Combine Karpathy Skills + SuperClaude (2026)

Karpathy Skills gives Claude better judgment. SuperClaude gives Claude structured commands. Together, they create an agent that reasons well and has specialized tools. Here is how to run both without conflicts.

Prerequisites

  • Claude Code installed
  • Python 3.10+ with pipx (for SuperClaude)
  • A project directory

Step 1: Install SuperClaude

pipx install superclaude
superclaude install

Verify SuperClaude is active:

claude
# Type /help — should list 30+ commands

Step 2: Add Karpathy Skills

Download the Karpathy CLAUDE.md:

curl -o /tmp/karpathy.md https://raw.githubusercontent.com/forrestchang/andrej-karpathy-skills/main/CLAUDE.md

Do NOT overwrite your existing CLAUDE.md — SuperClaude may have added content to it. Instead, prepend Karpathy’s principles:

cd /path/to/your/project
# Back up current CLAUDE.md
cp CLAUDE.md CLAUDE.md.backup
# Prepend Karpathy principles
cat /tmp/karpathy.md > CLAUDE.md.combined
echo "" >> CLAUDE.md.combined
echo "---" >> CLAUDE.md.combined
echo "" >> CLAUDE.md.combined
cat CLAUDE.md.backup >> CLAUDE.md.combined
mv CLAUDE.md.combined CLAUDE.md

Step 3: Resolve Potential Conflicts

Karpathy’s “Don’t Assume” principle and SuperClaude’s “autonomous” mode can conflict. In autonomous mode, Claude is supposed to make decisions independently. “Don’t Assume” tells Claude to ask questions.

Resolution: add a priority rule to your CLAUDE.md:

# Priority Rules
- When in autonomous mode (/mode autonomous), Karpathy's "Don't Assume" is relaxed — make reasonable assumptions and document them rather than asking questions.
- In all other modes, follow "Don't Assume" strictly.

Step 4: Test the Integration

Start Claude Code and verify both systems work:

claude

Test Karpathy: Give an ambiguous task:

Add caching to the API

Claude should ask clarifying questions (Don’t Assume principle).

Test SuperClaude: Use a slash command:

/review

Claude should perform a structured code review (SuperClaude’s review agent).

Test both together: Switch to careful mode and give an ambiguous architecture task:

/mode careful
Design the notification system

Claude should ask clarifying questions (Karpathy) while following careful mode’s thorough approach (SuperClaude).

Step 5: Fine-Tune the Balance

After a week of use, adjust the integration based on your experience:

  • If Claude asks too many questions in autonomous mode, strengthen the priority rule
  • If Claude does not surface tradeoffs during /architect sessions, add an explicit reminder
  • If mode switching feels inconsistent, document which Karpathy principles apply in each mode

Per-Mode Principle Mapping

Not every Karpathy principle applies equally in every SuperClaude mode. Here is a practical mapping:

SuperClaude Mode Don’t Assume Don’t Hide Confusion Surface Tradeoffs Goal-Driven
careful Full strength Full strength Full strength Full strength
fast Relaxed (assume and note) Brief flag only Skip unless critical Full strength
teaching Full strength Full strength Expand with explanation Full strength
pair Full strength Full strength Full strength Full strength
autonomous Assume and document Brief flag only Note, don’t block Full strength
review Full strength Full strength Full strength Full strength
planning Full strength Full strength Full strength Full strength

Add this mapping to your CLAUDE.md so Claude knows how to blend the two systems contextually.

Example Combined Session

Here is what a typical session looks like with both active:

You: /mode careful
Claude: Switched to careful mode.
You: /architect
Claude: Architecture agent active. What system should I design?
You: Design a notification service
Claude: Before I design the notification system, I have several questions
(Don't Assume):
1. What notification channels — email, push, SMS, in-app?
2. What volume — hundreds or millions per day?
3. What latency requirements — real-time or batch acceptable?
Also, I want to flag (Surface Tradeoffs): building all channels from scratch
vs using a service like Twilio/SendGrid involves significant cost-complexity
tradeoffs that will shape the architecture.

The Karpathy principles enhance every SuperClaude command by improving the reasoning quality within the structured workflow.

Troubleshooting

SuperClaude commands missing after adding Karpathy: You may have overwritten SuperClaude’s CLAUDE.md additions. Restore from backup and use the prepend method in Step 2. Always back up before modifying CLAUDE.md.

Conflicting behaviors: When Claude’s behavior seems confused, it is usually a precedence issue. Put Karpathy principles at the top (highest priority), SuperClaude config below, and project-specific rules at the bottom. Claude reads CLAUDE.md top to bottom and earlier rules take priority.

Performance feels slower: Both systems add to the CLAUDE.md size, which consumes context tokens. If the combined file exceeds 500 lines, trim project-specific sections that are less important. The Karpathy section is only about 200 lines, so it adds minimal overhead.

Claude asks too many questions: In fast or autonomous mode, Claude should minimize questions. If it is still asking frequently, strengthen the priority rule from Step 3 with more explicit language about which modes relax which principles.

Next Steps

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Quick reference → Search all commands in our Command Reference.