using-superpowers

Enforces skill discovery and invocation before acting on any task in Pi sessions.

Updated Jul 22, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/johnstegeman/pi-packages --skill using-superpowers-johnstegeman
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: using-superpowers
Source: https://github.com/johnstegeman/pi-packages/tree/main/packages/pi-superpowers-plus/skills/using-superpowers
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/johnstegeman/pi-packages --skill using-superpowers-johnstegeman

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? AI agents often skip available workflow skills and act on tasks ad hoc, producing undisciplined results. This Skill establishes a mandatory session-start protocol that checks for relevant skills before any action, cleans up abandoned beads wisps from interrupted sessions, and prevents common rationalizations for skipping structured workflows. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Skill-First Rule: Requires invoking relevant or requested skills before acting, announcing usage, and following checklists as todos. - Session Cleanup: Runs beads wisp garbage collection (bd mol wisp gc) to remove abandoned ephemeral wisps older than 24 hours while preserving resumable work. - Priority & Guardrails: Defines process-skill-first ordering (brainstorming, systematic-debugging), a red-flags table of rationalizations to stop, and working-directory rules that keep operations in the user's project rather than the skill install path. - Use Case: At the start of a Pi session in a beads-initialized project, the agent cleans stale wisps, verifies the superpowers-workflow formula is seeded, then routes a "fix this bug" request through the systematic-debugging skill before touching code. ## Quick Start Start a new conversation and ask the agent to check for relevant skills before beginning work on your task.

Frequently Asked Questions about using-superpowers

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I make an AI agent use skills before starting a task?

Invoke the using-superpowers skill at conversation start. It mandates checking for relevant skills before acting, announcing "Using [skill] to [purpose]", and converting skill checklists into todos.

How do I clean up abandoned beads wisps from interrupted sessions?

Run `bd mol wisp gc --dry-run --age 24h` to list stale wisps, refresh any you want to keep with `bd update <id>`, then delete the rest with `bd mol wisp gc --age 24h --force`. This only affects wisps, never persistent issues.

Which skill runs first when multiple skills apply?

Process skills come first because they set the approach, then implementation skills carry it out. For example, "Let's build X" routes to brainstorming first, and "Fix this bug" routes to systematic-debugging before domain skills.

Does this skill work outside a beads-initialized project?

The beads cleanup step only applies when the working directory has a `.beads/` database, checked via `bd where`. The core skill-invocation rules and red-flags guidance apply to any session regardless of beads.

Why should I not cd into the skill's install directory?

The path shown in the skill prompt is only for resolving relative file references inside the skill, such as references/pi-tools.md. All commands and exploration must run in the user's current working directory, which is the actual project.