AI Research Skills vs Superpowers
A library of 98 skills for AI research, from idea to paper. A software development method for coding agents, built from composable skills. Compare the capabilities you need, then check hosting, licensing and maintenance. This pair is shown for browsing but is not indexed (not among the leading projects of a shared category).
| Attribute | AI Research Skills | Superpowers |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | A library of 98 skills for AI research, from idea to paper. | A software development method for coding agents, built from composable skills. |
| Documented capabilities | 98 research and engineering skills, 23 categories, Idea-to-paper workflow | Spec-first brainstorming before code, Written implementation plans, Subagent-driven development with task review, Skills that trigger automatically |
| Best-fit workflow | AI researchers who want agents to follow research engineering practice. | Teams that want coding agents to plan and review before they write code. |
| Check before choosing | Skills run with your agent's permissions. Read the SKILL.md files and any bundled scripts before you install. | It changes how your agent works on every task. Try it on a side project first, and install it separately for each agent you use. |
| Deployment options | Agent skill | Claude Code plugin, Gemini CLI extension, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode |
| GitHub stars | 13,470 | 297,987 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Docker noted | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Cloud / hosted | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Primary language | TeX | Shell |
| Last commit | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-10 |
| Difficulty | Moderate | Easy |
| Content source | Editorial catalog entry | Editorial catalog entry |
| Metadata checked | Check the current repository | 2026-10-12 |
| Forks | 950 | 27k |
| Star growth | Not recorded | +663 (2026-10-11 to 2026-10-12) |
| Alternative to | Not recorded | Not recorded |
This comparison uses recorded capabilities, not hands-on performance tests. A capability missing from one record does not mean that product lacks it. Confirm edition, version and current pricing in the official documentation.
When to consider AI Research Skills
AI researchers who want agents to follow research engineering practice.
Skills run with your agent's permissions. Read the SKILL.md files and any bundled scripts before you install.
AI Research Skills documentation and sourceWhen to consider Superpowers
Teams that want coding agents to plan and review before they write code.
It changes how your agent works on every task. Try it on a side project first, and install it separately for each agent you use.
Superpowers documentation and sourceAI Research Skills vs Superpowers questions
- What is AI Research Skills?
- A library of 98 skills for AI research, from idea to paper.
- What is Superpowers?
- A software development method for coding agents, built from composable skills.
- Can you self-host AI Research Skills and Superpowers?
- Both can be self-hosted.
- What licenses do AI Research Skills and Superpowers use?
- AI Research Skills uses the MIT license. Superpowers uses the MIT license.
- Which has more GitHub stars, AI Research Skills or Superpowers?
- Superpowers has 298k stars and AI Research Skills has 13k. Stars show attention; check recent commits and releases for maintenance.
- What languages are AI Research Skills and Superpowers written in?
- AI Research Skills is mainly written in TeX. Superpowers is mainly written in Shell.