Choose How Superpowers Runs Your Tasks: Thorough, Cheap or Hands-Off

Install Superpowers, run the same small task two ways, and decide how much review each job deserves.

Overview

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

Superpowers installed in Claude Code.
The same task run the thorough way and the cheap way.
A rule for which mode to use, so you spend your usage where it counts.
The background version ping switched off, if you want that.

Who This Is For

You want Claude Code to plan, test and review, but you also watch your usage.
You have already tried a plan-first setup and want to control how much it costs.
You build sites, funnels or tools and do not want to ship the first thing Claude writes.

What You'll Need

Claude Code.
A throwaway project to test in.
Git, because the workflow uses separate branches.

The Core Idea

Superpowers is a set of skills that trigger on their own. Before a task, Claude checks for a relevant skill and follows its stages. The part worth deciding is how it executes: a fresh helper for every task with a review after each one, or everything inline with one review at the end. If you only need the install and a first run, the live guide Force Claude to Plan Before It Codes With Superpowers covers it. This guide is about choosing the mode.

Quick Terms

Skill: a saved set of instructions Claude can follow when it is needed.
Subagent: a helper Claude starts for one focused job, such as writing one task or reviewing one change.
Branch: a separate copy of your project where changes can be tried without touching the main one.
Tests: small checks that tell you whether the code does what it should.

Going Further

Just want the install and a first run? - Guide: Force Claude to Plan Before It Codes With Superpowers (AI Agents)
Cut the tokens Claude reads - Guide: Cut Claude Code Token Usage by Up to 95% With Headroom, a Free Open-Source Context Compressor (AI Foundations)
Install it separately for each coding agent you use.