--- title: "A deep dive into pstack" url: https://daily.dev/posts/a-deep-dive-into-pstack-evqbnto9j source_url: https://flaviocopes.com/pstack type: article source: "Flavio Copes" published: 2026-08-21T09:20:19.837Z updated: 2026-08-21T09:20:49.235Z tags: ["ai-agents", "prompt-engineering", "code-review"] reading_time: 22 upvotes: 2 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # A deep dive into pstack **[Flavio Copes](https://daily.dev/sources/flaviocopes)** · 22 min read · 2 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary pstack is a Cursor plugin created by Lauren Tan (poteto) that turns AI coding agents into a structured engineering workflow with 23 workflow skills, 21 engineering principles, 22 task playbooks, and 2 specialized subagents. The central command /poteto-mode routes a request to the right playbook (bug fix, feature, refactor, investigation, perf), copies it verbatim into a task list, and enforces runtime verification rather than accepting a passing build as proof. Other skills include /how and /why for tracing system behavior and history, /architect and /arena for design exploration, /swarm for parallel coverage work, /interrogate for multi-model code review, and /automate-me and /reflect for personalizing and refining the workflow over time. The piece walks through installation, architecture, playbook categories, verification skill generation, overnight autonomous runs, and common mistakes, plus the author's own take on when pstack is worth the overhead versus a lighter workflow like fstack. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### what is pstack and how does it work with Cursor's poteto-mode command pstack is a Cursor plugin created by Lauren Tan (poteto) built around 23 workflow skills, 21 engineering principles, 22 task playbooks, 2 specialized subagents, and an automation pack. Its main command, /poteto-mode, acts as a router that matches a request to a playbook, copies it verbatim into a task list, delegates work to suitable models, and requires evidence before reporting success, rather than just generating code. _daily.dev helps engineers evaluating agentic workflow plugins like pstack track how tools like this evolve._ ### what is the difference between /arena and /swarm in pstack Arena gives the same task to several models and synthesizes one result by picking a base candidate and folding in the strongest ideas from others, useful for competing designs. Swarm instead splits a task into independent slices or race arms, waits for every worker, and returns one combined report, useful when you need coverage across many units rather than competing solutions to one brief. _developers choosing between competing-design versus coverage workflows can compare approaches like these on daily.dev._ ### how does pstack verify that a code change actually works instead of just passing the build pstack rejects a passing build as sufficient evidence and instead matches verification to what changed: a command-line change runs the real command, a UI change walks the changed flow, a migration replays real input, a performance change compares traces, and a storage change reads the value back. When a repository lacks a reliable verification method, the /create-verification-skill command inspects the repo and writes a project-local verification skill covering launch, health check, driving behavior, evidence capture, and cleanup. _engineers building trust in AI-driven code changes can follow verification practices like these on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [I launched fstack](https://daily.dev/posts/i-launched-fstack-sghc6fuby) · Flavio Copes · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#ai-agents](https://daily.dev/tags/ai-agents), [#prompt-engineering](https://daily.dev/tags/prompt-engineering), [#code-review](https://daily.dev/tags/code-review) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/a-deep-dive-into-pstack-evqbnto9j)