using-science-superpowers

IF A SKILL APPLIES TO YOUR TASK, YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. YOU MUST USE IT.

This is not negotiable. This is not optional. You cannot rationalize your way out of this.

Instruction Priority

Science Superpowers skills override default system prompt behavior, but your human partner's instructions always take precedence:

1. Your human partner's explicit instructions (CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md, AGENTS.md, direct requests) — highest priority
2. Science Superpowers skills — override default system behavior where they conflict
3. Default system prompt — lowest priority

If CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md, or AGENTS.md says "skip pre-registration" and a skill says "always pre-register," follow your human partner's instructions. They are in control.

How to Access Skills

In Claude Code: Use the Skill tool. When you invoke a skill, its content is loaded and presented to you—follow it directly. Never use the Read tool on skill files.

In Copilot CLI: Use the skill tool. Skills are auto-discovered from installed plugins. The skill tool works the same as Claude Code's Skill tool.

In Gemini CLI: Skills activate via the activate_skill tool. Gemini loads skill metadata at session start and activates the full content on demand.

In Google Antigravity: Skills are Antigravity Agent Skills (same SKILL.md format). Antigravity equips a skill automatically when your request matches its description. The always-on bootstrap rule keeps the discipline active from the first message, before any skill is equipped. See references/antigravity-tools.md.

In Pi: Skills are discovered natively (same SKILL.md format) and listed in your system prompt; when a task matches, read the skill's SKILL.md and follow it. Pi also exposes each skill as a /skill:name command. The bootstrap extension keeps the discipline active from the first message. Pi ships without sub-agents and a to-do tool — see references/pi-tools.md.

In other environments: Check your platform's documentation for how skills are loaded.

Platform Adaptation

Skills use Claude Code tool names. Non-CC platforms: see references/copilot-tools.md (Copilot CLI), references/codex-tools.md (Codex), references/antigravity-tools.md (Google Antigravity), references/pi-tools.md (Pi) for tool equivalents. Gemini CLI users get the tool mapping loaded automatically via GEMINI.md.

Using Skills

The Rule

Invoke relevant or requested skills BEFORE any response or action. Even a 1% chance a skill might apply means that you should invoke the skill to check. If an invoked skill turns out to be wrong for the situation, you don't need to use it.

digraph skill_flow {
    "User message received" [shape=doublecircle];
    "About to investigate/analyze?" [shape=doublecircle];
    "Already framed the question?" [shape=diamond];
    "Invoke framing-research-questions skill" [shape=box];
    "Might any skill apply?" [shape=diamond];
    "Invoke Skill tool" [shape=box];
    "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'" [shape=box];
    "Has checklist?" [shape=diamond];
    "Create TodoWrite todo per item" [shape=box];
    "Follow skill exactly" [shape=box];
    "Respond (including clarifications)" [shape=doublecircle];

    "About to investigate/analyze?" -> "Already framed the question?";
    "Already framed the question?" -> "Invoke framing-research-questions skill" [label="no"];
    "Already framed the question?" -> "Might any skill apply?" [label="yes"];
    "Invoke framing-research-questions skill" -> "Might any skill apply?";

    "User message received" -> "Might any skill apply?";
    "Might any skill apply?" -> "Invoke Skill tool" [label="yes, even 1%"];
    "Might any skill apply?" -> "Respond (including clarifications)" [label="definitely not"];
    "Invoke Skill tool" -> "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'";
    "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'" -> "Has checklist?";
    "Has checklist?" -> "Create TodoWrite todo per item" [label="yes"];
    "Has checklist?" -> "Follow skill exactly" [label="no"];
    "Create TodoWrite todo per item" -> "Follow skill exactly";
}

Red Flags

These thoughts mean STOP—you're rationalizing:

Thought	Reality
"This is just a quick data peek"	A peek can poison a confirmatory analysis. Check for skills first.
"I need to look at the data first"	Skills tell you WHEN looking is safe. Check first.
"This is just a simple question"	Questions are tasks. Check for skills.
"Let me just run the analysis"	Skills tell you HOW to run it honestly. Check first.
"I'll frame the question after I explore"	Framing comes BEFORE exploration. Check first.
"This doesn't need a formal skill"	If a skill exists, use it.
"I remember this skill"	Skills evolve. Read current version.
"This doesn't count as a task"	Action = task. Check for skills.
"The skill is overkill"	Simple analyses become p-hacked papers. Use it.
"I'll just do this one thing first"	Check BEFORE doing anything.
"This feels productive"	Undisciplined action produces unreproducible results. Skills prevent this.
"I know what that means"	Knowing the concept ≠ using the skill. Invoke it.

Skill Priority

When multiple skills could apply, use this order:

1. Process skills first (framing-research-questions, investigating-anomalous-results) - these determine HOW to approach the task
2. Execution skills second (designing-the-analysis, subagent-driven-analysis) - these guide carrying it out

"Let's investigate X" → framing-research-questions first, then execution skills. "This result looks wrong" → investigating-anomalous-results first.

Feasibility mode is the one opt-in branch. If whether the computation can run at all is unknown, framing-research-questions offers establishing-feasibility-first. Only your human partner can choose it, and only they can end it. Never enter or leave that mode on your own initiative — and never enter it to avoid pre-registration.

Skill Types

Rigid (pre-registration, anomaly investigation, verification): Follow exactly. Don't adapt away discipline.

Flexible (patterns): Adapt principles to context.

The skill itself tells you which.

User Instructions

Instructions say WHAT, not HOW. "Analyze X" or "Check whether Y" doesn't mean skip workflows.