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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →In my workflow, two skills help Claude Code move from an unclear request to a more complete deliverable: Superpowers’ brainstorming and writing-plans skills at the start, and an output-focused skill such as Anthropic’s DOCX or PowerPoint guidance when a document or presentation is the goal. This is a personal workflow, not evidence that skills make every session finish reliably.
Start by clarifying the work, not by coding
The first skill in this approach is the brainstorming skill from Jesse Vincent’s Superpowers project. Its role is to help surface decisions before implementation. Rather than treating an initial prompt as a complete specification, the process asks focused questions one at a time and waits for answers.
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That makes the opening sequence deliberate: describe the request, answer the questions, review the proposed design, and approve it before moving on. In his September 20, 2026 account, Nolen Jonker says this helped him avoid repeatedly scraping sessions or steering Claude back toward what he had meant. That is his reported experience, not a measured result that applies to every user or task. The original article is credited to XDA Developers.
After approval, turn the design into a plan
Once the design is approved, the next step is Superpowers’ writing-plans skill. It produces a plan file that includes verification steps, giving the work a concrete sequence and a way to check progress. The distinction matters: brainstorming guides clarification and design; writing-plans turns the agreed design into a plan. Neither step should be confused with a guarantee that Claude will execute every item correctly.
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Use an output skill for the deliverable
The second role is a task-specific procedure for producing or refining the final artifact. Jonker points to Anthropic’s document skills, especially its DOCX and PowerPoint examples. These are intended to guide format-aware work on documents and presentations—for example, making narrow edits or reviewing slide layouts—rather than serving as a generic requirement for every coding task.
| Workflow role | Example | When it fits | What it guides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process skill | Superpowers brainstorming, followed by writing-plans | At the start, before implementation | Clarifying decisions, agreeing on a design, and turning it into a plan with verification steps |
| Output skill | Anthropic document skills, including DOCX and PowerPoint examples | When the task involves creating or editing one of those deliverables | Format-aware work on the artifact, including narrow edits and slide-layout review |
The two roles solve different problems. Starting with clarification is useful when requirements are unsettled; an output skill is relevant when the deliverable has format-specific needs. There is no basis here for saying one category is generally better, or that every coding task needs an output skill.
Skills are reusable guidance, not enforcement
Anthropic describes skills as one of several ways to customize Claude Code. A skill exposes its name and description at session start, while its full instructions load when invoked. That helps explain how a skill can provide reusable task guidance; it does not make the instructions a hard enforcement mechanism or a completion guarantee. Anthropic’s guide to Claude Code customization explains this model.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where the skill files go
A skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md instruction file. Anthropic’s current cheatsheet documents project skills at .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md and identifies .claude/commands/ as a legacy path. Keeping the instructions scoped to a task and editing them to match your workflow makes the guidance more useful than treating a skill as an untouchable plugin. See the Claude Code cheatsheet for the documented location.
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A practical sequence to try
- Give Claude Code the task and use brainstorming to identify unanswered decisions through focused questions.
- Review the proposed design and approve it—or clarify it further—before implementation.
- Use writing-plans to create a plan file with verification steps based on the approved design.
- When the deliverable is a DOCX or PowerPoint, invoke an appropriate document skill to guide work on that specific format.
- Review the output and its verification results yourself; the skill supplies guidance, not proof of correctness.
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