Chapter 1: Environment Setup and CLAUDE.md Configuration

⏱ Est. reading time: 9 min Updated on 5/17/2026

What You Will Learn

  • Installing gstack and superpowers skillsets.
  • Generating CLAUDE.md using the /init command.
  • Understanding the structure of CLAUDE.md and how it helps Claude "know" your project.

1.1 Understanding GStack and Superpowers

Before we dive in, let's clarify what these two toolsets are and what they handle.

GStack is a design-oriented skillset. It excels at:

  • Reviewing requirements from multiple personas (CEO, Designer, Engineer).
  • Generating and comparing UI design options.
  • Reviewing visual design and page quality.

Superpowers is a development-oriented skillset. It excels at:

  • Breaking requirements into detailed coding plans.
  • Automatically dispatching subagents for coding, testing, and reviews.
  • Managing the full development loop from planning to shipping.

Analogy: GStack is the Product Manager and Designer; Superpowers is the Development Team.

flowchart TB
    subgraph gstack["gstack (Product + Design)"]
        A1[Req Storming] --> A2[Visual Design] --> A3[Design Review]
    end

    subgraph superpowers["superpowers (Dev Team)"]
        B1[Implementation Plan] --> B2[Code + Test] --> B3[Code Review] --> B4[Shipping]
    end

    gstack --> superpowers

    style gstack fill:#eef2ff,stroke:#4f46e5
    style superpowers fill:#ecfdf5,stroke:#059669

1.2 Installation

To get started, ensure you have these skillsets installed in your Claude Code environment:

/skill install gstack
/skill install superpowers

1.3 Project Initialization with /init

In your project root directory, run:

/init

This command generates a CLAUDE.md file (or similar configuration guide). In this file, you can define your project rules, coding standards, and directory structure in natural language.

Why CLAUDE.md Matters

CLAUDE.md serves as the project's DNA. It tells Claude:

  1. The Architecture: What technologies are we using? (e.g., Vite, React, Tailwind).
  2. Coding Standards: How should we name variables? (e.g., camelCase).
  3. Workflow: How do we run tests? (e.g., npm test).

Without a well-defined CLAUDE.md, Claude might make generic assumptions that don't fit your specific tech stack.

Summary

In this chapter, we laid the foundation by installing the necessary skillsets and initializing our project. In the next chapter, we'll put gstack to work by conducting a professional requirement review for our NodeFlow app.