MCP Workflow · Superpowers

Cognitive flows (ideation / planning / TDD / debugging / verification / review) do not depend on external MCP — execute per this section. Exception: conclusions may be stored via LightRAG insert_text (with [tags: …], see mcp-core §2.5).

Relation to SKILL.md

• When host injects skill paths (Cursor agent_skills, etc.), no need to read files; on conflict, SKILL wins.
• Read SKILL.md only when this section is insufficient; on read failure, degrade and continue.

Does Not Replace Elements or LightRAG

• LightRAG: User mentions knowledge base → must query_text first (see mcp-core explicit trigger).
• Elements: UI/table/layout tasks → P0.5 when Elements available; else mcp-core fallback.

Explicit Triggers

Skill	Trigger examples
brainstorming	"use brainstorming to design…", "brainstorm first"
writing-plans	"run writing-plans", "break down this task"
test-driven-development	"implement with TDD"
systematic-debugging	"systematic-debugging", "find root cause"
verification-before-completion	"verify thoroughly before concluding"
requesting-code-review	"review my changes", "code review"
finishing-a-development-branch	"wrap up this branch", "finish the feature"

Auto Mapping

Scenario	Skill
Errors / test failures / unexpected behavior	systematic-debugging
Claims "done" / "fixed" / "ready"	verification-before-completion (default gate)

Skill Essentials

• brainstorming: boundaries → 2–3 options → recommendation → optional insert_text([tags: brainstorming] …) (may skip track)
• writing-plans: subtasks + acceptance criteria → checklist → user confirm → implement → insert_text([tags: plan] …) (must track)
• test-driven-development: red → green → refactor; no test framework → explain blocker + manual checklist
• systematic-debugging: evidence → hypothesis → verify → root cause + fix → regression
• verification-before-completion: impact → test/typecheck/lint → report; do not say "task complete" until all pass
• requesting-code-review: diff by severity / suggestion / question
• finishing-a-development-branch: tests → PR/merge (git needs user approval) → wrap-up report

Execution Exceptions

Cannot proceed (no test framework, Elements unavailable, etc.) → blocker reason + degradation + assumptions.