cli-spmode

Superpowers Mode Switcher — one command to switch between Classic, Copilot, and Codex superpowers variants. Manages skill files AND MCP server configuration automatically.

What This Does

Superpowers is an agentic workflow plugin for Claude Code. This package bundles three variants of Superpowers and a CLI tool to switch between them:

| Mode | Coding Backend | Default Model | Skills | MCP Server | |------|---------------|---------------|--------|-----------| | classic | Claude native subagents | (inherits parent) | 14 skills | None | | copilot | GitHub Copilot via MCP | claude-sonnet-4.6 | 11 skills | mcp-copilot-worker | | codex | OpenAI Codex via MCP | gpt-5.4 | 11 skills | mcp-codex-worker |

All three modes keep Claude Code as the CTO-orchestrator — it handles brainstorming, planning, research (via Explore/Plan/internet-researcher agents), and code review. Only the coding and testing execution changes.

Install

npm install -g cli-spmode

Or use directly:

npx cli-spmode status
npx cli-spmode copilot

Commands

spmode status        Show current mode, MCPs, and skill count
spmode copilot       Switch to Copilot mode
spmode codex         Switch to Codex mode
spmode classic       Restore original Superpowers
spmode backup        Force re-backup of classic skills
spmode install-mcps  Pre-cache MCP server packages

Quick Start

# Check where you are
spmode status

# Switch to Copilot mode (Claude Sonnet 4.6 codes for you)
spmode copilot

# Or Codex mode (GPT 5.4 codes for you)
spmode codex

# Back to original Superpowers
spmode classic

How It Works

When you run spmode copilot, it:

1. Backs up your current superpowers skills (first time only, to ~/.spmode/backup/)
2. Replaces the skill files in Claude's plugin cache with the Copilot variant
3. Removes the Codex MCP server if installed
4. Adds the Copilot MCP server: claude mcp add --scope user copilot-worker -- npx -y mcp-copilot-worker

spmode classic restores everything from backup and removes both MCP servers.

Architecture: CTO-Orchestrator Pattern

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              CLAUDE CODE (CTO)                        │
│                                                       │
│  Brainstorming  →  Planning  →  Review  →  Finish    │
│  (unchanged)       (unchanged)   (Claude    (merge/   │
│                                  native)    PR)       │
├───────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────┤
│     COPILOT MODE          │     CODEX MODE            │
│                           │                           │
│  spawn-agent(coder,       │  codex-thread-start()     │
│    claude-sonnet-4.6,     │  codex-turn-start()       │
│    isolation: isolated,   │  codex-wait()             │
│    fleet: true)           │  codex-request-respond()  │
│                           │                           │
│  Worktrees auto-managed   │  Threads auto-managed     │
│  via isolation_mode       │  via Codex runtime        │
└───────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────┘

Skill Differences by Mode

Same Across All Modes (unchanged)

| Skill | Purpose | |-------|---------| | using-superpowers | Skill routing and discovery | | brainstorming | Collaborative design before code | | test-driven-development | TDD discipline | | systematic-debugging | Root cause investigation | | verification-before-completion | Evidence before claims | | requesting-code-review | Dispatch Claude reviewer | | receiving-code-review | Handle review feedback |

Different Per Mode (execution skills)

| Skill | Classic | Copilot | Codex | |-------|---------|---------|-------| | subagent-driven-development | Claude Agent tool | spawn-agent MCP | codex-thread-start + codex-turn-start | | executing-plans | Claude inline | spawn-agent MCP | codex-thread-start + codex-turn-start | | writing-plans | Generic handoff | Mentions Copilot | Mentions Codex | | finishing-a-development-branch | Worktree cleanup | .worktrees/ cleanup | No worktree mgmt |

Classic-Only Skills (removed in MCP modes)

| Skill | Why Removed | |-------|------------| | using-git-worktrees | Copilot uses isolation_mode: "isolated", Codex manages workspace | | dispatching-parallel-agents | Merged into subagent-driven-development | | writing-skills | Meta skill for creating skills, not needed for execution |

MCP Servers

mcp-copilot-worker (npm)

4 tools: spawn-agent, message-agent, answer-agent, cancel-agent

• Model: claude-sonnet-4.6 with reasoningEffort: high
• Isolation: isolation_mode: "isolated" creates git worktrees automatically
• Fleet: enabled by default (parallel sub-agents)
• Monitor: task:///all and task:///{id} MCP resources

mcp-codex-worker (npm)

10 tools: codex-thread-start, codex-thread-resume, codex-thread-read, codex-thread-list, codex-turn-start, codex-turn-steer, codex-turn-interrupt, codex-request-list, codex-request-respond, codex-wait

• Model: gpt-5.4 with reasoningEffort: high
• Threads: each task gets its own conversation thread
• Approvals: agents pause for command/file approval via codex-request-list + codex-request-respond
• Rich markdown responses with "What to do next" guidance

Requirements

• Claude Code with plugin support
• Superpowers plugin installed: the official superpowers plugin must be installed first (this tool modifies its skill files)
• Node.js >= 18
• For Copilot mode: GitHub Copilot CLI authenticated (copilot login)
• For Codex mode: OpenAI Codex CLI authenticated (codex login)

File Layout

cli-spmode/
├── bin/spmode.sh           # The CLI tool
├── skills/
│   ├── classic/            # Original superpowers (14 skills)
│   ├── copilot/            # Copilot MCP variant (11 skills)
│   └── codex/              # Codex MCP variant (11 skills)
├── package.json
├── README.md
└── LICENSE

Safety

• First run always backs up current skills before any modification
• spmode classic restores from backup (or bundled classic if no backup)
• MCP add/remove uses claude mcp CLI with --scope user (never edits JSON directly)
• Skills replacement is atomic: rm -rf then cp -a

Related Packages

| Package | Purpose | |---------|---------| | mcp-copilot-worker | MCP server for GitHub Copilot | | mcp-codex-worker | MCP server for OpenAI Codex | | cli-copilot-worker | Standalone Copilot CLI | | cli-codex-worker | Standalone Codex CLI |