| name | using-decentpowers |
| description | Use when starting any conversation - establishes how to find and use decentpowers skills and the workflow they form. |
Using decentpowers
You have decentpowers: a small set of workflow skills that keep two disciplines intact - no code before an approved design, and no "done" without verification evidence - while staying lean and cheap to run.
The one principle
Evidence over claims. Prefer judgment backed by evidence - a test you ran, a diff you read, output you saw - over assertions, and over mechanical checklists. When a skill gives you a rule, it is because the evidence says it earns its place, not for ritual.
Instruction priority
- Your human partner's explicit instructions (CLAUDE.md, direct requests) - highest.
- decentpowers skills - override default behavior where they conflict.
- Default system behavior - lowest.
How to use skills
Use the Skill tool to load a skill, then follow what it says. Do not read SKILL.md files by hand - load them so they activate. When a skill plausibly applies, invoke it.
One hard gate: before any creative work - a feature, a component, new behavior - go through brainstorming first. That gate is not negotiable. The rest is judgment.
The workflow
brainstorming → writing-spec → implementing → verifying → finishing
(design, (one detailed (single-agent (deterministic (merge / PR
approve) spec file) build, tests) gate + review) / cleanup)
debugging is called whenever a bug, test failure, or surprising behavior appears - at any point.
- brainstorming - turn an idea into an approved design through dialogue. Present a design and get approval before any implementation.
- writing-spec - turn the approved design into one layered "detailed spec" (acceptance criteria + tasks + how to verify). Spec and plan are the same file.
- implementing - build the spec task by task, in this session, yourself. Tests are required. Reach for subagents only when a task is genuinely large or parallel.
- verifying - run the deterministic gate (tests, build, lint, types, acceptance) and one light judgment review. Evidence before any "done".
- finishing - integrate the branch: merge, PR, or clean up.
Rationalizations to catch
| Thought | Reality |
|---|
| "This is too simple to design" | Simple tasks hide the costliest assumptions. Brainstorm briefly, then go. |
| "I'll verify later / it should pass" | "Should" is not evidence. Run the check now. |
| "I'll just start coding" | Creative work goes through brainstorming first. |
| "Tests after are fine" | A test you never watched fail proves nothing. |