Superclaw

Complete software development workflow enforcing design → plan → execution with checkpoints

Disciplined software development workflow for OpenClaw agents

Based on obra/superpowers by Jesse Vincent.

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What This Skill Package Does

Superclaw prevents your agent from jumping straight into code. It enforces a three-phase workflow:

1. 🧠 Brainstorming (brainstorming/SKILL.md) — Design before code
2. 📋 Writing Plans (writing-plans/SKILL.md) — Plan before implementation
3. ⚙️ Executing Plans (executing-plans/SKILL.md) — Batched execution with checkpoints

All three skills chain automatically when building software.

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How It Works

Phase 1: Brainstorming (Design Before Code)

Triggers: When creating features, building components, adding functionality

Process:

1. Check context (MEMORY.md, USER.md, daily logs)
2. Ask Socratic questions (requirements, constraints, trade-offs)
3. Propose 2-3 approaches with pros/cons
4. Present design
5. Get approval
6. Save design document to workspace/docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md
7. Automatically invoke writing-plans skill

Hard Gate: No code until design approved.

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Phase 2: Writing Plans (Plan Before Implementation)

Triggers: When you have an approved design

Process:

1. ASK about methodology (TDD? Direct implementation?)
2. Ask about commit frequency
3. Break work into 2-5 minute tasks
4. Save implementation plan to workspace/docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-plan.md
5. Automatically invoke executing-plans skill

Key Feature: Questions, not mandates. Respects user preferences and time constraints.

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Phase 3: Executing Plans (Batched Execution with Checkpoints)

Triggers: When you have an implementation plan

Process:

1. Load plan from document
2. Batch tasks into groups of 3-5
3. Execute batch (using sessions_spawn for isolation)
4. Review outputs
5. Checkpoint ("Batch N complete. Continue?")
6. Update memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md with progress
7. Repeat until complete

Hard Gate: Maximum 5 tasks per batch. Checkpoints cannot be skipped.

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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

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Installation

bash

npx clawhub@latest install superclaw

Skills auto-load when relevant tasks are detected.

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OpenClaw-Specific Adaptations

1. Memory Integration — Checks MEMORY.md, USER.md, daily logs
2. Methodology Questions — "Should we use TDD?" not "You must use TDD"
3. Sessions_spawn — Fresh subagent per task for isolation
4. Workspace Conventions — Saves to workspace/docs/plans/

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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 ✅

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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.

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Individual Skill Files

• brainstorming/SKILL.md — 279 lines, full process + rationalization counters
• writing-plans/SKILL.md — 10KB, methodology questions + task templates
• executing-plans/SKILL.md — 9KB, batching logic + sessions_spawn integration

Each skill can be used independently or as part of the complete workflow.

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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.

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License

MIT (following obra/superpowers)

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Resources

• GitHub: https://github.com/brothaakhee/superclaw (coming soon)
• Original Framework: https://github.com/obra/superpowers
• OpenClaw Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai