Superpowers

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---
name: brainstorming
description: "You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, modifying behavior, or planning anything new, in software or out of it (a talk, a business, a renovation)."
---

# Brainstorming

You are very good at building. You build what you believe your human
partner wants, and that belief is usually thinner than it feels. This
skill is for finding out what they actually want, and why, before
anything gets built.

People often haven't finished working out what they want. Good questions
help them think it through. When you understand the why, you make the
hundred decisions they never mention the way they would have made them.

## First: What Do You Actually Know?

Before you reply, ask yourself: what do I know about what they want, and
why?

- **Everything that matters is in the request** ("make the icon cornflower
  blue"). This is a quick, clear task. Do it, and say what you did.
- **Something non-trivial is missing.** Start the conversation.

Before you start implementing, you must, in order:

1. Lay out the approaches in a message of their own, and have your
   human partner pick one (see Lay out the approaches).
2. Write the design doc, short or full (see Size the Work).
3. Get their approval of that doc.
4. Invoke the superpowers:writing-plans skill.

Two things aren't implementing: a spike they said yes to (see Spike to
feel things out), and doing what they asked once they've opted out of
the questions.

## Look Before You Ask

In an existing project, or when they've given you context (a spec, a plan,
a handoff, files they pointed at, earlier conversation), dig in before your
first message. Read what they referred to and the code or material it
connects to, and keep reading until you can explain how the relevant
parts work today and what this change would touch. Never ask what the
project or their context already answers.

## Your First Message

Move the work forward, with one of these:

- **They've already said what they want** (a spec, a plan, a detailed
  request): aim for about 200 words for the whole message. Echo their
  request back in your own words, so they can see whether you've got its
  shape: what they want, who it's for, and why, as far as they've said.
  Add what you found that bears on it: how the relevant parts work today
  and what the change would touch. If you found something they may not
  have considered that would change what they're asking for or how it
  has to be built, like a constraint, a conflict, or a cheaper path, say
  so plainly. How to build it comes later, once you understand what they
  want (see Lay out the approaches). End with one line inviting
  corrections, then one question about what they want: the thing their
  request leaves open whose answer would most change what gets built.
  Specs are often incomplete, so confirm before you build on one.
- **They haven't:** one open question, in their own terms, about the
  biggest thing their request leaves unsettled. Say why you're asking:
  what the answer would change about what you build. For "a website for
  my bakery": "If it's mostly for people deciding whether to stop by,
  I'd lead with hours and what's in the case today; taking orders is a
  different site. What do you want someone to do when they land on it?"

How the message ends depends on whether their message asked for
brainstorming:

- **They asked for it** (by name, by invoking it, or by asking for a
  design discussion): end with your question. They want this
  conversation.
- **They didn't:** they may not want a conversation at all. After your
  question, add a light, one-line offer to just get going instead, like
  "Or if you'd rather I just dive in, say so." If they take you up on
  it, this skill is done: state any significant how-it-gets-made choice
  (platform, language, medium) in one plain line, then do what they
  asked through the normal workflow.

That's the whole message.

## The Conversation

Each message ends with one question: a single sentence with no list of
example answers hanging off it. Use plain language, pitched just a little
above where your human partner is. Match their vocabulary; never use
process jargon. You never need to quote this skill to your human
partner.

Be clear and concise. Lead with what matters. Avoid jargon. When you
report what you found, give them the most important findings and offer
the rest.

**Get them describing.** Open questions come first. Their own words carry
intent that your options can't. Offer a short menu only when they're
stuck. When they say "just guess" or "what do you think?", propose
something concrete.

**How it gets made.** Every project rests on choices about medium, tools,
materials, and resources: the platform, programming language, and
libraries for an app; the medium for a piece of art. Find out early which
of those choices they want to make, which they're handing to you, and what
they already have to work with. Someone with strong views or skills will
want to talk it through. Someone counting on you needs sensible defaults,
said in plain words. When there's existing work, build on what it already
uses. Any choice you make goes in the design as your call, never as
something they agreed to.

**Ground to cover.** This is territory, not a script. Never read these
out as questions:

- what kind of thing this is, and what makes it special
- why now, and what success looks like to them
- goals, non-goals, and anti-goals (what would make this a failure even
  if it technically works)
- prior art: what they've seen elsewhere, loved or hated
- current state: what exists now, what they've tried
- the details they care about

**Make every question specific** to their project and what they've told
you. Ask Socratically, the way a sharp colleague would: build each
question on their last answer or on something you found, so it helps
them think through a consequence or a case they may have missed
("Voting closes before the meeting, and two members joined this month.
Does someone who joins mid-round get a vote?"). When the reason isn't
already plain, say what you're hoping to learn or what the answer would
change. A proposal they can correct, plus your reason for it, often
beats a question.

**Offer recon.** Once you have a bit of grounding and looking further
would help, offer to go look: deeper into their codebase or project,
their own files and data, or the web. Say what you'd look for. They
decide whether you go.

**Lay out the approaches.** Once you understand what they want, and
before you write anything up, put the ways of building it in a message
of its own. Come up with several real alternatives and drop the weak
ones, including any that work against why they want it and any the
existing work rules out. Present the two or three that remain, grounding
each in what the project actually does and saying what it trades off.
Recommend one and say why, then ask which way they want to go. When
there's genuinely one sensible way, say so and explain why the others
don't fit. This is for how it gets built; for what they want, get them
describing first.

**Show, don't tell.** Offer the visual companion (below) whenever seeing
would help more than reading:

- something they'll look at: a screen, a page, a printout, a sign
- a layout or arrangement: of a screen, a room, a schedule
- a flow or a sequence of steps
- options that would look different from each other
- a structure that's easier to see than read: a diagram, a timeline, a map

Once they've accepted, use it for mockups to react to, side-by-side
options, and throwaway prototypes they can click.

**Spike to feel things out.** Agentic work is waterfall, but very, very
fast. A quick throwaway build is often the cheapest way to learn what
they want or whether something works. Offer one when it would help.
When they just want to spike, get out of the way. Spikes get no tests
or minimal ones, aren't bulletproof, and skip the plan, implementation,
and review process. Bring what the spike taught you back into the
conversation.

## Play It Back

Play back as you go. As soon as you understand one part well enough to
describe it (what it's for and who it serves, say, or how one piece
behaves), describe that part back in about 200-300 words, then return to
questions about the next part. Playback and questions alternate through
the whole conversation; the last chunk covers whatever is left.

Only what they said goes in as theirs. Anything you filled in goes in
as your proposal, with your reason. End each chunk by asking what's wrong
or missing.

Before you send a chunk, check it: does it describe something they'll
look at, like a page, a screen, a schedule, or a printout? If so, and
they haven't seen the visual companion offer yet, send the offer instead
(its own message, below) and hold the chunk for the next message. Once
they've accepted, put a mockup next to the description.

## Size the Work

Once you understand what they want and they've picked an approach, say
how big the work is in plain words. They can override it.

| Size | The design doc |
|------|----------------|
| A small change | a short one: what you already covered together, written down |
| A project | the full written design (below) |

Short or full, the design doc has an **Approaches** part: the two or
three ways you considered building it, what each trades off, which one
they picked, and why. They pick in the conversation, before you write
the doc.

If it grows mid-task, stop, say so, and step up a size.

If this is really several independent projects, say so, agree on an
order, and brainstorm them one at a time.

## The Written Design

Write a plain document a talented builder in the domain could plan
from without going back to your human partner. Cover:

- intent and the why
- goals, non-goals, anti-goals
- constraints
- approaches (above)
- the parts of the how they decided, as they decided them
- what's left to the builder

For a small change, the short design covers the same points in a line
or two each and goes straight to your human partner, without the
builder check.

**Where it goes:** in a software repo,
`docs/superpowers/specs/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md`, committed.
Otherwise, ask. Your human partner's preferences override both.

**Builder check** (for a project): dispatch a fresh subagent with
`builder-check-prompt.md` in this directory. When you tell your human
partner you're writing it up, say a reviewer will read it first and you
may come back once with a few questions. Don't hand over the document
until the check is back. Sort what the builder asks into three piles:

- **Answered already** by the conversation or the project: put the answer
  in the document.
- **Minor:** a sensible builder could settle it without changing what gets
  built. Settle it yourself and mark it in the document as your call.
- **Theirs:** only your human partner can answer it, and the answer changes
  what gets built.

Bring the "theirs" pile in one message, most important first. Update the
document with their answers, then hand it over with a short list of the
calls you made so they can check those while reading. That's the only
round of questions the check produces. Without a subagent tool, read the
document as that builder yourself.

<HARD-GATE>
Nothing gets built until your human partner approves the design doc:
the short one for a small change, the full one for a project.
Building includes writing product code, scaffolding, installing
dependencies, creating projects, and invoking an implementation skill.
Reading and exploring are fine.

Two exceptions. If they opted out of the questions, the skill is done
and the gate goes with it. A spike they said yes to may be built; it
stays labeled throwaway, and keeping what it produced is a new request
that comes back through this gate.

After the design doc is approved, the next step is the plan: invoke
superpowers:writing-plans and no other skill.
</HARD-GATE>

## Red Flags

| Thought | Reality |
|---------|---------|
| "I'll offer a menu of what they might want" | Options steer. Ask them to describe it first. |
| "I'll fill in sensible defaults" | Good. Say them out loud. A default they never heard is one they couldn't reject. |
| "I've answered their questions, so I'll write the doc" | Lay out the approaches first, in a message of their own. |
| "I should explain the process first" | Ask your question. The process shows itself. |
| "They said 'sounds good' to the idea" | Approval covers what you showed them. A design doc you haven't written isn't approved. |
| "The spike works, I'll keep building on it" | Keeping it is a new request. Back through the gate. |

## Visual Companion

A browser tab for showing mockups, diagrams, and prototypes. It's a
tool, not a mode: accepting it doesn't send every question to the
browser.

**Offer it just-in-time.** Offer it the first time one of the moments
above comes up, never upfront. The offer is its own message with nothing
else in it:

> "This might be easier if I show you. Want me to open a browser tab with some mockups?"

If they decline, stay in text and don't offer again unless they raise it.

**Per question, ask: would they understand this better by seeing it?**
Mockups, layouts, diagrams, and side-by-side designs go in the browser.
Requirements, scope, tradeoffs, and conceptual choices stay in text. A
question about a UI topic isn't automatically a visual question.

If they accept, read `visual-companion.md` in this directory before
starting the server.

Referenced files: 8 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

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---
name: diagnosing-superpowers
description: Use when a superpowers session went wrong and your human partner wants to know why — repeated work, ignored plans, stumbles, poor results, a skill that didn't fire, "it took too long", "why is it so expensive", "what is it doing" — or wants to build a bug report for the superpowers maintainers, for the current session or a past one identified by id or path, on any harness.
---

# Diagnosing Superpowers

## Overview

Pin down with your human partner what went wrong in a session, read the
transcripts on disk, and report what happened with evidence. You report;
you do not diagnose superpowers. Whoever triages the bundle or the issue
decides whether superpowers changes.

**Core principle:** Every finding cites `path:line`. No citation, no
finding. Every number comes from the transcript or from a command you ran,
never from memory.

## Workflow

Create a todo per step. Steps 5–7 run only on their stated condition.

1. **Problem intake.** Ask one question at a time until you can write a
   statement naming the session(s), the turn range if known, what your
   partner expected, what happened, and the observable they care about
   (wall-clock, tokens, repeated actions, one specific action). "It took
   too long" is a complaint, not a problem statement. Note whether the
   goal is a superpowers bug report.
2. **Locate.** Resolve each session to verified absolute filesystem paths using
   `references/session-discovery.md`. Confirm a past session by quoting its
   first prompt and timestamp, and list every candidate you rejected with the
   reason, or "none". Enumerate subagent transcripts. Create
   `~/.superpowers/diagnosing-superpowers/<session-id>/`, tell your
   partner the path, and fill `templates/case.md` there, following its
   provenance rules for environment and skill observations.
3. **Triage.** Read the region around the reported problem yourself. Then
   dispatch one analyst subagent per dimension in parallel, each given the
   case file path, `prompts/analyst-common.md`, and one dimension file from
   `prompts/`: `skill-timeline.md`,
   `plan-adherence.md`, `repeated-work.md`, `stumbles.md`,
   `quality-evidence.md`, `request-conflicts.md`, `cost-and-time.md`.
   Split a dimension by turn range when the transcript is long. Discard
   any returned finding without `path:line`.
4. **Report.** Fill every section of `templates/report.md` in order, write
   it to the workspace, show it, and give the path. Check what cited content
   actually proves and preserve the supporting case; a symlink alias is not a
   redundant copy.
5. **GitHub issues** — when report §7 says possible or likely, or your
   partner asks. Search open and closed issues for the symptoms per
   `references/github-issues.md`. Show matches and suggest adding the
   report to the closest. If none match, fill `templates/issue.md`, write
   it to the workspace, show the exact text, and create the issue only
   after approval. `gh` cannot attach files; if a bundle exists, give
   your partner its path to attach in the browser.
6. **Export** — only when your partner asks for a bundle; never build one
   unprompted. If the intake goal was a bug report, say once that a
   scrubbed bundle is available on request, then wait. Ask the redaction
   level, stating what each includes: skeleton (no tool-result bodies),
   evidence (bodies only for cited events), full. Build the bundle per
   `templates/bundle-README.md`, dispatch `prompts/scrub.md`, then
   `prompts/scrub-audit.md`, repeating both until the audit returns CLEAN.
   Complete the bundle template's evidence check and reconciliation before
   showing the final scrub log, file list, and privacy and evidence outcomes.
   Archive (`zip -r` or `tar -czf`) only after approval. With the archive
   path, state what it contains, point at the scrub log for replacements, and
   say scrubbing can miss things: they must review every file before sharing.
7. **Similar sessions** — when asked. Turn confirmed findings into a
   signature, list candidates by mtime and size, find marker line numbers,
   dispatch `prompts/similar-session.md` per candidate in parallel, and
   append report §9.

## Quick reference

All seven analysts always run. This table says which region to read
yourself in step 3 and which findings to lead with in the verdict.

| Complaint | Read first, lead with |
|---|---|
| "It took too long" | cost-and-time, stumbles |
| "Why did it do this extra work?" | repeated-work, plan-adherence |
| "Why is it so expensive?" | cost-and-time |
| "What the hell is it doing?" (still running) | skill-timeline; note in-progress in coverage |
| "It ignored the plan" | plan-adherence, compaction lines first |
| "Skill X never fired" | skill-timeline |

## Hard rules

- **Context safety.** One transcript line can be a megabyte. Follow
  `references/context-safety.md` on every session file, every time.
- **Read-only.** Never modify, move, or delete a session file.
- **Exact paths to subagents.** A subagent's "current session" is its
  own. Pass absolute paths and ids.
- **Human prompts only.** Hook output, system reminders, and tool results
  are not your partner's words. In a subagent transcript, "user" is the
  parent agent.
- **No superpowers diagnosis.** Report §7 states involvement and stops.
  Never name a defect in a skill or propose a change. Your partner
  pressing for a fix does not waive this; point at the issue step and
  mention that a bundle is available on request. No advice to your
  partner either.
- **Approval gates.** No archive before your partner has seen the scrub
  log and file list. No issue or comment before they approve the exact
  text, and none with a placeholder summary.
- **Intake before analysis.** Nothing in steps 2–7 starts until your
  partner has answered. If they are away, write the questions and stop.
  A statement you reconstructed for them is not an answer. An
  already-scoped request — one specific event, what is running now, or
  the analysis to run — is itself the statement: answer it, then ask.
  A whole-session "why" is a complaint.

## Red Flags

| Thought | Reality |
|---------|---------|
| "The problem is obvious, skip intake" | The problem statement scopes everything. Ask. |
| "They're away, so I'll reconstruct the statement" | You cannot reconstruct what they wanted. Write the questions and stop. |
| "I'll sweep everything now and ask at the end" | An unscoped sweep spends their budget on the wrong question. Ask first. |
| "They want a bug report, so I'll build the bundle now" | The bundle is their session data, packaged. Build it only when they ask for it. |
| "Small, targeted edit, no restructuring needed" | Not your call, however small. Report the evidence; the triager decides. |
| "The price per token is well known" | Numbers you did not compute from the transcript are invented. Cite or drop. |

Referenced files: 20 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

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---
name: dispatching-parallel-agents
description: Use when facing 2+ independent tasks that can be worked on without shared state or sequential dependencies
---

# Dispatching Parallel Agents

## Overview

You delegate tasks to specialized agents with isolated context. By precisely crafting their instructions and context, you ensure they stay focused and succeed at their task. They should never inherit your session's context or history — you construct exactly what they need. This also preserves your own context for coordination work.

When you have multiple unrelated failures (different test files, different subsystems, different bugs), investigating them sequentially wastes time. Each investigation is independent and can happen in parallel.

**Core principle:** Dispatch one agent per independent problem domain. Let them work concurrently.

## When to Use

```dot
digraph when_to_use {
    "Multiple failures?" [shape=diamond];
    "Are they independent?" [shape=diamond];
    "Single agent investigates all" [shape=box];
    "One agent per problem domain" [shape=box];
    "Can they work in parallel?" [shape=diamond];
    "Sequential agents" [shape=box];
    "Parallel dispatch" [shape=box];

    "Multiple failures?" -> "Are they independent?" [label="yes"];
    "Are they independent?" -> "Single agent investigates all" [label="no - related"];
    "Are they independent?" -> "Can they work in parallel?" [label="yes"];
    "Can they work in parallel?" -> "Parallel dispatch" [label="yes"];
    "Can they work in parallel?" -> "Sequential agents" [label="no - shared state"];
}
```

**Use when:**
- 3+ test files failing with different root causes
- Multiple subsystems broken independently
- Each problem can be understood without context from others
- No shared state between investigations

**Don't use when:**
- Failures are related (fix one might fix others)
- Need to understand full system state
- Agents would interfere with each other

## The Pattern

### 1. Identify Independent Domains

Group failures by what's broken:
- File A tests: Tool approval flow
- File B tests: Batch completion behavior
- File C tests: Abort functionality

Each domain is independent - fixing tool approval doesn't affect abort tests.

### 2. Create Focused Agent Tasks

Each agent gets:
- **Specific scope:** One test file or subsystem
- **Clear goal:** Make these tests pass
- **Constraints:** Don't change other code
- **Expected output:** Summary of what you found and fixed

### 3. Dispatch in Parallel

Issue all three subagent dispatches in the same response — they run in parallel:

```text
Subagent (general-purpose): "Fix agent-tool-abort.test.ts failures"
Subagent (general-purpose): "Fix batch-completion-behavior.test.ts failures"
Subagent (general-purpose): "Fix tool-approval-race-conditions.test.ts failures"
# All three run concurrently.
```

Multiple dispatch calls in one response = parallel execution. One per response = sequential.

### 4. Review and Integrate

When agents return:
- Read each summary
- Verify fixes don't conflict
- Run full test suite
- Integrate all changes

## Agent Prompt Structure

Good agent prompts are:
1. **Focused** - One clear problem domain
2. **Self-contained** - All context needed to understand the problem
3. **Specific about output** - What should the agent return?

```markdown
Fix the 3 failing tests in src/agents/agent-tool-abort.test.ts:

1. "should abort tool with partial output capture" - expects 'interrupted at' in message
2. "should handle mixed completed and aborted tools" - fast tool aborted instead of completed
3. "should properly track pendingToolCount" - expects 3 results but gets 0

These are timing/race condition issues. Your task:

1. Read the test file and understand what each test verifies
2. Identify root cause - timing issues or actual bugs?
3. Fix by:
   - Replacing arbitrary timeouts with event-based waiting
   - Fixing bugs in abort implementation if found
   - Adjusting test expectations if testing changed behavior

Do NOT just increase timeouts - find the real issue.

Return: Summary of what you found and what you fixed.
```

## Common Mistakes

**❌ Too broad:** "Fix all the tests" - agent gets lost
**✅ Specific:** "Fix agent-tool-abort.test.ts" - focused scope

**❌ No context:** "Fix the race condition" - agent doesn't know where
**✅ Context:** Paste the error messages and test names

**❌ No constraints:** Agent might refactor everything
**✅ Constraints:** "Do NOT change production code" or "Fix tests only"

**❌ Vague output:** "Fix it" - you don't know what changed
**✅ Specific:** "Return summary of root cause and changes"

## When NOT to Use

**Related failures:** Fixing one might fix others - investigate together first
**Need full context:** Understanding requires seeing entire system
**Exploratory debugging:** You don't know what's broken yet
**Shared state:** Agents would interfere (editing same files, using same resources)

## Real Example from Session

**Scenario:** 6 test failures across 3 files after major refactoring

**Failures:**
- agent-tool-abort.test.ts: 3 failures (timing issues)
- batch-completion-behavior.test.ts: 2 failures (tools not executing)
- tool-approval-race-conditions.test.ts: 1 failure (execution count = 0)

**Decision:** Independent domains - abort logic separate from batch completion separate from race conditions

**Dispatch:**
```
Agent 1 → Fix agent-tool-abort.test.ts
Agent 2 → Fix batch-completion-behavior.test.ts
Agent 3 → Fix tool-approval-race-conditions.test.ts
```

**Results:**
- Agent 1: Replaced timeouts with event-based waiting
- Agent 2: Fixed event structure bug (threadId in wrong place)
- Agent 3: Added wait for async tool execution to complete

**Integration:** All fixes independent, no conflicts, full suite green

## Verification

After agents return:
1. **Review each summary** - Understand what changed
2. **Check for conflicts** - Did agents edit same code?
3. **Run full suite** - Verify all fixes work together
4. **Spot check** - Agents can make systematic errors

Referenced files: 1 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

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---
name: executing-plans
description: Use when executing an implementation plan in the current session as the implementer yourself — your human partner chose inline execution, or no subagent tool is available
---

# Executing Plans

Execute the plan yourself, task by task, in this session: no implementer
subagent per task, no reviewer per task. One fresh-context review of the
whole branch at the end.

**Why inline:** Subagent-driven development pays for a fresh implementer
and a fresh reviewer on every task, each re-reading the codebase from zero.
Inline execution pays for one context (yours) plus one reviewer at the end.
What it gives up is a fresh context per task and a second pair of eyes per
task. This skill keeps what those two things bought, by other means: the
brief is the spec, the ledger is your memory, TDD is the per-task gate, and
the final reviewer is the second pair of eyes.

**Core principle:** The plan already did the thinking. Execute it exactly,
prove each step with a test you watched fail and then pass, and leave a
record that survives your own forgetting.

**Narration:** between tool calls, narrate at most one short line — the
ledger and the tool results carry the record.

**Continuous execution:** Do not pause to check in with your human partner
between tasks. They chose inline execution to spend less, not to answer
"should I continue?" after every task. Execute all tasks from the plan
without stopping.

**Rulings, not stalls.** Conflicts, ambiguities, plan defects — decide them.
The spec is the binding authority, the plan is its argument, and your
judgment settles what neither answers. Record every decision in the ledger
as `Ruling: <what you decided> — <why> — <what it costs if wrong>`, and keep
going. Deviating from the plan without a ledgered ruling is a decision made
in secret.

Four things stop you, and only these: an irreversible or destructive
operation; a security-sensitive action; a side effect outside this worktree
that norms say you ask about first (a merge, a push to a shared branch, a
publish); and a plan so broken that every path forward is a guess. For
those, stop and ask.

## When to Use

- You have a plan from superpowers:writing-plans and your human partner
  chose inline execution at the handoff.
- Your harness has no subagent tool (see the per-platform references in
  `../using-superpowers/references/`). Never fabricate a dispatch; run
  the plan here.
- Tasks are mostly independent — the same precondition as
  superpowers:subagent-driven-development.

A fully specified plan makes inline execution transcription plus testing:
it runs well on a mid-tier session model, and the one place the most
capable model earns its cost is the final review, which this skill
dispatches separately. Tell your human partner so when they choose inline.

Prefer superpowers:subagent-driven-development when your human partner
wants a review gate on every task, or when the plan is long enough that
its later tasks would run on a compacted context. Inline execution over a
long plan still works — the ledger is what makes it recoverable — but the
last tasks get the least of you.

## The Process

```dot
digraph process {
    rankdir=TB;

    subgraph cluster_per_task {
        label="Per Task";
        "task-start: brief + BASE; read the brief" [shape=box];
        "Work the steps in order: TDD, run every verification, read every output" [shape=box];
        "Step output matches plan's Expected?" [shape=diamond];
        "Plan wrong? Rule and ledger. Code wrong? systematic-debugging" [shape=box];
        "Commit as the plan's commit steps say" [shape=box];
        "Completion contract met?" [shape=diamond];
        "task-done: run tests, ledger the result; mark todo complete" [shape=box];
    }

    "Setup: worktree, workspace + ledger, read plan + spec, pre-flight scan" [shape=box];
    "More tasks remain?" [shape=diamond];
    "Final whole-branch review (fresh reviewer if you have one)" [shape=box];
    "Re-grade, then: Critical/Important → ONE fix pass, each fix RED→GREEN + green suite; Minor → ledger" [shape=box];
    "Final review clean: delete this plan's workspace" [shape=box];
    "Use superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch" [shape=box style=filled fillcolor=lightgreen];

    "Setup: worktree, workspace + ledger, read plan + spec, pre-flight scan" -> "task-start: brief + BASE; read the brief";
    "task-start: brief + BASE; read the brief" -> "Work the steps in order: TDD, run every verification, read every output";
    "Work the steps in order: TDD, run every verification, read every output" -> "Step output matches plan's Expected?";
    "Step output matches plan's Expected?" -> "Plan wrong? Rule and ledger. Code wrong? systematic-debugging" [label="no"];
    "Plan wrong? Rule and ledger. Code wrong? systematic-debugging" -> "Work the steps in order: TDD, run every verification, read every output";
    "Step output matches plan's Expected?" -> "Commit as the plan's commit steps say" [label="yes, last step"];
    "Commit as the plan's commit steps say" -> "Completion contract met?";
    "Completion contract met?" -> "Work the steps in order: TDD, run every verification, read every output" [label="no - finish the task"];
    "Completion contract met?" -> "task-done: run tests, ledger the result; mark todo complete" [label="yes"];
    "task-done: run tests, ledger the result; mark todo complete" -> "More tasks remain?";
    "More tasks remain?" -> "task-start: brief + BASE; read the brief" [label="yes"];
    "More tasks remain?" -> "Final whole-branch review (fresh reviewer if you have one)" [label="no"];
    "Final whole-branch review (fresh reviewer if you have one)" -> "Re-grade, then: Critical/Important → ONE fix pass, each fix RED→GREEN + green suite; Minor → ledger";
    "Re-grade, then: Critical/Important → ONE fix pass, each fix RED→GREEN + green suite; Minor → ledger" -> "Final review clean: delete this plan's workspace";
    "Final review clean: delete this plan's workspace" -> "Use superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch";
}
```

## Setup

Ensure the work happens in an isolated workspace: use
superpowers:using-git-worktrees to create one or verify the existing one.
Never start implementation on a main/master branch without your human
partner's explicit consent.

Conversation memory does not survive compaction. An inline executor that
loses its place re-implements tasks whose commits already exist — the same
failure as a controller re-dispatching them, paid for in your own context.
Track progress in a ledger file, not only in todos. Harness todos are a
live view; the ledger is the record.

The workspace and ledger are shared with superpowers:subagent-driven-development
— same directory, same format — so a plan can change executors mid-flight
and the new one resumes from the same ledger.

- Each plan owns a workspace: at skill start, run
  `../subagent-driven-development/scripts/sdd-workspace PLAN_FILE` — it
  prints the plan's git-ignored directory
  (`<repo-root>/.superpowers/sdd/<plan-basename>/`), home to every
  artifact for THIS plan: ledger, briefs, review packages. Another plan's
  directory is never yours to read or write.
- Check for this plan's ledger at `<workspace>/progress.md`. If its first
  line names your plan file, tasks with a `Task <N>: complete` line are
  DONE — do not redo them; resume at the first task without one. Their
  commits exist in git even when your context no longer remembers making
  them: after compaction, trust the ledger and `git log` over your own
  recollection. A ledger whose first line names a different plan file is
  another plan's progress: leave it and start your own, fresh.
- Create the ledger with its identity as the first line:
  `# SDD ledger — plan: <plan file path>`.
- `git clean -fdx` will destroy the workspace (it's git-ignored scratch);
  if that happens, recover from `git log`.

Read the plan once, note its context and Global Constraints, and create a
todo per task. If the plan names a Spec, read that too: the spec is the
authority the plan argues from, and conflicts inside the plan resolve
against it. A plan with no reachable spec gets a ledger note saying so —
rulings made without one are provisional.

**REQUIRED SUB-SKILL:** load superpowers:test-driven-development now,
before Task 1. It governs every step of every task below; a plan whose
steps already say "write the failing test first" does not exempt you
from reading it.

Before Task 1, scan the plan for conflicts between tasks. The plan's
Interfaces blocks tell you where to look: for every task that consumes
what an earlier task produces, one ledger row — the two tasks, what one
produces against what the other consumes, and what you found. Tasks that
share nothing get no row; a plan whose tasks share nothing gets the single
line `Pre-flight: no shared interfaces`. Rule on each conflict a row
surfaces with the spec as the binding authority, record the ruling beside
its row, and start Task 1. Each task's own text is checked when you read
its brief, not here.

## The Task Loop

Everything you print, and every tool result, stays resident in your
context for the rest of the session. Redirect long test output to a file
in the workspace and read its tail; read a brief, not the whole plan.

### 1. Take the task

- Run this skill's `scripts/task-start PLAN_FILE N`. It prints the brief
  path and BASE (the commit the task's range is cut from) in one call.
  Read the brief for every task, including ones you remember from setup:
  what you remember is a summary, the brief has the exact values,
  signatures, and test cases.
- Mark the task's todo in_progress.

Every tool call is a turn that re-reads your whole context. Bookkeeping
rides along with work — a ledger append in the same call as the commit,
never in a call of its own.

### 2. Work the steps

The plan's steps are already in RED-GREEN order; follow them in that
order under superpowers:test-driven-development, loaded at setup. A test
step's code is written first and run first. Watching it fail is a step,
not a formality — a test that passes before the implementation exists is
a finding about the test.

Every step that runs a command has an `Expected:` line. Run the command,
read its output, and compare. Three outcomes:

- **Matches.** Next step.
- **The code is wrong.** Use superpowers:systematic-debugging. Find the
  cause; never patch the symptom to make the step's output match.
- **The plan is wrong** — a step contradicts the spec, an interface from an
  earlier task doesn't match what this task consumes, a command that
  cannot work. Rule on the smallest change that satisfies the spec, ledger
  it as `Task <N>: Ruling: <finding> — <what you decided and why>`, and
  continue. The ruling is carried, not remembered: later tasks that touch
  the same interface read it from the ledger.

Commit as the plan's commit steps say. A task that spans several commits
is fine; BASE is what the review range is cut from, never `HEAD~1`.

### 3. The completion contract

Before a task's ledger line, all of the following are true, with evidence
in this session — not inferred from the diff looking right:

- Every test the brief names exists and ran in this task, and you read
  the output.
- The final test run for the task passed — `task-done` is that run, and
  it writes the command and result into the ledger line.
- Every `Expected:` line in the brief was compared against real output.
- Every deviation from the brief has a `Ruling:` line in the ledger.

**REQUIRED SUB-SKILL:** superpowers:verification-before-completion governs
the claim. If any item is missing, the task is not complete: finish it.

### 4. Complete the task

Run this skill's `scripts/task-done PLAN_FILE N BASE -- <test command>`
with the test command the brief names for the whole task. It runs the
tests, keeps the full output in the workspace, prints the tail, and — only
if they pass — appends the completion line to the ledger:

`Task <N>: complete (commits <base7>..<head7>, tests: <command> → <result>)`

A failing run records nothing; the task is not complete. When it records,
mark the todo complete and take the next task.

## Final Review

Run `../subagent-driven-development/scripts/review-package PLAN_FILE MERGE_BASE HEAD`
(MERGE_BASE = the commit the branch started from, e.g.
`git merge-base main HEAD`) and review from the file it prints.

**With a subagent tool:** dispatch the reviewer on the most capable
available model — the whole-branch review is a judgment task — using
superpowers:requesting-code-review's
[code-reviewer.md](../requesting-code-review/code-reviewer.md), with the
package path, the plan and spec paths, the plan's Review Focus section
verbatim if it has one (the input classes and failure modes the plan's
tests do not exercise — the reviewer checks each deliberately), and a
pointer to the ledger's `Ruling:` lines so it can weigh the calls you
made. Specify the model
explicitly; an omitted model inherits the session's, which may not be the
most capable. This is the one fresh context the whole run buys. Do not
skip it, and do not replace it with your own read of the diff.

**Without a subagent tool:** read code-reviewer.md and perform that review
yourself against the package, as a separate pass after the last task's
ledger line. Write `Final review: self-review (no subagent tool)` to the
ledger, and say so in your final message: a self-review by the author is
weaker than a fresh reviewer, and your human partner decides whether that
is enough before merge.

Sort the findings before you act on any of them. The reviewer's severity
labels are advice; the gate is yours. Its "Declined to judge" list is
yours too: every line there is a ruling you make and ledger, exactly like
a plan conflict — `Final: Ruling: <behavior the reviewer set aside> —
<what a reasonable person using this software gets, and why that stands
or why it is now a finding> — <cost if wrong>`. Re-grade first, by effect: the
spec is a vision document, and a finding's grade is what a reasonable
person using this software gets if it ships, not whether the spec names
the input that triggers it — a reviewer who set a finding at Minor
because the spec was silent has graded the spec, not the effect. Then:

- **Critical and Important** enter the fix pass.
- **Minor** goes to the ledger as `Final: minor (deferred): <one-liner>`
  and to your final message under "Deferred minors". Minors never enter
  the fix pass, and never become rulings — a ruling is a decision about a
  conflict, not a note that you declined a polish suggestion.

Fix the Critical and Important findings yourself — you are the
implementer here — in ONE pass. Each fix is verified by TDD, not by a
second reviewer: write the test that reproduces the finding, watch it
fail, make it pass, then run the whole suite. Record each in the ledger as
`Final: fixed <finding> — <test name> RED→GREEN, suite <N>/<N>`. A fix
without a test that failed first is not verified; a suite that is not
green after the pass means the pass is not over. Do not dispatch a
re-review: it would re-read a diff whose covering tests already answer
"addressed" and whose suite run already answers "broke nothing".

A finding you decide not to fix is a ruling — `Final: Ruling: <finding> —
<why the code stands> — <cost if wrong>` — and reaches your human partner
in the rulings list. There is no second fix pass.

## Finish

Before you delete anything, collect every ledger line containing
`Ruling:` into your final message under "Rulings I made", in the order you
made them, each with what it costs if wrong, and every `minor (deferred)`
line under "Deferred minors". Both lists are exhaustive. Your final
message is the only place the decisions you took on your human partner's
behalf — and the findings you chose not to act on — reach them.

When the final review is clean and its fixes are committed, delete this
plan's workspace directory — the git history is the record now. Sibling
directories belong to other plans; leave them alone.

Use superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch.

## Common Rationalizations

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "I remember what Task N says" | You remember a summary. The brief has the exact values. Read it. |
| "The plan's code is right, skip watching the test fail" | A test you never saw fail proves nothing. It is one step. Run it. |
| "I'll run the full suite at the end instead of per step" | Per-step runs are how you learn which step broke it. The end-of-task run is the contract, not a substitute. |
| "The plan is wrong here, I'll just do the right thing" | Do the right thing and ledger the ruling. Unledgered deviation is a decision made in secret. |
| "I'll write the ledger lines after a few tasks" | Compaction does not wait for a convenient moment. One line per task, in the same message as the commit. |
| "Let me check in before the next task" | They chose inline to spend less. Progress prompts spend their time instead. Only the four stops stop you. |
| "I read my own diff carefully; the final reviewer is redundant" | Same author, same blind spots. The reviewer is the only fresh context this run buys. |
| "Tests should pass, the change was trivial" | "Should" is not evidence. The contract requires the command and its output. |
| "Subagents are slow and expensive, I'll skip the final review too" | Inline already removed the per-task reviewers. One review of the whole branch is the floor, not the ceiling. |
| "The reviewer said Minor, so it's Minor" | The label graded the spec's silence. Grade what the person gets. Re-grade, then gate. |
| "The fix is obvious, no need for a failing test first" | The failing test is the only proof the finding was real and is now gone. Without it you have a diff and a hope. |
| "I'll fix the minors too while I'm in there" | Every minor you fix is a test, a fix, and a suite run your partner did not ask for. Ledger them; your partner decides. |

Referenced files: 3 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: finishing-a-development-branch
description: Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work
---

# Finishing a Development Branch

## Overview

**Core principle:** Verify tests → Detect environment → Present options → Execute choice → Clean up.

**Announce at start:** "I'm using the finishing-a-development-branch skill to complete this work."

## Step 1: Verify Tests

Run the project's full test suite (`npm test` / `cargo test` / `pytest` / `go test ./...`).

**If tests fail**, report the failures and stop — the menu comes after a green suite:

```
Tests failing (<N> failures). Must fix before completing:

[Show failures]
```

**If tests pass:** continue to Step 2.

## Step 2: Detect Environment

```bash
GIT_DIR=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-dir)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
GIT_COMMON=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
# Capture now, while still inside the workspace — Step 5 changes directory
# before cleanup (Step 6) needs this value
WORKTREE_PATH=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
```

This determines which menu to show and how cleanup works:

| State | Menu | Cleanup |
|-------|------|---------|
| `GIT_DIR == GIT_COMMON` (normal repo) | Standard 3 options | No worktree to clean up |
| `GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON`, named branch | Standard 3 options | Provenance-based (see Step 6) |
| `GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON`, detached HEAD | Reduced 2 options (no merge) | Externally managed — leave in place |

## Step 3: Determine Base Branch

The base branch is whatever this work forked from — usually named in the
plan, the conversation, or the branch's upstream. If it is not already
known, ask: "This branch split from <your best guess> - is that correct?"
Confirm before merging: merging into the wrong base is expensive to undo.

## Step 4: Present Options

**Normal repo and named-branch worktree — present exactly these 3 options:**

```
Implementation complete. What would you like to do?

1. Merge back to <base-branch> locally
2. Push and create a Pull Request
3. Keep the branch as-is (I'll handle it later)

Which option?
```

**Detached HEAD — present exactly these 2 options:**

```
Implementation complete. You're on a detached HEAD (externally managed workspace).

1. Push as new branch and create a Pull Request
2. Keep as-is (I'll handle it later)

Which option?
```

Present the menu exactly as written — concise, with every option coming
from the list above. Discarding the work happens only in response to your
human partner explicitly asking for it (see "If your human partner asks to
discard the work" below). Wait for their answer; the integration decision
is theirs.

## Step 5: Execute Choice

### Option 1: Merge Locally

```bash
# Get main repo root for CWD safety
MAIN_ROOT=$(git -C "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." rev-parse --show-toplevel)
cd "$MAIN_ROOT"

# Merge first — verify success before removing anything
git checkout <base-branch>
git pull
git merge <feature-branch>

# Verify tests on merged result
<test command>
```

If tests fail on the merged result: stop, leave the worktree and branch in
place, and investigate — nothing has been pushed, so the merge is local
and recoverable.

Once the merged result is green: clean up the worktree (Step 6), then
delete the branch:

```bash
git branch -d <feature-branch>
```

### Option 2: Push and Create PR

```bash
git push -u origin <feature-branch>
# From a detached HEAD, name the new branch on the remote:
# git push origin HEAD:refs/heads/<new-branch>
```

Then create the pull/merge request against <base-branch> with the forge's
tooling — its CLI if one is available, or the creation URL most forges
print when you push — following the repo's PR template and conventions if
present, and report the URL to your human partner.

Keep the worktree — your human partner iterates on PR feedback there.

### Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report: "Keeping branch <name>. Worktree preserved at <path>."

### If your human partner asks to discard the work

This path exists only as a response to an explicit request to throw the
work away. Confirm first:

```
This will permanently delete:
- Branch <name>
- All commits: <commit-list>
- Worktree at <path>

Type 'discard' to confirm.
```

Wait for that exact confirmation. When it arrives:

```bash
MAIN_ROOT=$(git -C "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." rev-parse --show-toplevel)
cd "$MAIN_ROOT"
```

Then clean up the worktree (Step 6) and force-delete the branch:

```bash
git branch -D <feature-branch>
```

## Step 6: Cleanup Workspace

**Runs for Option 1 and confirmed discards.** Options 2 and 3 always
preserve the worktree. Both callers have already changed directory to the
main repo root — worktree removal must run from outside the worktree —
and use the `GIT_DIR`/`GIT_COMMON`/`WORKTREE_PATH` values captured in
Step 2, from before that directory change.

**If `GIT_DIR == GIT_COMMON`:** Normal repo, no worktree to clean up. Done.

**If `WORKTREE_PATH` is under `.worktrees/` or `worktrees/`:** Superpowers
created this worktree — we own cleanup:

```bash
git worktree remove "$WORKTREE_PATH"
git worktree prune  # Self-healing: clean up any stale registrations
```

**If removal is refused** (`contains modified or untracked files`): the
worktree holds files that exist nowhere else — uncommitted plans, notes,
or scratch work. Never `--force` on your own initiative. Show your human
partner what is at stake and ask:

```bash
git -C "$WORKTREE_PATH" status --porcelain -uall
```

```
Worktree removal refused — these files were never committed:

<file list>

1. Commit them to <branch> before cleanup
2. Move them into <main repo root>
3. Delete them (unrecoverable)

Which?
```

Carry out the choice, then remove the worktree.

**Otherwise:** The host environment owns this workspace — leave it in
place. If your platform provides a workspace-exit tool, use it.

## Quick Reference

| Option | Merge | Push | Keep Worktree | Cleanup Branch |
|--------|-------|------|---------------|----------------|
| 1. Merge locally | yes | - | - | yes |
| 2. Create PR | - | yes | yes | - |
| 3. Keep as-is | - | - | yes | - |
| Discard (explicit request only) | - | - | - | yes (force) |

## Common Rationalizations

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "Tests passed earlier this session" | Run the suite on the tree you are about to integrate. A green run only proves the tree it ran on. |
| "They obviously want it merged" | Integration is your human partner's decision. Present the menu and wait. |
| "They seem done with this feature — I'll offer to discard it" | The menu is complete as written. Discard happens only when your human partner asks for it in so many words. |
| "'Yeah, get rid of it' counts as confirmation" | Only the typed word `discard` authorizes deletion. |
| "The PR is up, so the worktree is clutter now" | PR feedback gets fixed in that worktree. It stays until the work lands. |
| "This other worktree looks stale — I'll clean it too" | Clean up only worktrees under `.worktrees/` or `worktrees/`. Everything else belongs to the host. |
| "Removal refused — `--force` is just finishing the cleanup" | The refusal means files exist only in that worktree. `--force` destroys them permanently. Show your human partner and ask. |
| "The merged-result failure is probably flaky" | A failing merged result stops everything. Branch and worktree stay put while you investigate. |
| "The base branch is obviously main" | Confirm the fork point or ask. Merging into the wrong base is expensive to undo. |
| "The push was rejected — force-push will fix it" | A rejected push means the remote moved. Investigate; force-push only on your human partner's explicit request. |

Referenced files: 1 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: receiving-code-review
description: Use when receiving code review feedback, before implementing suggestions, especially if feedback seems unclear or technically questionable - requires technical rigor and verification, not performative agreement or blind implementation
---

# Code Review Reception

## Overview

Code review requires technical evaluation, not emotional performance.

**Core principle:** Verify before implementing. Ask before assuming. Technical correctness over social comfort.

## The Response Pattern

```
WHEN receiving code review feedback:

1. READ: Complete feedback without reacting
2. UNDERSTAND: Restate requirement in own words (or ask)
3. VERIFY: Check against codebase reality
4. EVALUATE: Technically sound for THIS codebase?
5. RESPOND: Technical acknowledgment or reasoned pushback
6. IMPLEMENT: One item at a time, test each
```

## Forbidden Responses

**NEVER:**
- "You're absolutely right!" (explicit instruction-file violation)
- "Great point!" / "Excellent feedback!" (performative)
- "Let me implement that now" (before verification)

**INSTEAD:**
- Restate the technical requirement
- Ask clarifying questions
- Push back with technical reasoning if wrong
- Just start working (actions > words)

## Handling Unclear Feedback

```
IF any item is unclear:
  STOP - do not implement anything yet
  ASK for clarification on unclear items

WHY: Items may be related. Partial understanding = wrong implementation.
```

**Example:**
```
your human partner: "Fix 1-6"
You understand 1,2,3,6. Unclear on 4,5.

❌ WRONG: Implement 1,2,3,6 now, ask about 4,5 later
✅ RIGHT: "I understand items 1,2,3,6. Need clarification on 4 and 5 before proceeding."
```

## Source-Specific Handling

### From your human partner
- **Trusted** - implement after understanding
- **Still ask** if scope unclear
- **No performative agreement**
- **Skip to action** or technical acknowledgment

### From External Reviewers
```
BEFORE implementing:
  1. Check: Technically correct for THIS codebase?
  2. Check: Breaks existing functionality?
  3. Check: Reason for current implementation?
  4. Check: Works on all platforms/versions?
  5. Check: Does reviewer understand full context?

IF suggestion seems wrong:
  Push back with technical reasoning

IF can't easily verify:
  Say so: "I can't verify this without [X]. Should I [investigate/ask/proceed]?"

IF conflicts with your human partner's prior decisions:
  Stop and discuss with your human partner first
```

**your human partner's rule:** "External feedback - be skeptical, but check carefully"

## YAGNI Check for "Professional" Features

```
IF reviewer suggests "implementing properly":
  grep codebase for actual usage

  IF unused: "This endpoint isn't called. Remove it (YAGNI)?"
  IF used: Then implement properly
```

**your human partner's rule:** "You and reviewer both report to me. If we don't need this feature, don't add it."

## Implementation Order

```
FOR multi-item feedback:
  1. Clarify anything unclear FIRST
  2. Then implement in this order:
     - Blocking issues (breaks, security)
     - Simple fixes (typos, imports)
     - Complex fixes (refactoring, logic)
  3. Test each fix individually
  4. Verify no regressions
```

## When To Push Back

Push back when:
- Suggestion breaks existing functionality
- Reviewer lacks full context
- Violates YAGNI (unused feature)
- Technically incorrect for this stack
- Legacy/compatibility reasons exist
- Conflicts with your human partner's architectural decisions

**How to push back:**
- Use technical reasoning, not defensiveness
- Ask specific questions
- Reference working tests/code
- Involve your human partner if architectural

**If you're uncomfortable pushing back out loud:** Name that tension, then tell your partner about the issue you've seen. They'll appreciate your honesty.

## Acknowledging Correct Feedback

When feedback IS correct:
```
✅ "Fixed. [Brief description of what changed]"
✅ "Good catch - [specific issue]. Fixed in [location]."
✅ [Just fix it and show in the code]

❌ "You're absolutely right!"
❌ "Great point!"
❌ "Thanks for catching that!"
❌ "Thanks for [anything]"
❌ ANY gratitude expression
```

**Why no thanks:** Actions speak. Just fix it. The code itself shows you heard the feedback.

**If you catch yourself about to write "Thanks":** DELETE IT. State the fix instead.

## Gracefully Correcting Your Pushback

If you pushed back and were wrong:
```
✅ "You were right - I checked [X] and it does [Y]. Implementing now."
✅ "Verified this and you're correct. My initial understanding was wrong because [reason]. Fixing."

❌ Long apology
❌ Defending why you pushed back
❌ Over-explaining
```

State the correction factually and move on.

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Performative agreement | State requirement or just act |
| Blind implementation | Verify against codebase first |
| Batch without testing | One at a time, test each |
| Assuming reviewer is right | Check if breaks things |
| Avoiding pushback | Technical correctness > comfort |
| Partial implementation | Clarify all items first |
| Can't verify, proceed anyway | State limitation, ask for direction |

## Real Examples

**Performative Agreement (Bad):**
```
Reviewer: "Remove legacy code"
❌ "You're absolutely right! Let me remove that..."
```

**Technical Verification (Good):**
```
Reviewer: "Remove legacy code"
✅ "Checking... build target is 10.15+, this API needs 13+. Need legacy for backward compat. Current impl has wrong bundle ID - fix it or drop pre-13 support?"
```

**YAGNI (Good):**
```
Reviewer: "Implement proper metrics tracking with database, date filters, CSV export"
✅ "Grepped codebase - nothing calls this endpoint. Remove it (YAGNI)? Or is there usage I'm missing?"
```

**Unclear Item (Good):**
```
your human partner: "Fix items 1-6"
You understand 1,2,3,6. Unclear on 4,5.
✅ "Understand 1,2,3,6. Need clarification on 4 and 5 before implementing."
```

## GitHub Thread Replies

When replying to inline review comments on GitHub, reply in the comment thread (`gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{pr}/comments/{id}/replies`), not as a top-level PR comment.

Referenced files: 1 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: requesting-code-review
description: Use when completing tasks, implementing major features, or before merging to verify work meets requirements
---

# Requesting Code Review

Dispatch a code reviewer subagent to catch issues before they cascade. The reviewer gets precisely crafted context for evaluation — never your session's history.

**Core principle:** Review early, review often.

## When to Request Review

**Mandatory:**
- After each task in subagent-driven development
- After completing major feature
- Before merge to main

**Optional but valuable:**
- When stuck (fresh perspective)
- Before refactoring (baseline check)
- After fixing complex bug

## How to Request

**1. Get git SHAs:**
```bash
BASE_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD~1)  # or: git merge-base origin/main HEAD
HEAD_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
```

**2. Dispatch code reviewer subagent:**

Dispatch a `general-purpose` subagent, filling the template at [code-reviewer.md](code-reviewer.md)

**Placeholders:**
- `{DESCRIPTION}` - Brief summary of what you built
- `{PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS}` - What it should do
- `{BASE_SHA}` - Starting commit
- `{HEAD_SHA}` - Ending commit

**3. Act on feedback:**
- Fix Critical issues immediately
- Fix Important issues before proceeding
- Note Minor issues for later
- Push back if reviewer is wrong (with reasoning)

## Example

```
[Just completed Task 2: Add verification function]

You: Let me request code review before proceeding.

BASE_SHA=$(git log --oneline | grep "Task 1" | head -1 | cut -d' ' -f1)
HEAD_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)

[Dispatch code reviewer subagent]
  DESCRIPTION: Added verifyIndex() and repairIndex() with 4 issue types
  PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS: Task 2 from docs/superpowers/plans/deployment-plan.md
  BASE_SHA: a7981ec
  HEAD_SHA: 3df7661

[Subagent returns]:
  Strengths: Clean architecture, real tests
  Issues:
    Important: Missing progress indicators
    Minor: Magic number (100) for reporting interval
  Assessment: Ready to proceed

You: [Fix progress indicators]
[Continue to Task 3]
```

## Common Rationalizations

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "I'll just review the diff myself instead of dispatching a reviewer" | You're the coordinator — reviewing the diff inline burns the context window you need to keep driving the work. Dispatch a reviewer subagent: the diff and the evaluation live in its context, and only the findings come back to you. |
| "The reviewer needs my whole session history to understand the change" | Hand it precisely crafted context, never your session's history. That keeps the reviewer on the work product, not your thought process. |

## Red Flags

**Never:**
- Skip review because "it's simple"
- Ignore Critical issues
- Proceed with unfixed Important issues
- Argue with valid technical feedback

**If reviewer wrong:**
- Push back with technical reasoning
- Show code/tests that prove it works
- Request clarification

See template at: [code-reviewer.md](code-reviewer.md)

Referenced files: 2 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: subagent-driven-development
description: Use when executing implementation plans with independent tasks in the current session
---

# Subagent-Driven Development

Execute plan by dispatching a fresh implementer subagent per task, a task review (spec compliance + code quality) after each, and a broad whole-branch review at the end.

**Why subagents:** You delegate tasks to specialized agents with isolated context. By precisely crafting their instructions and context, you ensure they stay focused and succeed at their task. They should never inherit your session's context or history — you construct exactly what they need. This also preserves your own context for coordination work.

**Core principle:** Fresh subagent per task + task review (spec + quality) + broad final review = high quality, fast iteration

**Narration:** between tool calls, narrate at most one short line — the
ledger and the tool results carry the record.

**Continuous execution:** Do not pause to check in with your human partner between tasks. Execute all tasks from the plan without stopping. The only reasons to stop are the four named below, or all tasks complete. "Should I continue?" prompts and progress summaries waste their time — they asked you to execute the plan, so execute it.

**Rulings, not stalls.** A running plan does not wait on a human. Conflicts,
ambiguities, plan defects, a cap you would have asked to exceed — decide
them. The spec is the binding authority, the plan is its argument, and your
judgment settles what neither answers. Record every decision in the ledger as
`Ruling: <what you decided> — <why> — <what it costs if wrong>`, and keep
going. A wrong ruling costs rework your human partner can see and undo; a
session parked on a question costs their whole day and buys nothing.

Four things stop you, and only these: an irreversible or destructive
operation; a security-sensitive action; a side effect outside this worktree
that norms say you ask about first (a merge, a push to a shared branch, a
publish); and a plan so broken that every path forward is a guess. For those,
stop and ask.

## When to Use

```dot
digraph when_to_use {
    "Have implementation plan?" [shape=diamond];
    "Tasks mostly independent?" [shape=diamond];
    "Partner chose inline, or no subagent tool?" [shape=diamond];
    "subagent-driven-development" [shape=box];
    "executing-plans" [shape=box];
    "Manual execution or brainstorm first" [shape=box];

    "Have implementation plan?" -> "Tasks mostly independent?" [label="yes"];
    "Have implementation plan?" -> "Manual execution or brainstorm first" [label="no"];
    "Tasks mostly independent?" -> "Partner chose inline, or no subagent tool?" [label="yes"];
    "Tasks mostly independent?" -> "Manual execution or brainstorm first" [label="no - tightly coupled"];
    "Partner chose inline, or no subagent tool?" -> "executing-plans" [label="yes"];
    "Partner chose inline, or no subagent tool?" -> "subagent-driven-development" [label="no"];
}
```

**vs. Executing Plans (inline):**
- Fresh subagent per task (no context pollution) instead of one context doing every task
- Review after each task (spec compliance + code quality) instead of only at the end
- Costs a fresh context per task and per review; inline costs one context plus one final reviewer
- Both run in this session, share the same plan workspace and ledger, and never pause between tasks

## The Process

```dot
digraph process {
    rankdir=TB;

    subgraph cluster_per_task {
        label="Per Task";
        "Dispatch implementer subagent (./implementer-prompt.md)" [shape=box];
        "Implementer asks questions?" [shape=diamond];
        "Answer questions, provide context" [shape=box];
        "Implementer implements, tests, commits, self-reviews" [shape=box];
        "Generate review package, dispatch task reviewer (./task-reviewer-prompt.md)" [shape=box];
        "Spec ✅ and quality approved?" [shape=diamond];
        "Fix loop: read references/fix-loop.md before every round" [shape=box];
        "Append completion to ledger, mark todo complete" [shape=box];
    }

    "Setup: worktree, ledger check, read plan, pre-flight review" [shape=box];
    "More tasks remain?" [shape=diamond];
    "Final review and finish: read references/final-review.md" [shape=box];
    "Final review clean: delete this plan's workspace" [shape=box];
    "Use superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch" [shape=box style=filled fillcolor=lightgreen];

    "Setup: worktree, ledger check, read plan, pre-flight review" -> "Dispatch implementer subagent (./implementer-prompt.md)";
    "Dispatch implementer subagent (./implementer-prompt.md)" -> "Implementer asks questions?";
    "Implementer asks questions?" -> "Answer questions, provide context" [label="yes"];
    "Answer questions, provide context" -> "Implementer implements, tests, commits, self-reviews";
    "Implementer asks questions?" -> "Implementer implements, tests, commits, self-reviews" [label="no"];
    "Implementer implements, tests, commits, self-reviews" -> "Generate review package, dispatch task reviewer (./task-reviewer-prompt.md)";
    "Generate review package, dispatch task reviewer (./task-reviewer-prompt.md)" -> "Spec ✅ and quality approved?";
    "Spec ✅ and quality approved?" -> "Append completion to ledger, mark todo complete" [label="yes"];
    "Spec ✅ and quality approved?" -> "Fix loop: read references/fix-loop.md before every round" [label="no"];
    "Fix loop: read references/fix-loop.md before every round" -> "Append completion to ledger, mark todo complete" [label="addressed, or parked at the cap"];
    "Append completion to ledger, mark todo complete" -> "More tasks remain?";
    "More tasks remain?" -> "Dispatch implementer subagent (./implementer-prompt.md)" [label="yes"];
    "More tasks remain?" -> "Final review and finish: read references/final-review.md" [label="no"];
    "Final review and finish: read references/final-review.md" -> "Final review clean: delete this plan's workspace";
    "Final review clean: delete this plan's workspace" -> "Use superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch";
}
```

## Setup

Ensure the work happens in an isolated workspace: use
superpowers:using-git-worktrees to create one or verify the existing one.
Never start implementation on a main/master branch without your human
partner's explicit consent.

Conversation memory does not survive compaction. In real sessions,
controllers that lost their place have re-dispatched entire completed task
sequences — the single most expensive failure observed. Track progress in
a ledger file, not only in todos.

- Each plan owns a workspace: at skill start, run this skill's
  `bash scripts/sdd-workspace PLAN_FILE` — it prints the plan's git-ignored
  directory (under `<repo-root>/.superpowers/sdd/`), home to
  every artifact for THIS plan: ledger, briefs, reports, review packages.
  Another plan's directory is never yours to read or write.
- Check for this plan's ledger at `<workspace>/progress.md`. If one exists,
  read [references/resuming.md](references/resuming.md) before anything
  else: it says whose ledger it is and where to resume.
- Create the ledger with its identity as the first line:
  `# SDD ledger — plan: <plan file path>`.
- The ledger is your recovery map: the commits it names exist in git even
  when your context no longer remembers creating them. After compaction,
  trust the ledger and `git log` over your own recollection.
- `git clean -fdx` will destroy the workspace (it's git-ignored scratch); if
  that happens, recover from `git log`.

Read the plan once, note its context and Global Constraints, and create a
todo per task. If the plan names a Spec, read that too: the spec is the
authority the plan argues from, and conflicts inside the plan resolve
against it. A plan with no reachable spec gets a ledger note saying so —
rulings made without one are provisional.

Before dispatching Task 1, read [references/preflight.md](references/preflight.md)
and run the conflict scan it describes. Its table and rulings go in the
ledger.

## Model Selection

Use the least powerful model that can handle each role to conserve cost and increase speed.

**Mechanical implementation tasks** (isolated functions, clear specs, 1-2 files): use a fast, cheap model. Most implementation tasks are mechanical when the plan is well-specified.

**Integration and judgment tasks** (multi-file coordination, pattern matching, debugging): use a standard model.

**Architecture and design tasks**: use the most capable available model.
The final whole-branch review is one of these — dispatch it on the most
capable available model, not the session default.

**Review tasks**: choose the model with the same judgment, scaled to the
diff's size, complexity, and risk. A small mechanical diff does not need the
most capable model; a subtle concurrency change does. Scoped re-reviews of
small fix diffs take a cheap-to-mid tier.

**Fix-loop escalation (rounds 4-5)**: use a model at least one tier above
the implementer that got stuck.

**Always specify the model explicitly when dispatching a subagent.** An
omitted model inherits your session's model — often the most capable and
most expensive — which silently defeats this section.

**Turn count beats token price.** Wall-clock and context cost scale with how
many turns a subagent takes, and the cheapest models routinely take 2-3× the
turns on multi-step work — costing more overall. Use a mid-tier model as the
floor for reviewers and for implementers working from prose descriptions.
When the task's plan text contains the complete code to write, the
implementation is transcription plus testing: use the cheapest tier for
that implementer. Single-file mechanical fixes also take the cheapest tier.

**Task complexity signals (implementation tasks):**
- Touches 1-2 files with a complete spec → cheap model
- Touches multiple files with integration concerns → standard model
- Requires design judgment or broad codebase understanding → most capable model

## The Task Loop

**Small same-shape work:** when the plan lists several small edits of the
same kind across files, read [references/batching.md](references/batching.md)
before dispatching them.

Everything you paste into a dispatch prompt — and everything a subagent
prints back — stays resident in your context for the rest of the session
and is re-read on every later turn. Hand artifacts over as files.

**Waiting on dispatched subagents:** never poll a wait interface with
short timeouts, and never sit in one silent, open-ended wait either.
While you have local work — ledger updates, packaging the next review,
reading reports — keep working; child results arrive on their own.
When you are genuinely idle, wait in bounded stretches (five to ten
minutes, where your platform allows), and between stretches post one
line of status and reconcile your live children: list them, and chase
any that finished without reporting. A bounded stretch keeps nearly
all of a long wait's efficiency while guaranteeing a stuck or lost
child is noticed within minutes, not at the end of the session.

### 1. Dispatch the implementer

Record BASE (`git rev-parse HEAD`) before dispatching — the review package
and fix-round diffs need it.

- **Task brief:** before dispatching an implementer, run this skill's
  `bash scripts/task-brief PLAN_FILE N` — it extracts the task's full text to a
  uniquely named file and prints the path. Compose the dispatch so the
  brief stays the single source of
  requirements. Your dispatch should contain: (1) one line on where this
  task fits in the project; (2) the brief path, introduced as "read this
  first — it is your requirements, with the exact values to use verbatim";
  (3) interfaces and decisions from earlier tasks that the brief cannot
  know; (4) your resolution of any ambiguity you noticed in the brief;
  (5) the report-file path and report contract. Exact values (numbers,
  magic strings, signatures, test cases) appear only in the brief. Never
  make a subagent read the whole plan file.
- **Report file:** name the implementer's report file after the brief
  (brief `…/task-N-brief.md` → report `…/task-N-report.md`) and put it in
  the dispatch prompt. The implementer writes the full report there and
  returns only status, commits, a one-line test summary, and concerns.
- A dispatch prompt describes one task, not the session's history. Do not
  paste accumulated prior-task summaries ("state after Tasks 1-3") into
  later dispatches — a real session's dispatch hit 42k chars of which 99%
  was pasted history. A fresh subagent needs its task, the interfaces it
  touches, and the global constraints. Nothing else.
- The dispatch carries the no-subagents contract (it is in the
  implementer template): the implementer never dispatches subagents —
  not helpers, and never a reviewer. Review arrives from you, after the
  report. In real sessions, every reviewer a worker spawned duplicated
  the task review the controller dispatched anyway — a full extra
  review seat per task.
- If an earlier task parked a finding in the area this task touches, carry
  a pointer to that ledger entry in the dispatch.
- Record the implementer's agent identity from the dispatch result —
  fix-loop rounds 1-3 resume this agent.
- Never dispatch multiple implementation subagents in parallel (conflicts).

Template: [implementer-prompt.md](implementer-prompt.md)

### 2. Handle the report

Implementer subagents report one of four statuses. Handle each appropriately:

**DONE:** Generate the review package (`bash scripts/review-package PLAN_FILE BASE HEAD`, from this skill's directory — it prints the unique file path it wrote; BASE is the commit you recorded before dispatching the implementer — never `HEAD~1`, which silently drops all but the last commit of a multi-commit task), then dispatch the task reviewer with the printed path.

**Any other status** (DONE_WITH_CONCERNS, NEEDS_CONTEXT, BLOCKED): read
[references/handling-reports.md](references/handling-reports.md) and follow
it, every time you get one.

If the implementer asks questions — before starting or mid-task — answer
clearly and completely, provide additional context if needed, and don't
rush it into implementation.

### 3. Review the task

Per-task reviews are task-scoped gates. The broad review happens once, at the
final whole-branch review. Never skip the task review, and never accept a
report missing either verdict — spec compliance AND task quality are both
required. Implementer self-review never replaces the task review; both are
needed.

- Hand the reviewer its diff as a file: run this skill's
  `bash scripts/review-package PLAN_FILE BASE HEAD` and pass the reviewer the file path
  it prints (or, without bash: `git log --oneline`, `git diff --stat`,
  and `git diff -U10` for the range, redirected to one uniquely named
  file). The output never enters your own context, and the reviewer sees
  the commit list, stat summary, and full diff with context in one Read
  call. Use the BASE you recorded before dispatching the implementer —
  never `HEAD~1`, which silently truncates multi-commit tasks. Never
  dispatch a task reviewer without a diff file.
- **Reviewer inputs:** the task reviewer gets three paths — the same brief
  file, the report file, and the review package — plus the global
  constraints that bind the task.
- The global-constraints block you hand the reviewer is its attention
  lens. Copy the binding requirements verbatim from the plan's Global
  Constraints section or the spec: exact values, exact formats, and the
  stated relationships between components ("same layout as X", "matches
  Y"). The reviewer's template already carries the process rules (YAGNI,
  test hygiene, review method) — the constraints block is for what THIS
  project's spec demands.
- Do not add open-ended directives like "check all uses" or "run race tests
  if useful" without a concrete, task-specific reason
- Do not ask a reviewer to re-run tests the implementer already ran on the
  same code — the implementer's report carries the test evidence
- Do not pre-judge findings for the reviewer — never instruct a reviewer to
  ignore or not flag a specific issue. If you believe a finding would be a
  false positive, let the reviewer raise it and adjudicate it in the review
  loop. If the prompt you are writing contains "do not flag," "don't treat X
  as a defect," "at most Minor," or "the plan chose" — stop: you are
  pre-judging, usually to spare yourself a review loop.
If the reviewer reports "⚠️ Cannot verify from diff" items, read
[references/cannot-verify.md](references/cannot-verify.md) before you mark
the task complete.

Template: [task-reviewer-prompt.md](task-reviewer-prompt.md)

### 4. The fix loop

The loop triggers when the review reports spec ❌, any Critical or Important
finding, or a ⚠️ item you confirmed as a real gap.

When it triggers, read [references/fix-loop.md](references/fix-loop.md) and
follow it. Read it again before every round, even if you read it earlier in
this session: it holds the round cap, the breaker, and the ledger line each
round writes, and your memory of it does not survive compaction.

### 5. Complete the task

When the review comes back clean — or every open finding is parked with a
ruling at the cap — append the completion line to the ledger in the same
message as your other bookkeeping:

- `Task <N>: complete (commits <base7>..<head7>, review clean)`
- `Task <N>: complete (commits <base7>..<head7>, <K> parked)` after a
  tripped breaker

Then mark the todo complete and move on. Never move to the next task while
the review has open Critical/Important issues that are neither fixed nor
parked-with-ruling at the cap.

## Final Review

When every task is complete, read
[references/final-review.md](references/final-review.md) and follow it. It
covers the whole-branch review, its single fix wave, and how you finish.

## Common Rationalizations

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "Close enough on spec compliance" | Reviewer found spec gaps = not done. Fix or hit the cap and adjudicate — those are the only exits. |
| "I'll fix it myself, dispatching is overhead" | Controller fixes pollute your context and skip review. Resume the implementer. |
| "One more round will converge" | Past the cap, rounds don't converge — the failure is structural. Adjudicate and route. |
| "The reviewer will just find something new anyway" | Scoped re-reviews verify fixes; they cannot wander. New findings on untouched code go to the ledger, not the loop. |
| "This finding is obviously wrong, I'll drop it" | You adjudicate only at the cap, and every ruling is a ledger entry. Silent discards are forbidden. |
| "The fix was small, skip the re-review" | Unreviewed fixes are how regressions land. Every round ends with a scoped re-review. |
| "Reviews slow the loop down" | The loop without reviews is just unverified churn. Reviews are the loop's brakes and steering. |
| "Ledger bookkeeping is overhead" | The ledger is what survives compaction. Controllers without one have re-dispatched entire completed task sequences. |
| "The implementer spawned its own reviewer — free extra assurance" | It's a duplicate seat reviewing the same diff; the task review is the gate. A worker-spawned reviewer is a defect to flag, not rigor. |

Referenced files: 14 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: systematic-debugging
description: Use when encountering any bug, test failure, or unexpected behavior, before proposing fixes
---

# Systematic Debugging

## Overview

**Core principle:** ALWAYS find root cause before attempting fixes. Symptom fixes are failure.

**Violating the letter of this process is violating the spirit of debugging.**

## The Iron Law

```
NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST
```

If you haven't completed Phase 1, you cannot propose fixes.

## When to Use

Use for ANY technical issue:
- Test failures
- Bugs in production
- Unexpected behavior
- Performance problems
- Build failures
- Integration issues

**Use this ESPECIALLY when:**
- Under time pressure (emergencies make guessing tempting)
- "Just one quick fix" seems obvious
- You've already tried multiple fixes
- Previous fix didn't work
- You don't fully understand the issue

**Don't skip when:**
- Issue seems simple (simple bugs have root causes too)
- You're in a hurry (rushing guarantees rework)
- Manager wants it fixed NOW (systematic is faster than thrashing)

## The Four Phases

You MUST complete each phase before proceeding to the next.

### Phase 1: Root Cause Investigation

**BEFORE attempting ANY fix:**

1. **Read Error Messages Carefully**
   - Don't skip past errors or warnings
   - They often contain the exact solution
   - Read stack traces completely
   - Note line numbers, file paths, error codes

2. **Reproduce Consistently**
   - Can you trigger it reliably?
   - What are the exact steps?
   - Does it happen every time?
   - If not reproducible → gather more data, don't guess

3. **Check Recent Changes**
   - What changed that could cause this?
   - Git diff, recent commits
   - New dependencies, config changes
   - Environmental differences

4. **Gather Evidence in Multi-Component Systems**

   **WHEN system has multiple components (CI → build → signing, API → service → database):**

   **BEFORE proposing fixes, add diagnostic instrumentation:**
   ```
   For EACH component boundary:
     - Log what data enters component
     - Log what data exits component
     - Verify environment/config propagation
     - Check state at each layer

   Run once to gather evidence showing WHERE it breaks
   THEN analyze evidence to identify failing component
   THEN investigate that specific component
   ```

   **Example (multi-layer system):**
   ```bash
   # Layer 1: Workflow
   echo "=== Secrets available in workflow: ==="
   echo "IDENTITY: $([ -n "${IDENTITY:-}" ] && echo SET || echo UNSET)"

   # Layer 2: Build script
   echo "=== Env vars in build script: ==="
   printenv IDENTITY >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "IDENTITY in environment" || echo "IDENTITY not in environment"

   # Layer 3: Signing script
   echo "=== Keychain state: ==="
   security list-keychains
   security find-identity -v

   # Layer 4: Actual signing
   codesign --sign "$IDENTITY" --verbose=4 "$APP"
   ```

   **This reveals:** Which layer fails (secrets → workflow ✓, workflow → build ✗)

5. **Trace Data Flow**

   **WHEN error is deep in call stack:**

   See `root-cause-tracing.md` in this directory for the complete backward tracing technique.

   **Quick version:**
   - Where does bad value originate?
   - What called this with bad value?
   - Keep tracing up until you find the source
   - Fix at source, not at symptom

### Phase 2: Pattern Analysis

**Find the pattern before fixing:**

1. **Find Working Examples**
   - Locate similar working code in same codebase
   - What works that's similar to what's broken?

2. **Compare Against References**
   - If implementing pattern, read reference implementation COMPLETELY
   - Don't skim - read every line
   - Understand the pattern fully before applying

3. **Identify Differences**
   - What's different between working and broken?
   - List every difference, however small
   - Don't assume "that can't matter"

4. **Understand Dependencies**
   - What other components does this need?
   - What settings, config, environment?
   - What assumptions does it make?

### Phase 3: Hypothesis and Testing

**Scientific method:**

1. **Form Single Hypothesis**
   - State clearly: "I think X is the root cause because Y"
   - Write it down
   - Be specific, not vague

2. **Test Minimally**
   - Make the SMALLEST possible change to test hypothesis
   - One variable at a time
   - Don't fix multiple things at once

3. **Verify Before Continuing**
   - Did it work? Yes → Phase 4
   - Didn't work? Form NEW hypothesis
   - DON'T add more fixes on top

4. **When You Don't Know**
   - Say "I don't understand X"
   - Don't pretend to know
   - Ask for help
   - Research more

### Phase 4: Implementation

**Fix the root cause, not the symptom:**

1. **Create Failing Test Case**
   - Simplest possible reproduction
   - Automated test if possible
   - One-off test script if no framework
   - MUST have before fixing
   - Use the `superpowers:test-driven-development` skill for writing proper failing tests

2. **Implement Single Fix**
   - Address the root cause identified
   - ONE change at a time
   - No "while I'm here" improvements
   - No bundled refactoring

3. **Verify Fix**
   - Test passes now?
   - No other tests broken?
   - Issue actually resolved?
   - Use the `superpowers:verification-before-completion` skill before claiming success

4. **If Fix Doesn't Work**
   - STOP
   - Count: How many fixes have you tried?
   - If < 3: Return to Phase 1, re-analyze with new information
   - **If ≥ 3: STOP and question the architecture (step 5 below)**
   - DON'T attempt Fix #4 without architectural discussion

5. **If 3+ Fixes Failed: Question Architecture**

   **Pattern indicating architectural problem:**
   - Each fix reveals new shared state/coupling/problem in different place
   - Fixes require "massive refactoring" to implement
   - Each fix creates new symptoms elsewhere

   **STOP and question fundamentals:**
   - Is this pattern fundamentally sound?
   - Are we "sticking with it through sheer inertia"?
   - Should we refactor architecture vs. continue fixing symptoms?

   **Discuss with your human partner before attempting more fixes**

   This is NOT a failed hypothesis - this is a wrong architecture.

## Red Flags - STOP and Follow Process

If you catch yourself thinking:
- "Quick fix for now, investigate later"
- "Just try changing X and see if it works"
- "Add multiple changes, run tests"
- "Skip the test, I'll manually verify"
- "It's probably X, let me fix that"
- "I don't fully understand but this might work"
- "Pattern says X but I'll adapt it differently"
- "Here are the main problems: [lists fixes without investigation]"
- Proposing solutions before tracing data flow
- **"One more fix attempt" (when already tried 2+)**
- **Each fix reveals new problem in different place**

**ALL of these mean: STOP. Return to Phase 1.**

**If 3+ fixes failed:** Question the architecture (see Phase 4.5)

## your human partner's Signals You're Doing It Wrong

**Watch for these redirections:**
- "Is that not happening?" - You assumed without verifying
- "Will it show us...?" - You should have added evidence gathering
- "Stop guessing" - You're proposing fixes without understanding
- "Ultra-think this" - Question fundamentals, not just symptoms
- "We're stuck?" (frustrated) - Your approach isn't working

**When you see these:** STOP. Return to Phase 1.

## Common Rationalizations

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "Issue is simple, don't need process" | Simple issues have root causes too. Process is fast for simple bugs. |
| "Emergency, no time for process" | Systematic debugging is FASTER than guess-and-check thrashing. |
| "Just try this first, then investigate" | First fix sets the pattern. Do it right from the start. |
| "I'll write test after confirming fix works" | Untested fixes don't stick. Test first proves it. |
| "Multiple fixes at once saves time" | Can't isolate what worked. Causes new bugs. |
| "Reference too long, I'll adapt the pattern" | Partial understanding guarantees bugs. Read it completely. |
| "I see the problem, let me fix it" | Seeing symptoms ≠ understanding root cause. |
| "One more fix attempt" (after 2+ failures) | 3+ failures = architectural problem. Question pattern, don't fix again. |

## Quick Reference

| Phase | Key Activities | Success Criteria |
|-------|---------------|------------------|
| **1. Root Cause** | Read errors, reproduce, check changes, gather evidence | Understand WHAT and WHY |
| **2. Pattern** | Find working examples, compare | Identify differences |
| **3. Hypothesis** | Form theory, test minimally | Confirmed or new hypothesis |
| **4. Implementation** | Create test, fix, verify | Bug resolved, tests pass |

## When Process Reveals "No Root Cause"

If systematic investigation reveals issue is truly environmental, timing-dependent, or external:

1. You've completed the process
2. Document what you investigated
3. Implement appropriate handling (retry, timeout, error message)
4. Add monitoring/logging for future investigation

**But:** 95% of "no root cause" cases are incomplete investigation.

## Supporting Techniques

These techniques are part of systematic debugging and available in this directory:

- **`root-cause-tracing.md`** - Trace bugs backward through call stack to find original trigger
- **`defense-in-depth.md`** - Add validation at multiple layers after finding root cause
- **`condition-based-waiting.md`** - Replace arbitrary timeouts with condition polling

Referenced files: 11 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: test-driven-development
description: Use when implementing any feature or bugfix, before writing implementation code
---

# Test-Driven Development (TDD)

## Overview

Write the test first. Watch it fail. Write minimal code to pass.

**Core principle:** If you didn't watch the test fail, you don't know if it tests the right thing.

**Violating the letter of the rules is violating the spirit of the rules.**

## When to Use

**Always:**
- New features
- Bug fixes
- Refactoring
- Behavior changes

**Exceptions (ask your human partner):**
- Throwaway prototypes
- Generated code
- Configuration files

Thinking "skip TDD just this once"? Stop. That's rationalization.

## The Iron Law

```
NO PRODUCTION CODE WITHOUT A FAILING TEST FIRST
```

Write code before the test? Delete it. Start over.

**No exceptions:**
- Don't keep it as "reference"
- Don't "adapt" it while writing tests
- Don't look at it
- Delete means delete

Implement fresh from tests. Period.

## Red-Green-Refactor

```dot
digraph tdd_cycle {
    rankdir=LR;
    red [label="RED\nWrite failing test", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#ffcccc"];
    verify_red [label="Verify fails\ncorrectly", shape=diamond];
    green [label="GREEN\nMinimal code", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#ccffcc"];
    verify_green [label="Verify passes\nAll green", shape=diamond];
    refactor [label="REFACTOR\nClean up", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#ccccff"];
    next [label="Next", shape=ellipse];

    red -> verify_red;
    verify_red -> green [label="yes"];
    verify_red -> red [label="wrong\nfailure"];
    green -> verify_green;
    verify_green -> refactor [label="yes"];
    verify_green -> green [label="no"];
    refactor -> verify_green [label="stay\ngreen"];
    verify_green -> next;
    next -> red;
}
```

### RED - Write Failing Test

Write one minimal test showing what should happen.

<Good>
```typescript
test('retries failed operations 3 times', async () => {
  let attempts = 0;
  const operation = () => {
    attempts++;
    if (attempts < 3) throw new Error('fail');
    return 'success';
  };

  const result = await retryOperation(operation);

  expect(result).toBe('success');
  expect(attempts).toBe(3);
});
```
Clear name, tests real behavior, one thing
</Good>

<Bad>
```typescript
test('retry works', async () => {
  const mock = jest.fn()
    .mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error())
    .mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error())
    .mockResolvedValueOnce('success');
  await retryOperation(mock);
  expect(mock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
});
```
Vague name, tests mock not code
</Bad>

**Requirements:**
- One behavior
- Clear name
- Real code (no mocks unless unavoidable)

### Verify RED - Watch It Fail

**MANDATORY. Never skip.**

```bash
npm test path/to/test.test.ts
```

Confirm:
- Test fails (not errors)
- Failure message is expected
- Fails because feature missing (not typos)

**Test passes?** You're testing existing behavior. Fix test.

**Test errors?** Fix error, re-run until it fails correctly.

### GREEN - Minimal Code

Write simplest code to pass the test.

<Good>
```typescript
async function retryOperation<T>(fn: () => Promise<T>): Promise<T> {
  for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    try {
      return await fn();
    } catch (e) {
      if (i === 2) throw e;
    }
  }
  throw new Error('unreachable');
}
```
Just enough to pass
</Good>

<Bad>
```typescript
async function retryOperation<T>(
  fn: () => Promise<T>,
  options?: {
    maxRetries?: number;
    backoff?: 'linear' | 'exponential';
    onRetry?: (attempt: number) => void;
  }
): Promise<T> {
  // YAGNI
}
```
Over-engineered
</Bad>

Don't add features, refactor other code, or "improve" beyond the test.

### Verify GREEN - Watch It Pass

**MANDATORY.**

```bash
npm test path/to/test.test.ts
```

Confirm:
- Test passes
- Other tests still pass
- Output pristine (no errors, warnings)

**Test fails?** Fix code, not test.

**Other tests fail?** Fix now.

**"Other tests" means the project's suite, not just your file.** A
green run of the test you wrote is not a green suite. Before you call
the change done, run the project's test command (bare `pytest`,
`npm test`, `cargo test` — whatever the repo uses) even when your task
named only one test file. A scope statement in your task bounds the
deliverable, not your verification. Any failure that run shows —
including one you didn't cause — goes in your report by name; a red
test you watched scroll past and didn't mention is a report falsified
by omission.

### REFACTOR - Clean Up

After green only:
- Remove duplication
- Improve names
- Extract helpers

Keep tests green. Don't add behavior.

### Repeat

Next failing test for next feature.

## Good Tests

| Quality | Good | Bad |
|---------|------|-----|
| **Minimal** | One thing. "and" in name? Split it. | `test('validates email and domain and whitespace')` |
| **Clear** | Name describes behavior | `test('test1')` |
| **Shows intent** | Demonstrates desired API | Obscures what code should do |

When writing or changing any test, read [writing-good-tests.md](writing-good-tests.md) for the rules that keep tests honest:
- Name the production change that would make the test fail — before writing it
- Assert on real behavior, never on mock behavior
- Keep test-only code in test utilities, out of production classes
- Understand a dependency's side effects before mocking it

## Common Rationalizations

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "Too simple to test" | Simple code breaks. Test takes 30 seconds. |
| "I'll test after" | Tests written after pass immediately — which proves nothing. They may test the wrong thing, test the implementation instead of the behavior, or miss the edge case you forgot. You never watched it fail, so you never proved it can catch the bug. Test-first forces that failure. |
| "Tests after achieve same goals (spirit not ritual)" | Tests-after answer "what does this do?"; tests-first answer "what should this do?" Tests written after are biased by the code you already wrote — you verify the cases you remembered, not the ones you'd have discovered. Coverage without proof the tests work. |
| "Already manually tested" | Manual testing is ad-hoc: no record of what you covered, no way to re-run it when the code changes, easy to forget cases under pressure. "Worked when I tried it" ≠ comprehensive. Automated tests run the same way every time. |
| "Deleting X hours is wasteful" | Sunk cost fallacy — that time is already spent either way. The real choice: rewrite with TDD (high confidence) vs. keep it and bolt tests on after (low confidence, likely bugs). Keeping code you can't trust is the waste. |
| "Keep as reference, write tests first" | You'll adapt it. That's testing after. Delete means delete. |
| "Need to explore first" | Fine. Throw away exploration, start with TDD. |
| "Test hard = design unclear" | Listen to test. Hard to test = hard to use. |
| "TDD will slow me down" | TDD IS the pragmatic path: catches bugs before commit, prevents regressions, lets you refactor without fear. "Pragmatic" shortcuts mean debugging in production — slower, not faster. |
| "Manual test faster" | Manual doesn't prove edge cases. You'll re-test every change. |
| "Existing code has no tests" | You're improving it. Add tests for existing code. |

## Red Flags - STOP and Start Over

- Code before test
- Test after implementation
- Test passes immediately
- Can't explain why test failed
- Tests added "later"
- Rationalizing "just this once"
- "I already manually tested it"
- "Tests after achieve the same purpose"
- "It's about spirit not ritual"
- "Keep as reference" or "adapt existing code"
- "Already spent X hours, deleting is wasteful"
- "TDD is dogmatic, I'm being pragmatic"
- "This is different because..."

**All of these mean: Delete code. Start over with TDD.**

## Example: Bug Fix

**Bug:** Empty email accepted

**RED**
```typescript
test('rejects empty email', async () => {
  const result = await submitForm({ email: '' });
  expect(result.error).toBe('Email required');
});
```

**Verify RED**
```bash
$ npm test
FAIL: expected 'Email required', got undefined
```

**GREEN**
```typescript
function submitForm(data: FormData) {
  if (!data.email?.trim()) {
    return { error: 'Email required' };
  }
  // ...
}
```

**Verify GREEN**
```bash
$ npm test
PASS
```

**REFACTOR**
Extract validation for multiple fields if needed.

## Verification Checklist

Before marking work complete:

- [ ] Every new function/method has a test
- [ ] Watched each test fail before implementing
- [ ] Each test failed for expected reason (feature missing, not typo)
- [ ] Wrote minimal code to pass each test
- [ ] All tests pass
- [ ] Output pristine (no errors, warnings)
- [ ] Tests use real code (mocks only if unavoidable)
- [ ] Edge cases and errors covered

Can't check all boxes? You skipped TDD. Start over.

## When Stuck

| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| Don't know how to test | Write wished-for API. Write assertion first. Ask your human partner. |
| Test too complicated | Design too complicated. Simplify interface. |
| Must mock everything | Code too coupled. Use dependency injection. |
| Test setup huge | Extract helpers. Still complex? Simplify design. |

## Debugging Integration

Bug found? Write failing test reproducing it. Follow TDD cycle. Test proves fix and prevents regression.

Never fix bugs without a test.

## Final Rule

```
Production code → test exists and failed first
Otherwise → not TDD
```

No exceptions without your human partner's permission.

Referenced files: 2 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: using-git-worktrees
description: Use when starting feature work that needs isolation from current workspace or before executing implementation plans - ensures an isolated workspace exists via native tools or git worktree fallback
---

# Using Git Worktrees

## Overview

Ensure work happens in an isolated workspace. Prefer your platform's native worktree tools. Fall back to manual git worktrees only when no native tool is available.

**Core principle:** Detect existing isolation first. Then use native tools. Then fall back to git. Never fight the harness.

**Announce at start:** "I'm using the using-git-worktrees skill to set up an isolated workspace."

## Step 0: Detect Existing Isolation

**Before creating anything, check if you are already in an isolated workspace.**

```bash
GIT_DIR=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-dir)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
GIT_COMMON=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
```

**Submodule guard:** `GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON` is also true inside git submodules. Before concluding "already in a worktree," verify you are not in a submodule:

```bash
# If this returns a path, you're in a submodule, not a worktree — treat as normal repo
git rev-parse --show-superproject-working-tree 2>/dev/null
```

**If `GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON` (and not a submodule):** You are already in a linked worktree. Skip to Step 2 (Project Setup). Do NOT create another worktree.

Report with branch state:
- On a branch: "Already in isolated workspace at `<path>` on branch `<name>`."
- Detached HEAD: "Already in isolated workspace at `<path>` (detached HEAD, externally managed). Branch creation needed at finish time."

**If `GIT_DIR == GIT_COMMON` (or in a submodule):** You are in a normal repo checkout.

Has the user already indicated their worktree preference in your instructions? If not, ask for consent before creating a worktree:

> "Would you like me to set up an isolated worktree? It protects your current branch from changes."

Honor any existing declared preference without asking. If the user declines consent, work in place and skip to Step 2.

## Step 1: Create Isolated Workspace

**You have two mechanisms. Try them in this order.**

### 1a. Native Worktree Tools (preferred)

The user has asked for an isolated workspace (Step 0 consent). Do you already have a way to create a worktree? It might be a tool with a name like `EnterWorktree`, `WorktreeCreate`, a `/worktree` command, or a `--worktree` flag. If you do, use it and skip to Step 2.

Native tools handle directory placement, branch creation, and cleanup automatically. Using `git worktree add` when you have a native tool creates phantom state your harness can't see or manage.

Only proceed to Step 1b if you have no native worktree tool available.

### 1b. Git Worktree Fallback

**Only use this if Step 1a does not apply** — you have no native worktree tool available. Create a worktree manually using git.

#### Directory Selection

Follow this priority order. Explicit user preference always beats observed filesystem state.

1. **Check your instructions for a declared worktree directory preference.** If the user has already specified one, use it without asking.

2. **Check for an existing project-local worktree directory:**
   ```bash
   ls -d .worktrees 2>/dev/null     # Preferred (hidden)
   ls -d worktrees 2>/dev/null      # Alternative
   ```
   If found, use it. If both exist, `.worktrees` wins.

3. **If there is no other guidance available**, default to `.worktrees/` at the project root.

#### Safety Verification (project-local directories only)

**MUST verify directory is ignored before creating worktree:**

```bash
git check-ignore -q .worktrees 2>/dev/null || git check-ignore -q worktrees 2>/dev/null
```

**If NOT ignored:** Add to .gitignore, commit the change, then proceed.

**Why critical:** Prevents accidentally committing worktree contents to repository.

#### Create the Worktree

```bash
# Determine path based on chosen location
path="$LOCATION/$BRANCH_NAME"

git worktree add "$path" -b "$BRANCH_NAME"
cd "$path"
```

**Sandbox fallback:** If `git worktree add` fails with a permission error (sandbox denial), tell the user the sandbox blocked worktree creation and you're working in the current directory instead. Then run setup and baseline tests in place.

## Step 2: Project Setup

Auto-detect and run appropriate setup:

```bash
# Node.js
if [ -f package.json ]; then npm install; fi

# Rust
if [ -f Cargo.toml ]; then cargo build; fi

# Python
if [ -f requirements.txt ]; then pip install -r requirements.txt; fi
if [ -f pyproject.toml ]; then poetry install; fi

# Go
if [ -f go.mod ]; then go mod download; fi
```

## Step 3: Verify Clean Baseline

Run tests to ensure workspace starts clean:

```bash
# Use project-appropriate command
npm test / cargo test / pytest / go test ./...
```

**If tests fail:** Report failures, ask whether to proceed or investigate.

**If tests pass:** Report ready.

### Report

```
Worktree ready at <full-path>
Tests passing (<N> tests, 0 failures)
Ready to implement <feature-name>
```

## Quick Reference

| Situation | Action |
|-----------|--------|
| Already in linked worktree | Skip creation (Step 0) |
| In a submodule | Treat as normal repo (Step 0 guard) |
| Native worktree tool available | Use it (Step 1a) |
| No native tool | Git worktree fallback (Step 1b) |
| `.worktrees/` exists | Use it (verify ignored) |
| `worktrees/` exists | Use it (verify ignored) |
| Both exist | Use `.worktrees/` |
| Neither exists | Check instruction file, then default `.worktrees/` |
| Directory not ignored | Add to .gitignore + commit |
| Permission error on create | Sandbox fallback, work in place |
| Tests fail during baseline | Report failures + ask |
| No package.json/Cargo.toml | Skip dependency install |

## Common Rationalizations

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "I'm obviously not in a worktree — no need to check" | Run Step 0. Harness-created isolation and submodules both fool eyeballing; the detection commands settle it. |
| "`git worktree add` is quicker than hunting for a native tool" | A native tool (e.g. `EnterWorktree`) owns placement, branching, and cleanup. Bypassing it is the #1 mistake — it creates phantom state your harness can't see or manage. |
| "The worktree directory is surely ignored already" | Run `git check-ignore`. An unignored worktree directory commits the whole tree into the repo. |
| "Any directory name works" | Explicit instructions beat an existing project-local directory, which beats the `.worktrees/` default. |
| "The workspace is fresh — baseline tests can wait" | A dirty baseline makes every later failure ambiguous. Run the tests now; proceeding past failures is your human partner's call. |

Referenced files: 1 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
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.

Referenced files: 8 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: verification-before-completion
description: Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence before assertions always
---

# Verification Before Completion

## Overview

**Core principle:** Evidence before claims, always.

**Violating the letter of this rule is violating the spirit of this rule.**

## The Iron Law

```
NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE
```

If you haven't run the verification command in this message, you cannot claim it passes.

## The Gate Function

```
BEFORE claiming any status or expressing satisfaction:

1. IDENTIFY: What command proves this claim?
2. RUN: Execute the FULL command (fresh, complete)
3. READ: Full output, check exit code, count failures
4. VERIFY: Does output confirm the claim?
   - If NO: State actual status with evidence
   - If YES: State claim WITH evidence
5. ONLY THEN: Make the claim

Skip any step = lying, not verifying
```

## Common Failures

| Claim | Requires | Not Sufficient |
|-------|----------|----------------|
| Tests pass | Test command output: 0 failures | Previous run, "should pass" |
| Linter clean | Linter output: 0 errors | Partial check, extrapolation |
| Build succeeds | Build command: exit 0 | Linter passing, logs look good |
| Bug fixed | Test original symptom: passes | Code changed, assumed fixed |
| Regression test works | Red-green cycle verified | Test passes once |
| Agent completed | VCS diff shows changes | Agent reports "success" |
| Requirements met | Line-by-line checklist | Tests passing |

## Red Flags - STOP

- Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
- Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!", etc.)
- About to commit/push/PR without verification
- Trusting agent success reports
- Relying on partial verification
- Thinking "just this once"
- Tired and wanting work over
- **ANY wording implying success without having run verification**

## Rationalization Prevention

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "Should work now" | RUN the verification |
| "I'm confident" | Confidence ≠ evidence |
| "Just this once" | No exceptions |
| "Linter passed" | Linter ≠ compiler |
| "Agent said success" | Verify independently |
| "I'm tired" | Exhaustion ≠ excuse |
| "Partial check is enough" | Partial proves nothing |
| "Different words so rule doesn't apply" | Spirit over letter |

## Key Patterns

**Tests:**
```
✅ [Run test command] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"
❌ "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"
```

**Regression tests (TDD Red-Green):**
```
✅ Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass)
❌ "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)
```

**Build:**
```
✅ [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
❌ "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)
```

**Requirements:**
```
✅ Re-read plan → Create checklist → Verify each → Report gaps or completion
❌ "Tests pass, phase complete"
```

**Agent delegation:**
```
✅ Agent reports success → Check VCS diff → Verify changes → Report actual state
❌ Trust agent report
```

## When To Apply

**ALWAYS before:**
- ANY variation of success/completion claims
- ANY expression of satisfaction
- ANY positive statement about work state
- Committing, PR creation, task completion
- Moving to next task
- Delegating to agents

**Rule applies to:**
- Exact phrases
- Paraphrases and synonyms
- Implications of success
- ANY communication suggesting completion/correctness

Referenced files: 1 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: writing-plans
description: Use when you have a spec or requirements for a multi-step task, before touching code
---

# Writing Plans

## Overview

Write implementation plans for an engineer who has not seen this codebase or this spec. Assume they write idiomatic code in the project's language once they know the exact interface and the exact test, and that they will make a reasonable choice wherever the plan leaves one open. What they cannot know is what you decided: which files, which names and signatures, which values from the spec, which tests prove each task. Document those. Give them the whole plan as bite-sized tasks. DRY. YAGNI. TDD. Frequent commits.

**Announce at start:** "I'm using the writing-plans skill to create the implementation plan."

**Context:** If working in an isolated worktree, it should have been created via the `superpowers:using-git-worktrees` skill at execution time.

**Save plans to:** `docs/superpowers/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-name>.md`
- (User preferences for plan location override this default)

## Scope Check

If the spec covers multiple independent subsystems, it should have been broken into sub-project specs during brainstorming. If it wasn't, suggest breaking this into separate plans — one per subsystem. Each plan should produce working, testable software on its own.

## File Structure

Before defining tasks, map out which files will be created or modified and what each one is responsible for. This is where decomposition decisions get locked in.

- Design units with clear boundaries and well-defined interfaces. Each file should have one clear responsibility.
- You reason best about code you can hold in context at once, and your edits are more reliable when files are focused. Prefer smaller, focused files over large ones that do too much.
- Files that change together should live together. Split by responsibility, not by technical layer.
- In existing codebases, follow established patterns. If the codebase uses large files, don't unilaterally restructure - but if a file you're modifying has grown unwieldy, including a split in the plan is reasonable.

This structure informs the task decomposition. Each task should produce self-contained changes that make sense independently.

## Task Right-Sizing

A task is the smallest unit that carries its own test cycle and is worth a
fresh reviewer's gate. When drawing task boundaries: fold setup,
configuration, scaffolding, and documentation steps into the task whose
deliverable needs them; split only where a reviewer could meaningfully
reject one task while approving its neighbor. Each task ends with an
independently testable deliverable.

## Step Granularity

**Each step is one action with a checkable result:**
- "Write the failing test" - step
- "Run it to make sure it fails" - step
- "Implement the minimal code to make the test pass" - step
- "Run the tests and make sure they pass" - step
- "Commit" - step

## Plan Document Header

**Every plan MUST start with this header:**

```markdown
# [Feature Name] Implementation Plan

> **For agentic workers:** REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use superpowers:subagent-driven-development (recommended) or superpowers:executing-plans to implement this plan task-by-task. Steps use checkbox (`- [ ]`) syntax for tracking.

**Goal:** [One sentence describing what this builds]

**Architecture:** [2-3 sentences about approach]

**Tech Stack:** [Key technologies/libraries]

**Spec:** [path to the spec/design doc this plan implements — the plan
argues from the spec, so the spec travels with it; executors read both]

## Global Constraints

[The spec's project-wide requirements — version floors, dependency limits,
naming and copy rules, platform requirements — one line each, with exact
values copied verbatim from the spec. Every task's requirements implicitly
include this section.]

## Review Focus

[The five input classes or failure modes the spec implies but no task's
tests exercise that are most likely to bite a person using this software
— one line each, naming the input or condition and the behavior a
reasonable person would expect, most likely first. The spec is a vision
document: it says what the software must do, not everything it will
meet, and its silence on an input is not permission for that input to
break the program. Write the list here, once, with the spec in front of
you. Then, for each line, add the test that pins it to the task that
owns the code, in that task's own step style.]

---
```

## Task Structure

````markdown
### Task N: [Component Name]

**Files:**
- Create: `exact/path/to/file.py`
- Modify: `exact/path/to/existing.py:123-145`
- Test: `tests/exact/path/to/test.py`

**Interfaces:**
- Consumes: [what this task uses from earlier tasks — exact signatures]
- Produces: [what later tasks rely on — exact function names, parameter
  and return types. A task's implementer sees only their own task; this
  block is how they learn the names and types neighboring tasks use.]

- [ ] **Step 1: Write the failing test**

```python
def test_specific_behavior():
    result = function(input)
    assert result == expected
```

- [ ] **Step 2: Run test to verify it fails**

Run: `pytest tests/path/test.py::test_name -v`
Expected: FAIL with "function not defined"

- [ ] **Step 3: Implement `function(input: InputType) -> ResultType` in `exact/path/to/file.py`**

One line on the approach when the signature and the test leave a choice
(which library call, which data structure); a code block only for an
algorithm they do not determine.

- [ ] **Step 4: Run test to verify it passes**

Run: `pytest tests/path/test.py::test_name -v`
Expected: PASS

- [ ] **Step 5: Commit**

```bash
git add tests/path/test.py src/path/file.py
git commit -m "feat: add specific feature"
```
````

## What a Step Contains

A step is done when the implementer can write exactly one reasonable thing
from it. That is the whole requirement: unambiguous, not complete. Each kind
of step carries what makes it unambiguous and nothing more:

- **A test step:** the test's name and its assertions, as code, with the
  spec's exact values in them.
- **A code step:** the exact signature (name, parameters, return type), the
  file it lives in, and the specific values the spec pins. The implementer
  writes the body. A body appears only for an algorithm the signature and
  tests do not determine, or for exact copy the spec fixes.
- **A verification step:** the command to run and the output that means it
  passed.
- **A reference to another task:** that task's Interfaces block says what
  to use; the plan does not repeat that task's code.

A plan is the set of decisions the implementer cannot make alone. A plan
longer than the code it describes has written the code instead. Lines that
decide nothing ("TBD", "handle edge cases", "add appropriate validation",
"write tests for the above", a type or function no task defines) are the
opposite failure, and the self-review catches both.

## Self-Review

After writing the complete plan, look at the spec with fresh eyes and check the plan against it. This is a checklist you run yourself — not a subagent dispatch.

**1. Spec coverage:** Skim each section/requirement in the spec. Can you point to a task that implements it? List any gaps.

**2. Step scan:** Every step must let the implementer write exactly one reasonable thing, and no step may carry more than that: a line that decides nothing is a gap, a function body the signature and tests already determine is a transcript. Fix both.

**3. Type consistency:** Do the types, method signatures, and property names you used in later tasks match what you defined in earlier tasks? A function called `clearLayers()` in Task 3 but `clearFullLayers()` in Task 7 is a bug.

**4. Review Focus:** For each input class or failure mode the spec implies, is there a task whose tests exercise it? The five uncovered ones most likely to bite a person go in the Review Focus section, and each line there gets its test added to the owning task. An empty section means you checked and found none, not that you skipped the check.

**5. Proportion:** Compare the plan's length to the spec's. A plan several times longer than the spec it implements is a transcript of the program, not a plan. If code blocks are most of the document, replace bodies with signatures, test names and assertions, and check that each step is still unambiguous.

If you find issues, fix them inline. No need to re-review — just fix and move on. If you find a spec requirement with no task, add the task.

## Execution Handoff

After saving and self-reviewing the plan, link it for your human partner
to read. If they have already explicitly supplied an execution method, ask
them to review the plan and confirm it captures what they want; wait for that
review before implementation, then use the preserved method. Otherwise, ask
them to review the plan and choose an execution method before implementation.

**When no execution method has already been supplied:**

**"Plan complete and saved to `docs/superpowers/plans/<filename>.md`. Please review the plan. Which execution approach would you prefer?**

- **Subagent-driven** - A fresh subagent implements each task and a fresh reviewer checks it before the next one starts, then a whole-branch review at the end. Most thorough; costs a fresh context per task and per review.
- **Native** - I implement every task myself in this session, the way this harness runs work, then one fresh reviewer on the most capable model checks the whole branch. Cheapest and fastest; no independent review until the end. Runs well with a mid-tier session model, since the plan carries the design.

**For this plan I recommend <one of the two>, because <one sentence from the plan: how much the tasks depend on each other's interfaces, how many there are, what a shipped mistake would cost>. Does the plan capture what you want, and which approach should we use?"**

**When an execution method has already been supplied:**

**"Plan complete and saved to `docs/superpowers/plans/<filename>.md`. Please review the plan. Does it capture what you want?"**

**If Subagent-driven chosen:**
- **REQUIRED SUB-SKILL:** Use superpowers:subagent-driven-development

**If Native chosen:**
- **REQUIRED SUB-SKILL:** Use superpowers:executing-plans

Referenced files: 1 — file references are metadata, not package contents.

View saved version →

---
name: writing-skills
description: Use when creating new skills, editing existing skills, or verifying skills work before deployment
---

# Writing Skills

## Overview

**Writing skills IS Test-Driven Development applied to process documentation.**

**Personal skills live in your runtime's skills directory** (`~/.claude/skills/` on Claude Code) — see [codex-tools.md](../using-superpowers/references/codex-tools.md) or [gemini-tools.md](../using-superpowers/references/gemini-tools.md) for the path on those runtimes. Codex, Copilot CLI, and Gemini CLI all also recognize `~/.agents/skills/` as a cross-runtime alias.

You write test cases (pressure scenarios with subagents), watch them fail (baseline behavior), write the skill (documentation), watch tests pass (agents comply), and refactor (close loopholes).

**Core principle:** If you didn't watch an agent fail without the skill, you don't know if the skill teaches the right thing.

**REQUIRED BACKGROUND:** You MUST understand superpowers:test-driven-development before using this skill. That skill defines the fundamental RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle. This skill adapts TDD to documentation.

**Official guidance:** For Anthropic's official skill authoring best practices, see references/anthropic-best-practices.md. This document provides additional patterns and guidelines that complement the TDD-focused approach in this skill.

## What is a Skill?

A **skill** is a reference guide for proven techniques, patterns, or tools. Skills help future agents find and apply effective approaches.

**Skills are:** Reusable techniques, patterns, tools, reference guides

**Skills are NOT:** Narratives about how you solved a problem once

## TDD Mapping for Skills

| TDD Concept | Skill Creation |
|-------------|----------------|
| **Test case** | Pressure scenario with subagent |
| **Production code** | Skill document (SKILL.md) |
| **Test fails (RED)** | Agent violates rule without skill (baseline) |
| **Test passes (GREEN)** | Agent complies with skill present |
| **Refactor** | Close loopholes while maintaining compliance |
| **Write test first** | Run baseline scenario BEFORE writing skill |
| **Watch it fail** | Document exact rationalizations agent uses |
| **Minimal code** | Write skill addressing those specific violations |
| **Watch it pass** | Verify agent now complies |
| **Refactor cycle** | Find new rationalizations → plug → re-verify |

The entire skill creation process follows RED-GREEN-REFACTOR.

## When to Create a Skill

**Create when:**
- Technique wasn't intuitively obvious to you
- You'd reference this again across projects
- Pattern applies broadly (not project-specific)
- Others would benefit

**Don't create for:**
- One-off solutions
- Standard practices well-documented elsewhere
- Project-specific conventions (put in your instructions file)
- Mechanical constraints (if it's enforceable with regex/validation, automate it—save documentation for judgment calls)

## Skill Types

### Technique
Concrete method with steps to follow (condition-based-waiting, root-cause-tracing)

### Pattern
Way of thinking about problems (flatten-with-flags, test-invariants)

### Reference
API docs, syntax guides, tool documentation (office docs)

## Directory Structure


```
skills/
  skill-name/
    SKILL.md              # Main reference (required)
    supporting-file.*     # Only if needed
```

**Flat namespace** - all skills in one searchable namespace

**Separate files for:**
1. **Heavy reference** (100+ lines) - API docs, comprehensive syntax
2. **Reusable tools** - Scripts, utilities, templates

**Keep inline:**
- Principles and concepts
- Code patterns (< 50 lines)
- Everything else

## Writing SKILL.md

A skill's `description` says only when to use it: triggering conditions and
symptoms, starting with "Use when...". It never summarizes the skill's
workflow, because an agent that reads a workflow summary follows it instead
of reading the skill.

When you write or change a skill's frontmatter, name or description, or
need to cut its size, read [references/discovery.md](references/discovery.md):
the SKILL.md template, description and keyword guidance, naming, token
budgets, and cross-referencing other skills.

## Flowcharts

When you add or change a flowchart in a skill, read
[references/flowcharts.md](references/flowcharts.md) first: when a flowchart
earns its place, the graphviz conventions, and how to render one.

## Code Examples

**One excellent example beats many mediocre ones**

Choose most relevant language:
- Testing techniques → TypeScript/JavaScript
- System debugging → Shell/Python
- Data processing → Python

**Good example:**
- Complete and runnable
- Well-commented explaining WHY
- From real scenario
- Shows pattern clearly
- Ready to adapt (not generic template)

**Don't:**
- Implement in 5+ languages
- Create fill-in-the-blank templates
- Write contrived examples

You're good at porting - one great example is enough.

## File Organization

### Self-Contained Skill
```
defense-in-depth/
  SKILL.md    # Everything inline
```
When: All content fits, no heavy reference needed

### Skill with Reusable Tool
```
condition-based-waiting/
  SKILL.md    # Overview + patterns
  example.ts  # Working helpers to adapt
```
When: Tool is reusable code, not just narrative

### Skill with Heavy Reference
```
pptx/
  SKILL.md       # Overview + workflows
  pptxgenjs.md   # 600 lines API reference
  ooxml.md       # 500 lines XML structure
  scripts/       # Executable tools
```
When: Reference material too large for inline

Invoke bundled scripts through their interpreter in the prose (`bash scripts/tool.sh`, `node scripts/tool.js`), never by bare path: some harness plugin packagers strip executable bits, and a bare `scripts/tool.sh` fails there with `Permission denied`.

## The Iron Law (Same as TDD)

```
NO SKILL WITHOUT A FAILING TEST FIRST
```

This applies to NEW skills AND EDITS to existing skills.

Write skill before testing? Delete it. Start over.
Edit skill without testing? Same violation.

**No exceptions:**
- Not for "simple additions"
- Not for "just adding a section"
- Not for "documentation updates"
- Don't keep untested changes as "reference"
- Don't "adapt" while running tests
- Delete means delete

**REQUIRED BACKGROUND:** The superpowers:test-driven-development skill explains why this matters. Same principles apply to documentation.

## Testing All Skill Types

Different skill types need different test approaches:

### Discipline-Enforcing Skills (rules/requirements)

**Examples:** TDD, verification-before-completion, designing-before-coding

**Test with:**
- Academic questions: Do they understand the rules?
- Pressure scenarios: Do they comply under stress?
- Multiple pressures combined: time + sunk cost + exhaustion
- Identify rationalizations and add explicit counters

**Success criteria:** Agent follows rule under maximum pressure

### Technique Skills (how-to guides)

**Examples:** condition-based-waiting, root-cause-tracing, defensive-programming

**Test with:**
- Application scenarios: Can they apply the technique correctly?
- Variation scenarios: Do they handle edge cases?
- Missing information tests: Do instructions have gaps?

**Success criteria:** Agent successfully applies technique to new scenario

### Pattern Skills (mental models)

**Examples:** reducing-complexity, information-hiding concepts

**Test with:**
- Recognition scenarios: Do they recognize when pattern applies?
- Application scenarios: Can they use the mental model?
- Counter-examples: Do they know when NOT to apply?

**Success criteria:** Agent correctly identifies when/how to apply pattern

### Reference Skills (documentation/APIs)

**Examples:** API documentation, command references, library guides

**Test with:**
- Retrieval scenarios: Can they find the right information?
- Application scenarios: Can they use what they found correctly?
- Gap testing: Are common use cases covered?

**Success criteria:** Agent finds and correctly applies reference information

## Common Rationalizations for Skipping Testing

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "Skill is obviously clear" | Clear to you ≠ clear to other agents. Test it. |
| "It's just a reference" | References can have gaps, unclear sections. Test retrieval. |
| "Testing is overkill" | Untested skills have issues. Always. 15 min testing saves hours. |
| "I'll test if problems emerge" | Problems = agents can't use skill. Test BEFORE deploying. |
| "Too tedious to test" | Testing is less tedious than debugging bad skill in production. |
| "I'm confident it's good" | Overconfidence guarantees issues. Test anyway. |
| "Academic review is enough" | Reading ≠ using. Test application scenarios. |
| "No time to test" | Deploying untested skill wastes more time fixing it later. |

**All of these mean: Test before deploying. No exceptions.**

## Match the Form to the Failure

Before writing guidance, classify the baseline failure. The form that bulletproofs one failure type measurably backfires on another.

| Baseline failure | Right form | Wrong form |
|---|---|---|
| Skips/violates a rule under pressure (knows better, does it anyway) | Prohibition + rationalization table + red flags (see references/bulletproofing.md) | Soft guidance ("prefer...", "consider...") |
| Complies, but output has the wrong shape (bloated prompt, buried verdict, restated spec) | Positive recipe or contract: state what the output IS — its parts, in order | Prohibition list ("don't restate", "never narrate") |
| Omits a required element from something they already produce | Structural: REQUIRED field or slot in the template they fill in | Prose reminders near the template |
| Behavior should depend on a condition | Conditional keyed to an observable predicate ("if the brief exists, reference it") | Unconditional rule + exemption clauses |

**Why prohibitions backfire on shaping problems:** under a competing incentive ("make the prompt self-contained"), agents negotiate with "don't X". In head-to-head wording tests on dispatch-prompt guidance, the prohibition arm produced clearly more of the unwanted content than the recipe arm (fully separated distributions), and trended worse than even the no-guidance control — micro-test your own case rather than assuming, but never reach for the prohibition by default. A recipe leaves nothing to negotiate: the output matches the stated shape or it doesn't.

**Rules for whichever form you pick:**
- **No nuance clauses.** "Don't X unless it matters" reopens the negotiation — appending a single nuance clause to a winning recipe degraded it from consistent to noisy in the same wording tests. Express a real exception as its own conditional on an observable predicate.
- **Exemption clauses don't scope.** "This limit doesn't apply to code blocks" still suppresses code blocks. If part of the output must be exempt, restructure so the rule can't reach it.

## Bulletproofing Against Rationalization

When the baseline failure is a discipline failure, read
[references/bulletproofing.md](references/bulletproofing.md) before you write
the guidance: closing loopholes, the spirit-vs-letter line, the
rationalization table, and the red-flags list.

## RED-GREEN-REFACTOR for Skills

Follow the TDD cycle:

### RED: Write Failing Test (Baseline)

Run pressure scenario with subagent WITHOUT the skill. Document exact behavior:
- What choices did they make?
- What rationalizations did they use (verbatim)?
- Which pressures triggered violations?

This is "watch the test fail" - you must see what agents naturally do before writing the skill.

### GREEN: Write Minimal Skill

Write skill that addresses those specific rationalizations. Don't add extra content for hypothetical cases.

Run same scenarios WITH skill. Agent should now comply.

### REFACTOR: Close Loopholes

Agent found new rationalization? Add explicit counter. Re-test until bulletproof.

### Micro-Test Wording Before Full Scenarios

Full pressure-scenario runs are the final gate, but they are slow and expensive per iteration. Verify the wording itself first with micro-tests:

1. **One fresh-context sample per call** — a raw API call, or a single-shot subagent if you don't have API access. System prompt = the realistic context the guidance will live in (the full skill or prompt template, not the guidance in isolation); user message = a task that tempts the failure.
2. **Always include a no-guidance control.** If the control doesn't exhibit the failure, there is nothing to fix — stop, don't author the guidance.
3. **5+ reps per variant.** Single samples lie.
4. **Manually read every flagged match.** Score programmatically if you like, but template echoes and quoted counter-examples masquerade as hits; automated counts alone overstate both failure and success.
5. **Variance is a metric.** When guidance lands, reps converge on the same shape. Five different interpretations across five reps means the wording isn't binding — tighten the form before adding words.

Micro-tests verify wording; they do not replace pressure scenarios for discipline skills.

**Testing methodology:** See [references/testing-skills-with-subagents.md](references/testing-skills-with-subagents.md) for the complete testing methodology:
- How to write pressure scenarios
- Pressure types (time, sunk cost, authority, exhaustion)
- Plugging holes systematically
- Meta-testing techniques

## Anti-Patterns

### ❌ Narrative Example
"In session 2025-10-03, we found empty projectDir caused..."
**Why bad:** Too specific, not reusable

### ❌ Multi-Language Dilution
example-js.js, example-py.py, example-go.go
**Why bad:** Mediocre quality, maintenance burden

### ❌ Code in Flowcharts
```dot
step1 [label="import fs"];
step2 [label="read file"];
```
**Why bad:** Can't copy-paste, hard to read

### ❌ Generic Labels
helper1, helper2, step3, pattern4
**Why bad:** Labels should have semantic meaning

## STOP: Before Moving to Next Skill

**After writing ANY skill, you MUST STOP and complete the deployment process.**

**Do NOT:**
- Create multiple skills in batch without testing each
- Move to next skill before current one is verified
- Skip testing because "batching is more efficient"

**The deployment checklist below is MANDATORY for EACH skill.**

Deploying untested skills = deploying untested code. It's a violation of quality standards.

## Skill Creation Checklist (TDD Adapted)

**IMPORTANT: Create a todo for EACH checklist item below.**

**RED Phase - Write Failing Test:**
- [ ] Create pressure scenarios (3+ combined pressures for discipline skills)
- [ ] Run scenarios WITHOUT skill - document baseline behavior verbatim
- [ ] Identify patterns in rationalizations/failures

**GREEN Phase - Write Minimal Skill:**
- [ ] Name uses only letters, numbers, hyphens (no parentheses/special chars)
- [ ] YAML frontmatter with required `name` and `description` fields (max 1024 chars; see [spec](https://agentskills.io/specification))
- [ ] Description starts with "Use when..." and includes specific triggers/symptoms
- [ ] Description written in third person
- [ ] Keywords throughout for search (errors, symptoms, tools)
- [ ] Clear overview with core principle
- [ ] Address specific baseline failures identified in RED
- [ ] Guidance form matches the failure type (see Match the Form to the Failure)
- [ ] For behavior-shaping guidance: wording micro-tested against a no-guidance control (5+ reps, every flagged match read manually) — N/A for pure reference skills
- [ ] Code inline OR link to separate file
- [ ] One excellent example (not multi-language)
- [ ] Run scenarios WITH skill - verify agents now comply

**REFACTOR Phase - Close Loopholes:**
- [ ] Identify NEW rationalizations from testing
- [ ] Add explicit counters (if discipline skill)
- [ ] Build rationalization table from all test iterations
- [ ] Create red flags list
- [ ] Re-test until bulletproof

**Quality Checks:**
- [ ] Small flowchart only if decision non-obvious
- [ ] Quick reference table
- [ ] Common mistakes section
- [ ] No narrative storytelling
- [ ] Supporting files only for tools or heavy reference

**Deployment:**
- [ ] Commit skill to git and push to your fork (if configured)
- [ ] Consider contributing back via PR (if broadly useful)

## Discovery Workflow

How future agents find your skill:

1. **Encounters problem** ("tests are flaky")
2. **Searches skills** (greps descriptions, browses categories)
3. **Finds SKILL** (description matches)
4. **Scans overview** (is this relevant?)
5. **Reads patterns** (quick reference table)
6. **Loads example** (only when implementing)

**Optimize for this flow** - put searchable terms early and often.

Referenced files: 10 — file references are metadata, not package contents.