Using Superpowers

Meta

Meta-skill that ensures relevant skills are discovered and invoked before any response or action.

Overview

This is the foundational meta-skill that governs how all other skills are used. It establishes a strict protocol: before the AI generates any response -- including clarifying questions -- it must check whether any skill might apply and invoke it if there is even a 1% chance of relevance. This skill acts as a router, ensuring domain-specific knowledge is loaded on demand rather than skipped or forgotten.

When to Use

• At the start of every conversation (this skill is always relevant)
• Before answering any user request, to check for applicable skills
• When the AI is tempted to skip skill loading ("this is just a simple question")
• When multiple skills might apply, to determine invocation order

Key Features

• Mandatory invocation rule: Even a 1% chance a skill might apply means it must be invoked -- no exceptions
• Pre-response enforcement: Skill checks happen BEFORE any response, including clarifying questions or file exploration
• Priority ordering: Process skills (brainstorming, debugging) first, then implementation skills (frontend, backend)
• Anti-rationalization table: Lists common thoughts that indicate the agent is about to skip a skill ("I can just check the files quickly", "This is too simple for a skill")
• Skill type awareness: Distinguishes rigid skills (follow exactly) from flexible skills (adapt principles to context)

Example Prompts

(Any prompt triggers this skill -- it runs before all others.)

Build a new feature for my app.
→ Superpowers checks: brainstorming skill? frontend skill? backend skill?

Fix this bug in the auth module.
→ Superpowers checks: debugging skill? auth skill? code-reviewer skill?

Source

• Skill folder: skills/using-superpowers/
• Standard: agentskills.io