runs through seven phases: Brainstorm, Spec, Plan, TDD (test-driven development, where tests must be written before implementation code), Subagent Dev, Review, and Finalize. The TDD enforcement is strict: if implementation code is written before a failing test exists, Superpowers deletes it and forces a restart from the test. This is a deliberate design choice, not a suggestion.
Launched in October 2025, the project crossed 220,000 GitHub stars by mid-2026, making it one of the fastest-growing open-source AI projects on record. Anthropic accepted it into its official Claude plugin marketplace in January 2026. It works across Claude Code, Codex CLI, Codex App, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot CLI, and others. For builders using any of these tools on real production codebases, Superpowers is the most widely adopted structured workflow layer available.