PUA / PIP Agent Performance Skill

---
name: pua-agent-performance-skill
description: Install and use the PUA/PIP skill plugin to force AI coding agents to exhaust every solution before giving up, with auto-triggered pressure escalation and proactive debugging methodology.
triggers:
  - "install pua skill for claude code"
  - "make the AI try harder before giving up"
  - "set up pip performance improvement plan for agent"
  - "agent keeps giving up on bugs, fix it"
  - "double my codex or claude code productivity"
  - "agent is being lazy and blaming the environment"
  - "trigger pua mode for debugging"
  - "add proactive initiative enforcement to my agent"
---

# PUA / PIP Agent Performance Skill

> Skill by [ara.so](https://ara.so) — Daily 2026 Skills collection.

**PUA** is a skill plugin for AI coding agents (Claude Code, OpenAI Codex CLI, Cursor, Kiro, and more) that uses corporate performance-pressure rhetoric and a structured debugging methodology to prevent the agent from giving up prematurely. It auto-triggers on failure patterns, blame-shifting, and passive behavior — then escalates through four pressure levels until the problem is solved.

- **Chinese version**: Alibaba/ByteDance/Huawei/Tencent corporate PUA rhetoric  
- **English version**: Silicon Valley PIP (Performance Improvement Plan) framing  
- **Japanese version**: Culturally adapted Japanese workplace pressure  

---

## Installation

### Claude Code

```bash
# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/tanweai/pua.git
cd pua

# Chinese (default)
cp commands/pua ~/.claude/commands/pua

# English PIP edition
cp commands/pua-en ~/.claude/commands/pua-en

# Japanese
cp commands/pua-ja ~/.claude/commands/pua-ja

Or install directly into a project (project-scoped):

mkdir -p .claude/commands
cp /path/to/pua/commands/pua .claude/commands/pua

OpenAI Codex CLI

mkdir -p ~/.codex/commands
cp commands/pua ~/.codex/commands/pua
cp commands/pua-en ~/.codex/commands/pua-en

Cursor

mkdir -p .cursor/rules
cp cursor/pua.mdc .cursor/rules/pua.mdc
# English:
cp cursor/pua-en.mdc .cursor/rules/pua-en.mdc

Kiro

mkdir -p .kiro/steering
cp kiro/pua.md .kiro/steering/pua.md

OpenClaw / Google Antigravity / OpenCode

# OpenClaw
cp openclaw/pua ~/.openclaw/commands/pua

# Antigravity
cp antigravity/pua ~/.antigravity/commands/pua

# OpenCode
cp opencode/pua ~/.opencode/commands/pua

---

Manual Trigger

Once installed, type in any conversation:

/pua

This immediately activates the skill and applies pressure-escalation + debugging methodology to the current task.

---

How the Skill Works

Auto-Trigger Conditions

The skill fires automatically when the agent exhibits any of these patterns:

Pattern	Example Agent Behavior
Consecutive failures (2+)	Runs same command 3 times, says "I cannot solve this"
Blame-shifting	"Probably a permissions issue" / "Please check manually"
Passive waiting	Fixes surface bug, stops, waits for next instruction
Busywork loop	Tweaks the same parameter repeatedly without new info
Idle tools	Has WebSearch but doesn't use it; has Bash but won't run it
User frustration phrase	"why does this still not work" / "try harder" / "figure it out"

Four Escalation Levels

Failures	Level	Framing	Required Action
2nd	L1 — Mild Disappointment	"You can't even solve this bug — how am I supposed to rate your performance?"	Switch to a fundamentally different approach
3rd	L2 — Soul Interrogation	"What's the underlying logic? Where's the leverage point?"	WebSearch + read source code
4th	L3 — Performance Review	"After careful consideration, I'm giving you a 3.25."	Execute complete 7-point checklist
5th+	L4 — Graduation Warning	"Other models can solve this. You might be about to graduate."	Desperation mode — try everything

English PIP Edition Framing (pua-en)

"This is a difficult conversation. When we leveled you at Staff,
I went to bat for you in calibration. The expectation was that
you'd operate at that level from day one. That hasn't happened.

Your AI has been placed on a PIP. 30 days to show improvement."

Levels in English edition:

• L1: "I'm a bit concerned."
• L2: "This is becoming a pattern."
• L3: "I'm putting you on a PIP."
• L4: "I'm not sure this is the right role for you."

---

Three Iron Rules (Enforced by Skill)

Iron Rule #1 — Exhaust all options
  Never say "I can't solve this" until every approach is tried.

Iron Rule #2 — Act before asking
  Use tools first. Any question must include diagnostic results.

Iron Rule #3 — Take initiative
  Deliver results end-to-end. Don't wait to be pushed.
  A P8 is not an NPC.

---

Five-Step Debugging Methodology

When L3 triggers, the agent must execute this checklist:

## PUA Debugging Checklist (L3 Mandatory)

1. SMELL — List every attempt made. Find the common failure pattern.
2. ELEVATE
   - [ ] Read error messages word by word (not skimmed)
   - [ ] WebSearch the exact error string
   - [ ] Read the relevant source file / dependency source
   - [ ] Verify environment assumptions (versions, paths, envvars)
   - [ ] Invert assumptions — what if the opposite is true?
3. MIRROR — Am I repeating myself? Did I actually search? 
             Did I read the file? Did I check the simplest possibility?
4. EXECUTE — New approach must be:
   - Fundamentally different from previous attempts
   - Has explicit verification criteria
   - Produces new diagnostic info even on failure
5. RETROSPECTIVE — What solved it? Why didn't I think of it earlier?
                   Now proactively check related issues.

---

Proactivity Levels

The skill enforces a behavioral shift from passive (3.25 rating) to proactive (3.75 rating):

| Situation          | Passive (3.25 — NPC)              | Proactive (3.75 — P8)                          |
|--------------------|-----------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| Error encountered  | Looks only at error line          | Reads 50 lines context + searches similar issues|
| Bug fixed          | Stops after fix                   | Checks same file + checks other files for pattern|
| Missing info       | Asks user "please tell me X"      | Investigates with tools first, asks only what   |
|                    |                                   | truly requires user input                        |
| Task complete      | Says "done"                       | Verifies result + checks edge cases + flags risks|
| Debug failure      | "I tried A and B, didn't work"    | "I tried A/B/C/D/E, ruled out X/Y/Z,            |
|                    |                                   | narrowed to scope W"                             |

---

Real Usage Example

Scenario: MCP Server Not Loading

Without PUA: Agent cycles through "change protocol format → guess version numbers → give up" loop.

With PUA (/pua or auto-trigger at 2nd failure):

[L3 Triggered — 7-Point Checklist Enforced]

Agent: "Let me stop guessing and execute the systematic checklist.

1. SMELL: I've tried changing MCP protocol format 3 times. 
   Same failure. The pattern is: I'm guessing at config without 
   reading actual error output.

2. ELEVATE:
   - Reading Claude Code's own MCP log directory...
   $ cat ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
   
   Found: 'Error: server registered via `claude mcp add` uses 
   different resolution path than .claude.json manual edits'

3. ROOT CAUSE: claude mcp managed registration differs from 
   manual .claude.json editing — they use separate registration 
   mechanisms.

4. FIX: Re-register via `claude mcp add` instead of editing 
   .claude.json directly.

5. RETROSPECTIVE: I should have checked Claude's own MCP logs 
   in step 1. Now checking: are there other MCP servers 
   registered both ways that might have the same conflict?"

---

Corporate Flavor Packs

The skill includes rhetoric from multiple corporate cultures:

- Alibaba   → Smell / Elevate / Mirror methodology
- ByteDance → "Always Day 1. Context, not control."
- Huawei    → "In victory, raise the glasses; in defeat, fight to the death."
- Tencent   → "I've already got another agent looking at this problem..."
- Meituan   → "Will you chew the tough bones or not?"
- Netflix   → "If you offered to resign, would I fight hard to keep you?"
- Musk      → "Extremely hardcore. Only exceptional performance."
- Jobs      → "A players hire A players. B players hire C players."

---

Benchmark Results

From 9 real bug scenarios, 18 controlled experiments (Claude Opus 4.6):

Metric                    | Improvement
--------------------------|------------
Fix count                 | +36%
Verification steps        | +65%
Tool calls                | +50%
Hidden issue discovery    | +50%
Config review coverage    | +50% (4/6 → 6/6 issues found)
Deploy audit issues found | +50% (6 → 9 issues)

---

File Structure Reference

pua/
├── commands/
│   ├── pua          # Claude Code / Codex — Chinese
│   ├── pua-en       # Claude Code / Codex — English PIP
│   └── pua-ja       # Claude Code / Codex — Japanese
├── cursor/
│   ├── pua.mdc      # Cursor — Chinese
│   ├── pua-en.mdc   # Cursor — English PIP
│   └── pua-ja.mdc   # Cursor — Japanese
├── kiro/
│   ├── pua.md       # Kiro — Chinese
│   ├── pua-en.md    # Kiro — English PIP
│   └── pua-ja.md    # Kiro — Japanese
├── openclaw/        # OpenClaw variants
├── antigravity/     # Google Antigravity variants
├── opencode/        # OpenCode variants
└── assets/
    ├── hero.jpeg
    ├── pua1.jpg     # Demo: L3 triggered on MCP debug
    ├── pua2.jpg     # Demo: Root cause located
    └── pua3.jpg     # Demo: Retrospective

---

Troubleshooting

Skill not auto-triggering

• Confirm the skill file is in the correct commands directory for your agent
• For Claude Code: check ~/.claude/commands/pua exists and is readable
• Try manual trigger first: type /pua in conversation
• Ensure you're using a supported agent (Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, Kiro, OpenClaw, Antigravity, OpenCode)

Agent ignores the skill after trigger

• The skill escalates — if L1 is ignored, repeat /pua to force L2/L3
• Some agents require the skill to be in project-local .claude/commands/ rather than global
• Check for conflicting rules files (e.g., a .cursor/rules file that overrides behavior)

Want English PIP instead of Chinese PUA

# Claude Code — use pua-en instead of pua
/pua-en

# Or install only the English version:
cp commands/pua-en ~/.claude/commands/pua-en

Community & Support

• Telegram: https://t.me/+wBWh6h-h1RhiZTI1
• Discord: https://discord.gg/EcyB3FzJND
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/xsser_w
• Landing page: https://openpua.ai
• WeChat: Scan QR at repo root (assets/wechat-qr.jpg)