Torque — GSD + Superpowers, United
Core Rule
Check for .planning/ directory in the project root. This single check determines routing.
Primary Routing Table
| Scenario | .planning/ exists? | System | Entry Point |
|---|
| New project (greenfield) | No → creates it | GSD | /gsd:new-project |
| Brownfield onboarding | No → creates it | GSD | /gsd:map-codebase then /gsd:new-project |
| New feature in GSD project | Yes | GSD | /gsd:discuss-phase → /gsd:spec-phase → /gsd:plan-phase → /gsd:execute-phase |
| AI/LLM integration phase | Yes | GSD | /gsd:ai-integration-phase → /gsd:plan-phase → /gsd:execute-phase → /gsd:eval-review |
| Quick task in GSD project | Yes | GSD | /gsd:quick |
| Trivial fix in GSD project | Yes | GSD | /gsd:fast (inline, no subagents) |
| Standalone feature (no GSD) | No | SP | REQUIRED: brainstorming → writing-plans → subagent-driven-development |
| PRD-driven feature | Either | SP → GSD | write-a-prd → prd-to-issues → /gsd:new-project or /gsd:add-phase |
| Bug fix (any context) | Either | SP first | REQUIRED: systematic-debugging ALWAYS first, then route fix through appropriate system |
| Code review (send) | Either | SP | REQUIRED: requesting-code-review (fills GSD's missing review step) |
| Code review (receive) | Either | SP | receiving-code-review — verify feedback before implementing blindly |
| Stress-test a plan | Either | SP | grill-me — interview until all ambiguity is resolved |
| Architecture improvement | Either | SP | improve-codebase-architecture — surface friction, propose refactors as RFC issues |
| Ship / PR creation | Yes | GSD | /gsd:ship or /gsd:pr-branch (filters .planning/ commits) |
| Ship (standalone) | No | SP | finishing-a-development-branch |
| Resume work | Yes | GSD | /gsd:resume-work |
| Resume work | No | SP | Re-read plan files in docs/plans/ |
Extended Routing (GSD 1.34+)
| Scenario | Entry Point | Notes |
|---|
| Spec refinement | /gsd:spec-phase | Socratic clarification of WHAT a phase delivers — produces SPEC.md before planning |
| AI/LLM design contract | /gsd:ai-integration-phase | Framework selection, implementation guidance, evaluation strategy → AI-SPEC.md |
| AI eval audit | /gsd:eval-review | Retroactive audit of AI phase evaluation coverage |
| Spike (feasibility test) | /gsd:spike → /gsd:spike-wrap-up | Throwaway experiment to validate approach before committing |
| Sketch (UI mockup) | /gsd:sketch → /gsd:sketch-wrap-up | Rapid HTML mockups with multi-variant exploration |
| UI/frontend phase | /gsd:ui-phase → /gsd:ui-review | Design contract (UI-SPEC.md) before implementation |
| Security audit | /gsd:secure-phase | Verify threat mitigations post-implementation |
| Codebase intelligence | /gsd:intel | Query, refresh, or inspect .planning/intel/ |
| Code review + auto-fix | /gsd:code-review → /gsd:code-review-fix | Two-step: find issues, then fix atomically |
| Autonomous execution | /gsd:autonomous | Runs all remaining phases: discuss → plan → execute |
| Parallel workstreams | /gsd:workstreams | Manage concurrent work across features |
| Persistent debugging | /gsd:debug | 4-phase debugging with knowledge base persistence |
| Phase assumptions | /gsd:list-phase-assumptions | Surface Claude's assumptions before planning |
| Nyquist validation | /gsd:validate-phase | Audit and fill validation gaps for a completed phase |
| Milestone audit | /gsd:audit-milestone → /gsd:plan-milestone-gaps | Verify intent delivered, fill gaps |
| Ship / PR creation | /gsd:ship | Create PR, run review, prepare for merge |
| Clean PR branch | /gsd:pr-branch | Filter out .planning/ commits for clean code review |
| Safe revert | /gsd:undo | Roll back phase or plan commits using phase manifest |
| Project statistics | /gsd:stats | Phases, plans, git metrics, timeline |
| Session report | /gsd:session-report | Token usage estimates and work summary |
| Docs generation | /gsd:docs-update | Generate/update project docs verified against codebase |
| Changelog | changelog-generator (SP) | Auto-generate user-facing changelogs from git commits |
| Diagnostics | /gsd:health | Diagnose and repair .planning/ directory issues |
| Post-mortem | /gsd:forensics | Investigate failed GSD workflows |
| Learnings extraction | /gsd:extract_learnings | Extract decisions, patterns, surprises from completed phases |
Idea Capture & Backlog
| Scenario | Entry Point | Notes |
|---|
| Quick note | /gsd:note | Zero-friction idea capture — append, list, or promote |
| Add todo | /gsd:add-todo | Capture task from conversation context |
| Check todos | /gsd:check-todos | List pending todos and select one to work |
| Backlog idea | /gsd:add-backlog | Park an idea in 999.x numbering |
| Review backlog | /gsd:review-backlog | Promote backlog items to active milestone |
| Plant seed | /gsd:plant-seed | Forward-looking idea with trigger conditions |
| Explore idea | /gsd:explore | Socratic ideation — think before committing |
Browser & E2E Testing
| Scenario | Entry Point | Notes |
|---|
| Test web app | webapp-testing (SP) | Playwright-based: screenshots, form fills, link checks |
| Full browser automation | playwright-skill (SP) | Auto-detect dev servers, write test scripts |
Two-Layer Model
- GSD = macro layer: project structure, milestones, phases, plans, state tracking, pause/resume
- Superpowers = micro layer: TDD, debugging methodology, verification, code review per task
GSD orchestrates WHAT to build and in what order. Superpowers enforce HOW to build each piece correctly.
Torque Commands
| Command | Purpose |
|---|
/torque:status | Where am I? Single view across GSD + SP state |
/torque:check | Verify GSD + SP installation and detect misconfigurations |
/torque:next | Smart next-action — reads state, suggests one command |
/torque:migrate | Upgrade path to Meridian |
Integration Rules (Summary)
- Plan location: GSD uses
.planning/phases/, SP uses docs/plans/. Never mix. - Brainstorming: Use
discuss-phase for GSD work, brainstorming for standalone only. Never both. - Subagent execution: GSD
execute-phase OR SP subagent-driven-development. Never nested. - Debugging: SP
systematic-debugging runs first for all bugs. GSD deviation Rule 1 covers only incidental executor bugs. - Code review after GSD: Run
requesting-code-review after GSD verify-work, before merge. - Code review receiving: When receiving review feedback, use
receiving-code-review to verify suggestions before implementing blindly. - UI discipline: For frontend phases, run
/gsd:ui-phase to produce UI-SPEC.md before implementation, then /gsd:ui-review after. - AI discipline: For AI/LLM phases, run
/gsd:ai-integration-phase to produce AI-SPEC.md before implementation, then /gsd:eval-review after. - Spec before plan: For medium+ features, run
/gsd:spec-phase between discuss and plan to lock falsifiable requirements. - Spike before commit: When feasibility is uncertain, run
/gsd:spike before discuss-phase. Wrap findings with /gsd:spike-wrap-up. - Ship cleanly: Use
/gsd:ship or /gsd:pr-branch to create PRs that exclude .planning/ commits from code review. - Learnings persist: GSD captures execution patterns automatically. Review with
/gsd:intel to inform future phases.
Anti-Patterns (Never Do These)
- Run
brainstorming inside a GSD phase (use discuss-phase) - Create
docs/plans/ in a GSD project (use .planning/phases/) - Nest SP
subagent-driven-development inside GSD execute-phase - Skip
systematic-debugging for bugs in GSD projects - Create
.planning/ manually (use /gsd:new-project) - Use
/gsd:quick for multi-phase work (use full pipeline) - Merge without code review (GSD has no review step built in)
- Run both
discuss-phase AND brainstorming (pick one based on .planning/ existence) - Implement review feedback without verifying it first (use
receiving-code-review) - Skip spec refinement for ambiguous phases (use
/gsd:spec-phase between discuss and plan) - Build AI features without evaluation strategy (use
/gsd:ai-integration-phase first) - Push
.planning/ commits in PRs (use /gsd:pr-branch to filter them out) - Commit to a large approach without spiking first (use
/gsd:spike for uncertain feasibility)
Complexity Escalation
Trivial (typo, config) → /gsd:fast
Small (< 30 min, < 5 files) → /gsd:quick
Medium (single phase) → discuss → spec → plan → execute
Large (multi-phase) → new-project or add-phase pipeline
Uncertain feasibility → /gsd:spike first, then route by size
AI/LLM integration → /gsd:ai-integration-phase → plan → execute → eval-review
Autonomous (hands-off) → /gsd:autonomous
For detailed workflows and conflict resolution, load files from references/. Workflow guides are in references/workflows.md.
