obra/brainstorming
VerifiedA methodology that guides AI coding agents through structured brainstorming and TDD planning.
What is obra/brainstorming?
Superpowers is an open-source development methodology designed specifically for AI coding agents. It layers instructions and skills on top of existing tools to shift agents away from impulsive coding toward deliberate, user-validated processes that produce higher-quality results.
The workflow begins with automatic activation of brainstorming to refine ideas through dialogue, followed by design presentation and plan creation. Once approved, it triggers isolated workspaces and subagent execution that can run for hours while maintaining fidelity to the agreed plan.
It targets developers who use multiple AI coding harnesses and want more reliable, maintainable output without constant supervision or rework.
Capabilities
What you can build with obra/brainstorming
New feature development
Agents explore requirements, produce readable design chunks, and generate testable implementation plans before touching code.
Legacy refactoring projects
The methodology forces clear scoping and red-green TDD cycles, reducing the risk of unintended side effects during large changes.
Multi-hour autonomous coding sessions
Subagent coordination lets the system handle extended tasks across branches while respecting the original user-approved plan.
Install obra/brainstorming
/plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official- 1Choose your coding harness and register the Superpowers marketplace using the provided command for that tool.
- 2Install the superpowers plugin from the marketplace specific to your agent environment.
- 3Start a new session with your coding agent on any project; the brainstorming skill activates automatically.
- 4Engage with the agent's questions to refine your idea and approve the presented design sections.
- 5Confirm the implementation plan to launch subagent execution on an isolated branch.
Works with
obra/brainstorming: pros & cons
Pros
- +Enforces thoughtful design and user sign-off before implementation begins
- +Works across many popular coding agent platforms with consistent behavior
- +Promotes genuine TDD and minimalism through its planning templates
- +Enables extended autonomous runs without constant human intervention
Cons
- –Requires separate installation for each coding harness you use
- –Initial setup involves multiple marketplace registration steps depending on the tool
- –The structured process adds overhead for very small or exploratory tasks
Frequently asked questions
It supports Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, Gemini CLI, and several others through dedicated marketplace installs.
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