How do I use superpowers-mcp?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@superpowers-mcp List all available superpowers skills" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

superpowers-mcp

An MCP server that makes superpowers skills available to any LLM that supports the Model Context Protocol.

Superpowers is a skills library for Claude Code that enforces disciplined workflows -- TDD, systematic debugging, brainstorming, planning, and more. This server exposes those skills to any MCP-compatible client: Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini, Kilo Code, Claude Desktop, or your own app.

Quick Start

1. Clone and build

git clone https://github.com/erophames/superpowers-mcp.git
cd superpowers-mcp
npm install
npm run build

2. Run setup

node build/index.js

On first run in a terminal, the setup wizard clones the superpowers repository and saves the configuration.

3. Configure your MCP client

Add to your client's MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "superpowers": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/superpowers-mcp/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Replace /absolute/path/to/ with the actual path where you cloned the repository.

Client	Config Location
Claude Desktop	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Claude Code	`~/.claude.json` or project `.mcp.json`
Cursor	Cursor Settings > MCP
Windsurf	`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`

What It Exposes

The server registers skills through all three MCP primitives:

Tools

Tool	Description
`list_skills`	List all available skills with descriptions and file lists
`use_skill`	Load a skill by name -- returns the full skill content as instructions to follow (optional guardrail enforcement)
`get_skill_file`	Load a supporting file from a skill (reference docs, prompt templates, scripts)
`recommend_skills`	Recommend top skills for a task using semantic ranking + workflow policy boosts
`compose_workflow`	Build an ordered multi-skill workflow for a goal
`validate_workflow`	Validate selected skills against required workflow guardrails
`semantic_search_skills`	Semantic search across `SKILL.md` and supporting files

Prompts

Each skill is registered as an MCP prompt named superpowers:{skill-name}. Clients that support prompt selection will show these in their UI. Selecting a prompt injects the full skill content into the conversation.

Resources

Each skill's SKILL.md and supporting files are registered as resources:

superpowers://skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md
superpowers://skills/test-driven-development/testing-anti-patterns.md
superpowers://skills/systematic-debugging/root-cause-tracing.md

A resource template superpowers://skills/{skillName}/{fileName} enables dynamic access to any file.

Available Skills

Skill	What it does
`brainstorming`	Collaborative design through questions, approaches, and incremental validation
`writing-plans`	Bite-sized implementation plans with exact file paths and TDD steps
`executing-plans`	Batch execution of plans with review checkpoints between tasks
`subagent-driven-development`	Fresh subagent per task with two-stage code review
`dispatching-parallel-agents`	Distribute independent tasks to concurrent agents
`test-driven-development`	RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle -- write failing test first, always
`systematic-debugging`	4-phase root cause analysis: investigate before you fix
`verification-before-completion`	Run the command, read the output, then claim the result
`requesting-code-review`	Dispatch code review and act on severity-categorized feedback
`receiving-code-review`	Technical rigor when receiving feedback -- verify, don't blindly agree
`using-git-worktrees`	Isolated git worktrees for parallel feature development
`finishing-a-development-branch`	Structured options for merge, PR, or cleanup when done
`writing-skills`	Framework for creating, testing, and deploying new skills
`using-superpowers`	How the skill system works and when to invoke skills

Usage Examples

Once connected, ask your AI assistant:

"What superpowers skills are available?" (calls list_skills)
"Use the brainstorming skill to help me design a caching layer."
"Load the TDD skill and follow it to implement this feature."
"Read the anti-patterns file from the test-driven-development skill."
"Recommend the best skills for implementing this MCP feature."
"Compose a workflow for debugging flaky tests."
"Validate this workflow: brainstorming, writing-plans, test-driven-development."
"Search skills for root cause tracing techniques."

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`SUPERPOWERS_SKILLS_DIR`	Override the skills directory path directly

Skill Discovery Order

SUPERPOWERS_SKILLS_DIR environment variable
Saved directory from the setup wizard (persisted in ~/.config/superpowers-mcp)
Claude Code plugin cache (~/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/superpowers/*/skills/)

Auto-Updates

When skills are sourced from a git repository, the server checks for updates once per day on startup and pulls new changes automatically.

Development

npm install
npm run build
npm test

Script	Description
`npm run build`	Compile TypeScript
`npm run dev`	Watch mode compilation
`npm test`	Run all 58 tests
`npm run test:watch`	Watch mode tests
`npm start`	Run the server

Architecture

src/
  index.ts                  Entry point, stdio transport, setup and update orchestration
  server.ts                 McpServer creation, composes all registrations
  config.ts                 Persistent configuration
  update.ts                 Daily auto-update check
  git.ts                    Git operations (clone, pull, fetch) via execFile
  cli/setup.ts              Interactive setup wizard
  skills/
    types.ts                Skill, SkillFile, SkillMetadata interfaces
    discovery.ts            Directory scanning, YAML frontmatter parsing, version resolution
  tools/register.ts         list_skills, use_skill, get_skill_file
  prompts/register.ts       One MCP prompt per skill
  resources/register.ts     Static resources per file + resource template for dynamic access

Tests

Node.js CI

License

MIT

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A

license - permissive license

-

quality - not tested

F

maintenance

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superpowers-mcp

superpowers-mcp

Quick Start

1. Clone and build

2. Run setup

3. Configure your MCP client

What It Exposes

Tools

Prompts

Resources

Available Skills

Usage Examples

Configuration

Environment Variables

Skill Discovery Order

Auto-Updates

Development

Architecture

Tests

License

Resources

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