Superpowers for Codex
Guide for using Superpowers with OpenAI Codex via native skill discovery.
Overview
Superpowers for Codex
Guide for using Superpowers with OpenAI Codex via native skill discovery.
Quick Install
Tell Codex:
Fetch and follow instructions from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/obra/superpowers/refs/heads/main/.codex/INSTALL.md
Manual Installation
Prerequisites
- OpenAI Codex CLI
- Git
Steps
-
Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/obra/superpowers.git ~/.codex/superpowers -
Create the skills symlink:
mkdir -p ~/.agents/skills ln -s ~/.codex/superpowers/skills ~/.agents/skills/superpowers -
Restart Codex.
-
For subagent skills (optional): Skills like
dispatching-parallel-agentsandsubagent-driven-developmentrequire Codex's multi-agent feature. Add to your Codex config:[features] multi_agent = true
Windows
Use a junction instead of a symlink (works without Developer Mode):
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\\.agents\\skills"
cmd /c mklink /J "$env:USERPROFILE\\.agents\\skills\\superpowers" "$env:USERPROFILE\\.codex\\superpowers\\skills"
How It Works
Codex has native skill discovery — it scans ~/.agents/skills/ at startup, parses SKILL.md frontmatter, and loads skills on demand. Superpowers skills are made visible through a single symlink:
~/.agents/skills/superpowers/ → ~/.codex/superpowers/skills/
The using-superpowers skill is discovered automatically and enforces skill usage discipline — no additional configuration needed.
Usage
Skills are discovered automatically. Codex activates them when:
- You mention a skill by name (e.g., "use brainstorming")
- The task matches a skill's description
- The
using-superpowersskill directs Codex to use one
Personal Skills
Create your own skills in ~/.agents/skills/:
mkdir -p ~/.agents/skills/my-skill
Create ~/.agents/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md:
---
name: my-skill
description: Use when [condition] - [what it does]
---
# My Skill
[Your skill content here]
The description field is how Codex decides when to activate a skill automatically — write it as a clear trigger condition.
Updating
cd ~/.codex/superpowers && git pull
Skills update instantly through the symlink.
Uninstalling
rm ~/.agents/skills/superpowers
Windows (PowerShell):
Remove-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\\.agents\\skills\\superpowers"
Optionally delete the clone: rm -rf ~/.codex/superpowers (Windows: Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:USERPROFILE\\.codex\\superpowers").
Troubleshooting
Skills not showing up
- Verify the symlink:
ls -la ~/.agents/skills/superpowers - Check skills exist:
ls ~/.codex/superpowers/skills - Restart Codex — skills are discovered at startup
Windows junction issues
Junctions normally work without special permissions. If creation fails, try running PowerShell as administrator.
Getting Help
- Report issues: https://github.com/obra/superpowers/issues
- Main documentation: https://github.com/obra/superpowers