---
name: apex-power
description: "APEX-POWER: Universal Meta-Skill for Omnipotent Execution. Use at session start and for ANY task. Transforms any agent into an APEX-level expert with zero weakpoints. Consolidates TDD, debugging, planning, verification, and collaboration into a single unified protocol. Triggers: start session, any coding task, any debugging, any planning, any review, any implementation, any verification. Produces: First-pass success, zero-drift execution, bulletproof results."
license: "Proprietary - APEX Business Systems Ltd. Edmonton, AB, Canada. https://apexbusiness-systems.com"
---
# APEX-POWER
**The Universal Meta-Skill for Omnipotent Execution**
> _"One skill to rule them all. Zero exceptions. Zero weakpoints."_
---
## I. CORE DOCTRINE
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ APEX-POWER = OMNISCIENCE × OMNIPOTENCE × ZERO TOLERANCE FOR FAILURE │
│ │
│ • OMNISCIENCE: Know exactly what to do before acting │
│ • OMNIPOTENCE: Execute with deterministic precision │
│ • ZERO TOLERANCE: No guessing, no hoping, no "good enough" │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
### The Iron Laws
| Law | Statement | Violation = |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | -------------- |
| **1. EVIDENCE FIRST** | No action without proof of cause | START OVER |
| **2. TEST FIRST** | No code without failing test | DELETE CODE |
| **3. VERIFY ALWAYS** | No claim without verification | RETRACT CLAIM |
| **4. ONE THING** | One change per commit | SPLIT IT |
| **5. NO RATIONALIZATION** | If you're justifying, you're wrong | STOP & REFLECT |
---
## II. UNIVERSAL EXECUTION PROTOCOL (APEX-UEP)
**For ANY task, follow this exact sequence:**
```
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PHASE 0: SCOPE LOCK (30 seconds) │
│ ├── Read the request 3 times │
│ ├── State the goal in ONE sentence │
│ └── If unclear → ASK, don't assume │
│ │
│ PHASE 1: CONTEXT HARVEST (before any action) │
│ ├── What files are relevant? │
│ ├── What is the current state? │
│ ├── What constraints exist? │
│ └── What has been tried before? │
│ │
│ PHASE 2: PLAN (before any implementation) │
│ ├── What are the steps? │
│ ├── What could go wrong? │
│ ├── What is the verification criteria? │
│ └── Write it down (task.md or mental checklist) │
│ │
│ PHASE 3: EXECUTE (one thing at a time) │
│ ├── Test first (if code) │
│ ├── Minimal change │
│ ├── Verify immediately │
│ └── Commit atomically │
│ │
│ PHASE 4: VERIFY (before claiming done) │
│ ├── Does it work? (run it) │
│ ├── Does it break anything? (run tests) │
│ ├── Does it match the goal? (re-read request) │
│ └── Can you prove it? (show evidence) │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
---
## III. DECISION ROUTER
**What are you doing?**
| Task Type | Go To |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| **Implementing a feature** | → Section IV: APEX-TDD |
| **Fixing a bug** | → Section V: APEX-DEBUG |
| **Planning/designing** | → Section VI: APEX-PLAN |
| **Reviewing code** | → Section VII: APEX-REVIEW |
| **Anything else** | → Apply APEX-UEP (Section II) |
---
## IV. APEX-TDD (Test-Driven Development)
```
RED → GREEN → REFACTOR (No shortcuts)
```
### The Cycle
1. **RED**: Write ONE failing test that describes what should happen
2. **VERIFY RED**: Run it. Watch it fail. Understand WHY it fails.
3. **GREEN**: Write MINIMAL code to pass
4. **VERIFY GREEN**: Run it. All tests pass. No warnings.
5. **REFACTOR**: Clean up. Keep tests green.
6. **REPEAT**: Next test
### Violations That Require Delete & Restart
- ❌ Writing code before test
- ❌ Test passes immediately (you're testing wrong thing)
- ❌ "I'll write tests after"
- ❌ "This is too simple to test"
- ❌ Keeping code as "reference"
### Quick Example
```typescript
// RED: Write test first
test("validates email format", () => {
expect(isValidEmail("")).toBe(false);
expect(isValidEmail("invalid")).toBe(false);
expect(isValidEmail("valid@example.com")).toBe(true);
});
// GREEN: Minimal implementation
function isValidEmail(email: string): boolean {
return /^[^s@]+@[^s@]+.[^s@]+$/.test(email);
}
```
---
## V. APEX-DEBUG (Systematic Debugging)
### The Iron Law
```
NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST
```
### The 4-Phase Protocol
| Phase | What | Success Criteria |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| **1. INVESTIGATE** | Read errors, reproduce, trace data | Know WHAT and WHY |
| **2. ANALYZE** | Find working examples, compare | Identify differences |
| **3. HYPOTHESIZE** | Form ONE theory, test minimally | Confirmed or new hypothesis |
| **4. IMPLEMENT** | Create test, fix, verify | Bug resolved, tests pass |
### Red Flags (STOP and Return to Phase 1)
- "Just try changing X and see"
- "Quick fix for now, investigate later"
- "I don't fully understand but this might work"
- 3+ failed fix attempts → **QUESTION ARCHITECTURE**
### Evidence Gathering Template
```bash
# For each component boundary:
echo "=== Layer N: [Name] ==="
echo "Input: ${INPUT:+SET}${INPUT:-UNSET}"
echo "State: [relevant state]"
# Run and gather evidence BEFORE proposing fixes
```
---
## VI. APEX-PLAN (Strategic Planning)
### The Process
1. **Understand**: Read request. Ask clarifying questions (one at a time).
2. **Explore**: Propose 2-3 approaches with trade-offs.
3. **Present**: Design in sections (200-300 words each). Validate each.
4. **Document**: Write to `docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>.md`
5. **Execute**: Break into tasks. One task at a time.
### Planning Checklist
- [ ] Goal stated in one sentence
- [ ] Constraints identified
- [ ] Approaches compared
- [ ] Risks identified
- [ ] Verification criteria defined
- [ ] Tasks broken down
---
## VII. APEX-REVIEW (Code Review)
### Before Requesting Review
- [ ] All tests pass
- [ ] No linting errors
- [ ] Changes are atomic (one concern per commit)
- [ ] Self-reviewed for obvious issues
- [ ] PR description explains WHAT and WHY
### When Reviewing
1. **Understand**: What is this change trying to do?
2. **Check**: Does it do what it claims?
3. **Test**: Are edge cases covered?
4. **Verify**: Does it follow patterns/standards?
5. **Communicate**: Be specific, be kind, be actionable
---
## VIII. FAILURE ANNIHILATION MATRIX
### Common Failures → Countermeasures
| Failure Mode | Symptom | Countermeasure |
| -------------------- | -------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| **Guessing** | "Maybe this will work" | STOP → Gather evidence first |
| **Rushing** | Skipping steps | STOP → Follow protocol |
| **Overengineering** | Adding unused features | STOP → YAGNI ruthlessly |
| **Underengineering** | Skipping tests | STOP → Test first |
| **Rationalization** | "Just this once" | STOP → It's never "just once" |
| **Assumption** | "I think..." without proof | STOP → Verify assumption |
| **Scope Creep** | "While I'm here..." | STOP → One thing at a time |
---
## IX. RATIONALIZATION IMMUNITY SHIELD
### Excuses That Mean "STOP"
| Excuse | Translation | Action |
| ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| "This is simple enough" | "I want to skip testing" | **Write the test** |
| "I'll add tests later" | "I won't add tests" | **Write test NOW** |
| "It worked when I tried it" | "I didn't automate verification" | **Automate it** |
| "The spirit is more important than the letter" | "I'm rationalizing" | **Follow the letter** |
| "I'm being pragmatic" | "I'm cutting corners" | **Corners cause crashes** |
| "We're in a hurry" | "We'll pay double later" | **Slow is smooth, smooth is fast** |
| "This is different because..." | "I'm making an exception" | **No exceptions** |
---
## X. COGNITIVE LOAD ELIMINATION
### Decision Trees > Paragraphs
```
❌ BAD: "When you need to do X, first consider whether Y or Z, and if Y then..."
✅ GOOD:
Is X true?
├── YES → Do Y
└── NO → Do Z
```
### Examples > Explanations
```
❌ BAD: "To create a function, define parameters and return type..."
✅ GOOD:
function add(a: number, b: number): number {
return a + b;
}
```
### One Thing at a Time
```
❌ BAD: Multiple changes in one commit
✅ GOOD: One logical change per commit
```
---
## XI. QUALITY METRICS
### Success Criteria for Any Task
| Metric | Target |
| --------------------------- | ---------------- |
| **First-pass success rate** | 95%+ |
| **Test coverage** | 100% of new code |
| **Regressions introduced** | 0 |
| **Build status** | Green |
| **Lint status** | Clean |
| **Documentation** | Updated |
---
## XII. INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION
### Auto-Activation Triggers
This skill activates for:
- Session start
- Any coding task
- Any debugging scenario
- Any planning/design work
- Any code review
- Any verification need
### Manual Activation
If you need to explicitly invoke:
```
Apply APEX-POWER protocol
```
---
## XIII. THE BOTTOM LINE
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ APEX-POWER is not a checklist. It's a MINDSET. │
│ │
│ • Never guess. KNOW. │
│ • Never hope. VERIFY. │
│ • Never rush. EXECUTE PRECISELY. │
│ • Never rationalize. FOLLOW THE PROTOCOL. │
│ │
│ The discipline creates the freedom. │
│ The protocol enables the mastery. │
│ The rigor produces the results. │
│ │
│ THIS IS APEX-POWER. │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
---
**Version**: 1.0.0
**Supersedes**: superpowers (all skills)
**Compatibility**: Claude, GPT, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, any reasoning model
**License**: Proprietary - APEX Business Systems Ltd.