Force Claude to Plan Before It Codes With Superpowers

Install the Superpowers framework so Claude Code plans, tests, and self-reviews before it ships

Force the Plan

By the end of this guide, you'll have Superpowers installed in Claude Code so it can't skip straight to writing code — it plans, breaks work into small verified tasks, writes tests first, and reviews its own work before shipping.

Who This Is For

  • You've watched Claude Code jump straight into writing code without a real plan

  • You get "toy-grade" code that works once and breaks under real use

  • You want Claude to break work into small, verifiable steps instead of one giant dump

  • You want tests written before code, not as an afterthought

  • You're tired of retries and rework from AI that started coding too fast

What You'll Build

An installed Superpowers framework in Claude Code that:

  • Refuses to jump into code before establishing a real plan

  • Breaks work into small tasks (2-5 minutes each) with exact file paths and verification steps

  • Writes tests before code

  • Reviews its own work before considering a task done

What You'll Need

  • Claude Code installed

  • The Superpowers framework: github.com/obra/superpowers

  • A real coding task to try it on

Going Further

  • Understand the full Claude Code skill/plan-mode system

  • Run a simulated multi-role review on top of a real plan

  • Keep long planning sessions token-efficient