- name
- superclaw
- description
- Complete software development workflow enforcing design → plan → execution with checkpoints
Superclaw ⚔️
Disciplined software development workflow for OpenClaw agents
Based on obra/superpowers by Jesse Vincent.
What This Skill Package Does
Superclaw prevents your agent from jumping straight into code. It enforces a three-phase workflow:
- 🧠 Brainstorming (
brainstorming/SKILL.md) — Design before code - 📋 Writing Plans (
writing-plans/SKILL.md) — Plan before implementation - ⚙️ Executing Plans (
executing-plans/SKILL.md) — Batched execution with checkpoints
All three skills chain automatically when building software.
How It Works
Phase 1: Brainstorming (Design Before Code)
Triggers: When creating features, building components, adding functionality
Process:
- Check context (MEMORY.md, USER.md, daily logs)
- Ask Socratic questions (requirements, constraints, trade-offs)
- Propose 2-3 approaches with pros/cons
- Present design
- Get approval
- Save design document to
workspace/docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md - Automatically invoke writing-plans skill
Hard Gate: No code until design approved.
Phase 2: Writing Plans (Plan Before Implementation)
Triggers: When you have an approved design
Process:
- ASK about methodology (TDD? Direct implementation?)
- Ask about commit frequency
- Break work into 2-5 minute tasks
- Save implementation plan to
workspace/docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-plan.md - Automatically invoke executing-plans skill
Key Feature: Questions, not mandates. Respects user preferences and time constraints.
Phase 3: Executing Plans (Batched Execution with Checkpoints)
Triggers: When you have an implementation plan
Process:
- Load plan from document
- Batch tasks into groups of 3-5
- Execute batch (using
sessions_spawnfor isolation) - Review outputs
- Checkpoint ("Batch N complete. Continue?")
- Update
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.mdwith progress - Repeat until complete
Hard Gate: Maximum 5 tasks per batch. Checkpoints cannot be skipped.
Why Use Superclaw?
Without Superclaw:
- Agent jumps to code in seconds (no design, no plan)
- Errors compound across many tasks
- No checkpoints → can't pause/resume
- Mental plans disappear
With Superclaw:
- Design → Plan → Execute (enforced)
- Errors caught early (batching prevents cascades)
- Progress tracked in memory
- Resumable, reviewable, auditable
Installation
npx clawhub@latest install superclawSkills auto-load when relevant tasks are detected.
OpenClaw-Specific Adaptations
- Memory Integration — Checks MEMORY.md, USER.md, daily logs
- Methodology Questions — "Should we use TDD?" not "You must use TDD"
- Sessions_spawn — Fresh subagent per task for isolation
- Workspace Conventions — Saves to
workspace/docs/plans/
Testing
All skills pressure-tested with RED-GREEN-REFACTOR methodology:
| Skill | RED (without skill) | GREEN (with skill) |
|---|---|---|
| Brainstorming | Coded in 12s | Asked questions, got approval |
| Writing-Plans | Coded in 73s | Asked methodology, created plan |
| Executing-Plans | 10 tasks in 40s | 4 batches with checkpoints |
Integration test: All 3 skills chained automatically and delivered working CLI ✅
Example Workflow
User: "Build a markdown notes CLI"
→ Brainstorming skill:
- Asks: Storage format? Search needed? Tagging?
- Proposes: 3 approaches (flat files vs SQLite vs JSON)
- Presents design, gets approval
- Saves:
workspace/docs/plans/2026-02-25-notes-cli-design.md - Invokes writing-plans
→ Writing-plans skill:
- Asks: TDD or direct? Commit frequency?
- Creates plan: 24 tasks, 2-5 min each
- Saves:
workspace/docs/plans/2026-02-25-notes-cli-plan.md - Invokes executing-plans
→ Executing-plans skill:
- Batch 1 (tasks 1-5): Project setup → Checkpoint ✓
- Batch 2 (tasks 6-10): Create note feature → Checkpoint ✓
- Batch 3 (tasks 11-15): List notes feature → Checkpoint ✓
- (continues until complete)
Result: Working CLI tool, fully documented, tested, and memory-tracked.
Individual Skill Files
brainstorming/SKILL.md— 279 lines, full process + rationalization counterswriting-plans/SKILL.md— 10KB, methodology questions + task templatesexecuting-plans/SKILL.md— 9KB, batching logic + sessions_spawn integration
Each skill can be used independently or as part of the complete workflow.
Attribution
Based on obra/superpowers by Jesse Vincent.
Adapted for OpenClaw's personal assistant architecture with memory integration, methodology questions (not mandates), sessions_spawn workflow, and single workspace model.
License
MIT (following obra/superpowers)
Resources
- GitHub: https://github.com/brothaakhee/superclaw (coming soon)
- Original Framework: https://github.com/obra/superpowers
- OpenClaw Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai