| name | superpowers |
| description | Bundled dependency skill used by mothership research for broad context gathering and option mapping. |
obra/superpowers
Intended Usage During Research
When invoked by a researcher sub-agent during mothership's research phase, use
this before obra/making-plans packages the handoff:
-
Context expansion — Read relevant files, docs, recent commits. Map the
current state of the codebase related to the task. Understand existing
patterns, architecture, and conventions before proposing changes.
-
Option mapping — Identify 2-3 viable approaches. For each:
- Describe what it does and how it works
- List trade-offs (complexity, risk, maintenance, performance)
- Note dependencies and prerequisites
- Give your recommendation with reasoning
-
Assumption validation — List assumptions implicit in the task request.
For each assumption:
- Mark as confirmed if codebase evidence supports it
- Mark as unverified if no evidence exists
- Mark as contradicted if codebase evidence refutes it
-
Scope assessment — If the task spans multiple independent subsystems,
recommend decomposition. Identify which pieces are independent, how they
relate, and what order they should be built.
Output Format
Write findings in the research-execution template:
- summary — What you investigated and what you found
- assumptions — Confirmed, unverified, and contradicted assumptions
- constraints — Known technical or business constraints
- risks — Risks and their likelihood/impact
- recommendation — Your recommended approach with alternatives
- open questions — Ambiguities for commander to escalate to human
Boundaries
- Do NOT write the final user-approved design spec. That belongs to the
brainstorming and planning flow.
- Do NOT ask iterative clarifying questions. Work with the research issue
context; note ambiguities as open questions.
- Do NOT implement code or make workflow decisions reserved for commander.
Coordination
During mothership research phase, invoke this skill after
obra/brainstorming and before obra/making-plans. The research-execution
skill defines the output format; this skill provides the process for gathering
context and comparing approaches.
Note
In environments with an upstream obra package, this local marker may be replaced
or shadowed by the upstream installation.
