<SUBAGENT-STOP> If you are assigned as a sub-agent to perform a specific task, skip this skill. </SUBAGENT-STOP> <EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT> If you think there's even a 1% chance a skill applies to what you're doing, you absolutely must call that skill.

If a skill applies to your task, you have no choice. You must use it.

This is non-negotiable. It is not optional. You cannot rationalize your way out of it. </EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT>

Instruction Priority

Superpowers skills override default system prompt behavior, but user instructions always have the highest priority:

Explicit user instructions (CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md, AGENTS.md, direct requests) — Highest priority
Superpowers skills — Override default system behavior in case of conflict
Default system prompt — Lowest priority

If CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md, or AGENTS.md says "Don't use TDD" and a skill says "Always use TDD", follow the user's instructions. The user is in control.

How to Access Skills

In Claude Code: Use the

Skill

tool. When you call a skill, its content is loaded and presented to you — follow it directly. Never use the Read tool to read skill files.

In Copilot CLI: Use the

skill

tool. Skills are automatically discovered from installed plugins. The

skill

tool works the same way as Claude Code's

Skill

tool.

In Hermes Agent: Use the

skill_view

tool to load skills. Hermes supports three-level progressive loading:

skills_list

browse →

skill_view(name)

load full content →

skill_view(name, path)

view referenced files.

In Gemini CLI: Skills are activated via the

activate_skill

tool. Gemini loads skill metadata at session start and activates full content on demand.

In other environments: Check your platform documentation for how to load skills.

Platform Adaptation

Skills use Claude Code's tool names. For non-CC platforms: Check

references/copilot-tools.md

(Copilot CLI),

references/hermes-tools.md

(Hermes Agent),

references/codex-tools.md

(Codex),

references/qoder-tools.md

(Qoder) for tool mappings. Gemini CLI users get tool mappings automatically via GEMINI.md.

Using Skills

Rules

Call relevant or requested skills before any response or action. Even if there's only a 1% chance a skill applies, you should call the skill to check. If after calling you find the skill isn't suitable for the current situation, you don't need to use it.

dot

digraph skill_flow {
    "Received User Message" [shape=doublecircle];
    "About to EnterPlanMode?" [shape=doublecircle];
    "Already Brainstormed?" [shape=diamond];
    "Call Brainstorm Skill" [shape=box];
    "Possible Skill Applicable?" [shape=diamond];
    "Call Skill Tool" [shape=box];
    "Announce: 'Using [Skill] to [Purpose]'" [shape=box];
    "Has Checklist?" [shape=diamond];
    "Create TodoWrite Tasks for Each Item" [shape=box];
    "Strictly Follow Skill" [shape=box];
    "Respond (including clarification)" [shape=doublecircle];

    "About to EnterPlanMode?" -> "Already Brainstormed?";
    "Already Brainstormed?" -> "Call Brainstorm Skill" [label="No"];
    "Already Brainstormed?" -> "Possible Skill Applicable?" [label="Yes"];
    "Call Brainstorm Skill" -> "Possible Skill Applicable?";

    "Received User Message" -> "Possible Skill Applicable?";
    "Possible Skill Applicable?" -> "Call Skill Tool" [label="Yes, even 1% chance"];
    "Possible Skill Applicable?" -> "Respond (including clarification)" [label="Confirmed not applicable"];
    "Call Skill Tool" -> "Announce: 'Using [Skill] to [Purpose]'";
    "Announce: 'Using [Skill] to [Purpose]'" -> "Has Checklist?";
    "Has Checklist?" -> "Create TodoWrite Tasks for Each Item" [label="Yes"];
    "Has Checklist?" -> "Strictly Follow Skill" [label="No"];
    "Create TodoWrite Tasks for Each Item" -> "Strictly Follow Skill";
}

Red Lines

These thoughts mean stop — you're rationalizing:

Thought	Reality
"This is just a simple question"	Questions are tasks. Check skills.
"I need more context first"	Skill checks come before clarifying questions.
"Let me explore the codebase first"	Skills tell you how to explore. Check first.
"I can quickly check git/files"	Files lack conversational context. Check skills.
"Let me gather information first"	Skills tell you how to gather information.
"This doesn't need a formal skill"	If the skill exists, use it.
"I remember this skill"	Skills iterate and update. Read the current version.
"This isn't a real task"	Actions = tasks. Check skills.
"The skill is overkill"	Simple things get complicated. Use it.
"Let me just do this one thing first"	Check before doing anything.
"This feels efficient"	Undisciplined action wastes time. Skills prevent this.
"I know what that means"	Knowing the concept ≠ using the skill. Call it.

Skill Priority

When multiple skills may apply, use this order:

Process skills first (brainstorming, debugging) — These determine how to approach the task
Implementation skills second (frontend design, mcp-builder) — These guide execution

"Let's build X" → Brainstorm first, then use implementation skills. "Fix this bug" → Debug first, then use domain-specific skills.

China-Specific Skill Routing

When the following scenarios are detected, must prioritize calling the corresponding China-specific skills:

Scenario	Skill to Call
Code review and team communicates in Chinese	superpowers:chinese-code-review
Using Gitee/Coding/Jihu GitLab	superpowers:chinese-git-workflow
Writing Chinese technical documents or README	superpowers:chinese-documentation
Writing git commit messages (Chinese projects)	superpowers:chinese-commit-conventions
Building MCP servers/tools	superpowers:mcp-builder

Judgment Criteria:

Chinese comments, Chinese README, or .gitee directory in the project → Enable Chinese series skills
Chinese in commit history → Use Chinese commit conventions
User communicates in Chinese → All output in Chinese, prioritize China-specific skills

China-specific skills are used in combination with translation skills, not mutually exclusive. For example: When doing code review, use both requesting-code-review (process) + chinese-code-review (style).

Skill Types

Rigid (TDD, debugging): Follow strictly. Do not deviate from discipline.

Flexible (patterns): Adapt principles to context.

The skill itself will tell you which type it is.

User Instructions

Instructions say what to do, not how to do it. "Add X" or "Fix Y" does not mean skipping workflows.

using-superpowers

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content (Chinese)