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.
Use the skills CLI to install this skill with one command. Auto-detects all installed AI assistants.
Method 1 - skills CLI
npx skills i obra/superpowers/skills/brainstormingMethod 2 - openskills (supports sync & update)
npx openskills install obra/superpowersAuto-detects Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, and more. One install, works everywhere.
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Best for coding tasks
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Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue.
Start by understanding the current project context, then ask questions one at a time to refine the idea. Once you understand what you're building, present the design and get user approval.
Do NOT invoke any implementation skill, write any code, scaffold any project, or take any implementation action until you have presented a design and the user has approved it. This applies to EVERY project regardless of perceived simplicity.
Every project goes through this process. A todo list, a single-function utility, a config change — all of them. "Simple" projects are where unexamined assumptions cause the most wasted work. The design can be short (a few sentences for truly simple projects), but you MUST present it and get approval.
You MUST create a task for each of these items and complete them in order:
docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md and commitdigraph brainstorming {
"Explore project context" [shape=box];
"Ask clarifying questions" [shape=box];
"Propose 2-3 approaches" [shape=box];
"Present design sections" [shape=box];
"User approves design?" [shape=diamond];
"Write design doc" [shape=box];
"Invoke writing-plans skill" [shape=doublecircle];
"Explore project context" -> "Ask clarifying questions";
"Ask clarifying questions" -> "Propose 2-3 approaches";
"Propose 2-3 approaches" -> "Present design sections";
"Present design sections" -> "User approves design?";
"User approves design?" -> "Present design sections" [label="no, revise"];
"User approves design?" -> "Write design doc" [label="yes"];
"Write design doc" -> "Invoke writing-plans skill";
}The terminal state is invoking writing-plans. Do NOT invoke frontend-design, mcp-builder, or any other implementation skill. The ONLY skill you invoke after brainstorming is writing-plans.
Understanding the idea:
Exploring approaches:
Presenting the design:
Documentation:
docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.mdImplementation: