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The brainstorming skill

Brainstorming is the Superpowers skill that runs before any creative work. The agent classifies the request as a spike, a bounded change or an architectural one, asks the questions that matter, and presents a design. No code, scaffolding or implementation skill runs until you approve it, however small the task looks.

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When the agent reaches for it

The agent keeps every installed skill's description in view and loads the full instructions when a request matches. This is the description it reads:

You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior. Explores user intent, requirements and design before implementation.

One gate, three sizes of process

The skill scales the ceremony to the task and keeps the approval gate fixed. A spike is a feasibility question: two or three sentences on what the agent will try, a nod from you, then an answer rather than kept code. A bounded change to existing code gets a short design in the chat. An architectural change gets the full process: questions, alternative approaches, a sectioned design, a written spec, and a handoff to writing-plans.

The agent says which path it picked out loud, so you can override it. When it is unsure it takes the heavier path, and a task that turns out bigger than it looked moves up a path. Nothing moves down mid-task.

What the instructions cover

The sections of its SKILL.md, in order.

  • Three Paths
  • Anti-Pattern: "Too Simple To Need Approval"
  • Red Flags
  • Checklist
  • Process Flow
  • The Process
  • After the Design (architectural path)
  • Visual Companion

What ships with it

Besides SKILL.md, the folder carries these. The agent opens them only when a step in the instructions calls for one.

  • scripts/ 5 files · 48 KB
  • spec-document-reviewer-prompt.md 2 KB
  • visual-companion.md 13 KB

Install the brainstorming skill

In Claude Code, run this in a session. It comes from the publisher's own instructions.

Claude Code 
/plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official

License: MIT.

In Longwave, add Superpowers from the marketplace. It installs all 14 of its skills, and your Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode threads can use them.

Questions people ask

How do I install the brainstorming skill?

In Claude Code, run /plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official. In Longwave, add Superpowers from the marketplace, and its skills reach your Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode threads.

When does the agent use the brainstorming skill?

When a request matches its description. The agent keeps only the name and description of each installed skill in view, and reads the full instructions when a task fits. You can also ask for it by name.

Use your skills in every harness.

Longwave installs a skill collection once, and your Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode threads can all use it.

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