How to Disable Telemetry for Superpowers and OpenAI Plugins

Set the SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY environment variable to any truthy value before launching the plugin to completely disable the optional visual companion telemetry.

Superpowers, a popular plugin in the openai/plugins repository, includes lightweight telemetry that reports the plugin version back to maintainers for user counting purposes. This telemetry is opt-out by design and transmits no project-specific data, prompts, or click-streams. You can disable telemetry for Superpowers using three different environment variable methods depending on your specific runtime environment.

Understanding Superpowers Telemetry

The Superpowers plugin implements a "visual companion" telemetry system that sends a lightweight HTTP request during startup. This request reports only the plugin version—such as the Prime Radiant logo identifier—to help maintainers track active usage statistics.

What Data Is Collected

The telemetry payload contains exclusively the plugin version identifier. No source code, prompts, conversation history, or project files are transmitted to external servers.

Opt-Out Architecture

According to the source documentation in plugins/superpowers/README.md, the telemetry system checks environment variables early in the plugin initialization sequence. If any recognized disable flag is present and evaluates to a truthy value, the code path that constructs the HTTP request is bypassed entirely before any network activity occurs.

Three Methods to Disable Telemetry for Superpowers

Superpowers recognizes three distinct environment variables that suppress telemetry. You can use the specific flag, a generic OpenAI plugin flag, or a Claude Code-specific flag depending on your deployment context.

Method 1: SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY

The SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY variable is the primary, plugin-specific opt-out mechanism. Set this to any truthy value (1, true, yes) to disable telemetry exclusively for the Superpowers plugin.

Method 2: DISABLE_TELEMETRY

The DISABLE_TELEMETRY variable is a generic flag honored across many OpenAI-hosted agents and plugins. When present, Superpowers checks for this variable and respects the global opt-out, making it ideal for multi-plugin environments.

Method 3: CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC

The CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC variable is specific to Claude Code agent runtimes. When set to true, this flag suppresses all non-essential network traffic, including the Superpowers visual companion request.

Implementation Details

As implemented in the openai/plugins repository, the Superpowers startup routine performs an environment check before emitting telemetry. The pseudocode logic follows this pattern:

1. Check process.env.SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY
2. Check process.env.DISABLE_TELEMETRY
3. Check process.env.CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC

If any variable exists and evaluates to a truthy value, the telemetry HTTP request is skipped entirely. This check executes immediately upon plugin initialization, guaranteeing zero telemetry emissions for that session.

Code Examples by Environment

Configure your environment using the appropriate syntax for your operating system or container platform.

Unix/Linux/macOS (Bash/Zsh)

Export the variables before launching your agent:

export SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1

# Optional: Disable generic telemetry for other agents

export DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1
export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1

Windows (PowerShell)

Set environment variables using PowerShell syntax:

$env:SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY = "true"

# Optional: Disable generic telemetry

$env:DISABLE_TELEMETRY = "true"
$env:CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC = "true"

Docker and Docker Compose

Add the environment variables to your container configuration:

services:
  superpowers-agent:
    image: obra/superpowers
    environment:
      - SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1
      - DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1
      - CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1

Node.js Programmatic Execution

When launching the plugin programmatically in a Node.js application:

process.env.SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY = '1';
process.env.DISABLE_TELEMETRY = '1';
process.env.CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC = '1';

Summary

• Superpowers telemetry is opt-out and sends only version information, no project data.
• Primary disable method: Set SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY to any truthy value.
• Alternative methods: Use DISABLE_TELEMETRY for generic OpenAI plugin compatibility or CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC for Claude Code environments.
• Source documentation: The opt-out mechanism is documented in plugins/superpowers/README.md in the Visual companion telemetry section.
• Early execution: Environment checks occur before any network requests, ensuring complete telemetry suppression when disabled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does disabling telemetry affect Superpowers functionality?

No. Disabling telemetry only stops the visual companion version check. All core plugin capabilities, API integrations, and tool functionalities remain fully operational regardless of telemetry status.

Can I disable telemetry for all OpenAI plugins at once?

Yes. Setting the DISABLE_TELEMETRY environment variable disables telemetry across multiple OpenAI-hosted agents and plugins that recognize this generic flag, including Superpowers.

Is any sensitive data transmitted when telemetry is enabled?

No. According to the plugins/superpowers/README.md documentation, the telemetry payload contains only the plugin version identifier. No source code, prompts, conversation history, or proprietary project data is transmitted.

Where is the telemetry opt-out documented in the source code?

The opt-out mechanism is explicitly documented in the Visual companion telemetry section of plugins/superpowers/README.md within the openai/plugins repository. The implementation checks for the three environment variables during the plugin startup routine.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
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}