Agent skill · Jesse Vincent (obra)

Brainstorming skill for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor

Makes the agent clarify goals and explore options with you before building anything new.

Communityname: brainstorming★ 305k (repo)pushed 2026-10-23MITSKILL.md on GitHubchecked 2026-11-07

What it does, in the publisher's words

You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, modifying behavior, or planning anything new, in software or out of it (a talk, a business, a renovation).

The description field of the SKILL.md. The agent reads only this at startup and decides from it when to load the full skill.

Install Brainstorming

The skills CLI copies the skill into the folder of each agent you pick (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Windsurf...). Add -g for all projects. Needs Node.js 22.20+. docs

npx skills add obra/superpowers --skill brainstorming

This repo is a plugin marketplace. Inside Claude Code, add it and install the plugin that holds the skill (superpowers), or copy only this skill into ~/.claude/skills. docs

/plugin marketplace add obra/superpowers
/plugin install <plugin>@superpowers-dev

# or only this skill:
npx skills add obra/superpowers --skill brainstorming -a claude-code

Download the skill folder, zip it, then Customize > Skills > + > Create skill > Upload a skill. Code execution must be on (Settings > Capabilities). docs

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/obra/superpowers.git /tmp/brainstorming-src
cp -r /tmp/brainstorming-src/skills/brainstorming ./brainstorming
zip -r brainstorming.zip brainstorming

Codex reads skills from .agents/skills in the repo or ~/.agents/skills. Type $ in Codex to use one. docs

npx skills add obra/superpowers --skill brainstorming -a codex

gh skill (GitHub CLI 2.90+, preview) installs it for Copilot in VS Code, the CLI and the cloud agent. Copilot also reads .github/skills and ~/.copilot/skills. docs

gh skill install obra/superpowers brainstorming

Cursor reads .cursor/skills, .agents/skills and ~/.cursor/skills (and .claude/skills). It does not install loose skills from a GitHub URL, so copy it in. docs

npx skills add obra/superpowers --skill brainstorming -a cursor

Installs from the GitHub repo; --path picks this skill out of the repo. Default scope is user (all projects). docs

gemini skills install https://github.com/obra/superpowers.git --path skills/brainstorming

OpenCode reads .opencode/skills, ~/.config/opencode/skills and the Claude and .agents folders. docs

npx skills add obra/superpowers --skill brainstorming -a opencode

Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) reads .devin/skills, .windsurf/skills and ~/.codeium/windsurf/skills. docs

npx skills add obra/superpowers --skill brainstorming -a windsurf

Works with

Claude Code, Claude.ai and Claude Desktop, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Windsurf and other agents that read the open Agent Skills format.

Bundles 4 JavaScript/shell scripts the agent can run, so it needs JavaScript and shell on the machine. In the Claude apps, code execution must be on.

What's in the SKILL.md

9 sections

First: What Do You Actually Know?
Look Before You Ask
Your First Message
The Conversation
Play It Back
Size the Work
The Written Design
Red Flags
Visual Companion

Bundled files

builder-check-prompt.md
scripts/frame-template.html
scripts/helper.js
scripts/server.cjs
scripts/start-server.sh
scripts/stop-server.sh
visual-companion.md

Loaded only when the instructions point to them.

Facts

Skill name: brainstorming
Publisher: Jesse Vincent (obra) (community)
Repo: obra/superpowers
License: MIT
SKILL.md size: 2,620 words, 312 lines
Bundled files: 7, 4 scripts (JavaScript, shell), 2 docs
Repo stars: 305k (as of 2026-10-24)
SKILL.md checked: 2026-11-07

More skills from obra/superpowers

Requesting Code Review: Has the agent get its finished work reviewed against requirements before merging.
Subagent-Driven Development: Executes a plan by handing each task to a fresh subagent with review between steps.
Systematic Debugging: A root-cause-first process for bugs and failing tests before any fix is attempted.
Test-Driven Development: Enforces a red-green-refactor loop: write a failing test first, then the code.
Using Git Worktrees: Sets up an isolated git worktree before feature work so the main checkout stays clean.
Verification Before Completion: Requires running checks and showing their output before claiming work is done.
Writing Plans: Turns a spec into a detailed, step-by-step implementation plan before coding starts.
Writing Skills: Method for writing and testing new skills so they trigger and behave reliably.

Related workflow & planning skills

Skill Creator · Anthropic
GitHub: Address PR Comments · OpenAI
Skill Installer (Codex) · OpenAI
Modern Python Tooling · Trail of Bits
Commit (Sentry style) · Sentry
Notion Spec to Implementation · Notion
Git Commit · GitHub (community contributions)

FAQ

What does the brainstorming skill do?+

Makes the agent clarify goals and explore options with you before building anything new. In its own SKILL.md, Jesse Vincent (obra) describes it as: "You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, modifying behavior, or planning anything new, in software or out of it (a talk, a business, a renovation)."

How do I install the brainstorming skill?+

Run npx skills add obra/superpowers --skill brainstorming and pick your agents, or use the tab for your agent above. In Claude Code the skill ends up in ~/.claude/skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md; in Codex and Cursor in .agents/skills/brainstorming/.

Does Brainstorming work in Codex, Cursor and Copilot, or only Claude?+

It's a standard SKILL.md, so any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use it: Claude Code, the Claude apps, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Windsurf and more.

Who maintains Brainstorming?+

Jesse Vincent (obra) (a community project), in the obra/superpowers repo on GitHub, last pushed 2026-10-23. License: MIT.

Read a skill's SKILL.md and scripts before you install it: skills aren't verified by any agent vendor. Claude skills marketplace · How to install skills · MCP servers