Vibe Coding with Steroids: Claude Code, Agents, and Skills with Superpowers

Hey folks! Let me tell you about something that completely changed how I code. You’ve probably heard about “vibe coding” - that flow state where you’re just describing what you want and AI helps you build it. But what if I told you there’s a way to supercharge this experience?

I’m talking about Claude Code with custom skills, parallel agents, and what I like to call “superpowers.” It’s not just vibe coding anymore - it’s vibe coding on steroids.

The Problem with Basic AI Coding

Here’s the thing: most people use AI coding assistants in the most basic way possible. You ask a question, get an answer, copy-paste, repeat. It works, but you’re leaving so much on the table.

The real power comes when you:

• Teach the AI your patterns and preferences
• Let it run multiple tasks in parallel
• Create reusable skills that encode your expertise
• Give it the context it needs to truly understand your codebase

Setting Up Your Claude Code Environment

First things first - you need a proper CLAUDE.md file in your project root. This isn’t just documentation; it’s the AI’s brain for your project:

# CLAUDE.md

## Commands
- **Development**: `mix phx.server` - Start at localhost:4000
- **Tests**: `mix test` - Run the test suite
- **Deploy**: `mix assets.deploy` - Build frontend

## Architecture
- Phoenix LiveView for real-time UI
- Ecto contexts for business logic
- Tailwind CSS for styling

## Patterns We Follow
- Always use streams for large lists
- Preload associations in the context, not controllers
- Error handling via tagged tuples

This file alone transforms how Claude interacts with your code. It stops guessing and starts knowing.

Creating Custom Skills: Your Personal AI Playbook

Here’s where things get interesting. Skills are reusable prompts that encode specific expertise. I have one called write-like-iago that ensures all my content matches my voice:

---
name: write-like-iago
description: Use when creating content for Iago Cavalcante
---

# Write Like Iago

## Core Style Principles
- Conversational and warm
- Didactic without being condescending
- Start with casual greeting: "Hey folks!" or "Fala, pessoal!"
- Ground concepts in practical scenarios

Another one I use is lovable-web-development for frontend work:

---
name: lovable-web-development
description: Design-system-first approach for beautiful web apps
---

# Lovable Web Development

## Core Philosophy
Design tokens BEFORE components. Semantic colors BEFORE features.

## Red Flags - STOP
| Bad Practice | Do This Instead |
|--------------|-----------------|
| `text-white` | `text-foreground` |
| `bg-black` | `bg-background` |
| Inline hex colors | CSS variables with HSL |

These skills live in ~/.claude/skills/your-skill-name/skill.md and Claude automatically loads them when relevant.

Superpowers: The Built-in Skills That Change Everything

Claude Code comes with powerful built-in skills called “superpowers.” These are game-changers:

Test-Driven Development (/test-driven-development)

Invoke this BEFORE writing any implementation code. It forces the red-green-refactor cycle:

1. Write failing test first
2. Implement minimum code to pass
3. Refactor with confidence

Brainstorming (/brainstorming)

Use this before any creative work. It explores requirements and design BEFORE implementation. No more building the wrong thing.

Parallel Agents (/dispatching-parallel-agents)

This is where things get wild. When you have multiple independent tasks, Claude can spin up parallel agents:

User: "Fix the login bug AND add the new export feature"

Claude: *Launches two agents in parallel*
- Agent 1: Investigating and fixing login bug
- Agent 2: Implementing export feature

Both run simultaneously. You get results in half the time.

Code Review (/requesting-code-review)

After completing work, invoke this for a thorough review against your requirements. It catches things you’d miss.

Real-World Workflow Example

Let me show you how this looks in practice. I’m building a new feature:

Me: /brainstorming - I want to add real-time notifications to my app

Claude: *Explores requirements*
- What triggers notifications?
- Should they persist or be ephemeral?
- Do we need push notifications or just in-app?
*Presents options with trade-offs*

Me: In-app only, ephemeral, triggered by user actions

Me: /writing-plans - Create the implementation plan

Claude: *Creates detailed plan*
1. Create Notification context with in-memory store
2. Add PubSub for broadcasting
3. Build LiveView component for display
4. Add notification triggers to relevant events

Me: /executing-plans

Claude: *Works through the plan systematically*
*Marks items complete as they're done*
*Asks for review at key checkpoints*

The whole process is structured, trackable, and produces better code than just winging it.

Setting Up Hooks for Automation

Claude Code supports hooks - shell commands that run in response to events. Add this to your settings:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreCommit": "mix format && mix test",
    "PostFileWrite": "mix compile --warnings-as-errors"
  }
}

Now every file save triggers compilation, and every commit attempt runs tests. Claude adapts its behavior based on hook feedback.

The Agentic Difference

Traditional AI coding: You ask, it answers, you implement.

Agentic AI coding: You describe the goal, it explores, plans, implements, tests, and iterates - all while keeping you informed.

The key features that make this work:

1. TodoWrite: Claude tracks its own progress through complex tasks
2. Task tool: Spins up specialized sub-agents for different jobs
3. Read/Edit/Write: Full file system access with smart diffing
4. WebSearch/WebFetch: Real-time access to documentation and examples

Getting Started Today

1. Install Claude Code: Follow the official docs
2. Create your CLAUDE.md: Document your project’s commands and patterns
3. Build one custom skill: Start with something you do repeatedly
4. Use superpowers: Try /brainstorming on your next feature
5. Experiment with agents: Ask Claude to do two independent tasks

The Real Productivity Gain

The biggest change isn’t speed (though that’s nice). It’s cognitive load. When Claude handles the boilerplate, remembers the patterns, and catches the mistakes - you get to focus on the interesting problems.

It’s like having a junior developer who:

• Never forgets your coding standards
• Works 24/7 without getting tired
• Learns your preferences over time
• Can run multiple tasks in parallel

That’s vibe coding with steroids.

---

Ready to try it? Start with a simple CLAUDE.md file in your project and go from there. The learning curve is gentler than you’d think.

Have questions or want to share your setup? Find me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

References & Resources

Want to dive deeper? Here are some valuable resources:

• Awesome Claude Code Subagents - Curated list of agents you can use with Claude Code
• System Prompts Collection - Leaked prompts that can inspire custom agent creation
• Official Claude Plugins - Official plugins from Anthropic
• Superpowers - The superpowers skills that transform your Claude Code workflow

Happy coding!