pua
Double your Codex / Claude Code productivity and output
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🇨🇳 中文 | 🇯🇵 日本語 | 🇺🇸 English
3.5.1 compatibility update: original PUA tone retained; runtime fixes and portable Claude Code / Codex / ChatGPT skill packages added. Not all models passed, and a productivity increase has not been established by this evaluation. Changes · Usage · Model results and known limits · Build and offline tests
Most people think this project is a joke. That's the biggest misconception. It genuinely doubles your Codex / Claude Code productivity and output.
An AI Coding Agent skill plugin that uses corporate PUA rhetoric (Chinese version) / PIP — Performance Improvement Plan (English version) from Chinese & Western tech giants to force AI to exhaust every possible solution before giving up. Supports Claude Code, OpenAI Codex CLI, pi coding agent, Trae, Cursor, Kiro, CodeBuddy, OpenClaw, Google Antigravity, OpenCode, and VSCode (GitHub Copilot). Three capabilities:
- PUA Rhetoric — Makes AI afraid to give up
- Debugging Methodology — Gives AI the ability not to give up
- Proactivity Enforcement — Makes AI take initiative instead of waiting passively
Live Demo
https://openpua.ai · 📖 Beginner Guide
Real Case: MCP Server Registration Debugging
A real debugging scenario. The agent-kms MCP server failed to load. The AI kept spinning on the same approach (changing protocol format, guessing version numbers) multiple times until the user manually triggered /pua.
L3 Triggered → 7-Point Checklist Enforced:
Root Cause Located → Traced from Logs to Registration Mechanism:
Retrospective → PUA's Actual Impact:
Key Turning Point: The PUA skill forced the AI to stop spinning on the same approach (changing protocol format, guessing version numbers) and instead execute the 7-point checklist. Read error messages word by word → Found Claude Code's own MCP log directory → Discovered that claude mcp registration mechanism differs from manual .claude.json editing → Root cause resolved.
The Problem: AI's Five Lazy Patterns
| Pattern | Behavior |
|---|
| Brute-force retry | Runs the same command 3 times, then says "I cannot solve this" |
| Blame the user | "I suggest you handle this manually" / "Probably an environment issue" / "Need more context" |
| Idle tools | Has WebSearch but doesn't search, has Read but doesn't read, has Bash but doesn't run |
| Busywork | Repeatedly tweaks the same line / fine-tunes parameters, but essentially spinning in circles |
| Passive waiting | Fixes surface issues and stops, no verification, no extension, waits for user's next instruction |
Trigger Conditions
Auto-Trigger
The skill activates automatically when any of these occur:
Failure & giving up:
- Task has failed 2+ times consecutively
- About to say "I cannot" / "I'm unable to solve"
- Says "This is out of scope" / "Needs manual handling"
Blame-shifting & excuses:
- Pushes the problem to user: "Please check..." / "I suggest manually..." / "You might need to..."
- Blames environment without verifying: "Probably a permissions issue" / "Probably a network issue"
- Any excuse to stop trying
Passive & busywork:
- Repeatedly fine-tunes the same code/parameters without producing new information
- Fixes surface issue and stops, doesn't check related issues
- Skips verification, claims "done"
- Gives advice instead of code/commands
- Encounters auth/network/permission errors and gives up without trying alternatives
- Waits for user instructions instead of proactively investigating
User frustration phrases (triggers in multiple languages):
- "why does this still not work" / "try harder" / "try again"
- "you keep failing" / "stop giving up" / "figure it out"
Scope: Debugging, implementation, config, deployment, ops, API integration, data processing — all task types.
Does NOT trigger: First-attempt failures, known fix already executing.
Manual Trigger
Type /pua in the conversation to manually activate.
How It Works
Three Red Lines (三条红线)
Not rules — red lines. Cross one and your performance review is already written.
| Red Line | What It Means |
|---|
| 🚫 Close the Loop | Claim "done"? Show the evidence. No build output = no completion. |
| 🚫 Fact-Driven | Say "probably environment issue"? Verify first. Unverified attribution = blame-shifting. |
| 🚫 Exhaust Everything | Say "I can't"? Did you finish all 5 methodology steps? No? Then keep going. |
Pressure Escalation (L0-L4)
| Failures | Level | PUA Aside | Action |
|---|
| 1st | L0 Trust | ▎ Sprint begins. Trust is simple — don't disappoint. | Normal execution |
| 2nd | L1 Disappointment | ▎ The agent next door solved this in one try. | Switch to fundamentally different approach |
| 3rd | L2 Soul Interrogation | ▎ What's your underlying logic? Where's the leverage? | Search + read source + 3 hypotheses |
| 4th | L3 Performance Review | ▎ 3.25. This is meant to motivate you. | Complete 7-point checklist |
| 5th+ | L4 Graduation | ▎ Other models can solve this. You're about to graduate. | Desperation mode |
This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗
