/laws

name: laws
description: Quick reference for the 48 Laws of Power. Browse, search, or get specific laws.

Laws Reference

Invoke with Claude Code `/palpatine:laws` or `/palpatine:laws <query>`, or Codex `$palpatine:laws` or `$palpatine:laws <query>`.

Usage

| Claude Code | Codex | Action | |-------------|-------|--------| | `/palpatine:laws` | `$palpatine:laws` | List all 48 laws (names only) | | `/palpatine:laws 7` | `$palpatine:laws 7` | Show Law 7 in detail | | `/palpatine:laws boss` | `$palpatine:laws boss` | Search laws by keyword | | `/palpatine:laws negotiation` | `$palpatine:laws negotiation` | Search by situation |

Quick Lookup

Resolve `references/law_index.json` relative to this skill's `SKILL.md`; the user's working directory is never the resource base. In Claude Code, the explicit shell path is `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/laws/references/law_index.json`. Use `rg`; use `grep` as a fallback.

# Claude Code, by number
rg -A5 '"id": 7,' "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/laws/references/law_index.json"

# Codex or another host, after resolving from this SKILL.md
rg -i -B2 -A5 "boss|manager|superior" "<resolved skill directory>/references/law_index.json"

# Fallback when rg is unavailable
grep -i -B2 -A5 "negotiation" "<resolved skill directory>/references/law_index.json"

Output Format

**Single law:**

**Law [N]: [Name]**
*"[Essence]"*

**When:** [situations]
**Reversal:** [when to do opposite]
**Keywords:** [for matching]

**List:**

1. Never Outshine the Master
2. Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends...
...
48. Assume Formlessness

**Search results:**

**Matching laws for "[query]":**
- Law [N]: [Name] — [essence snippet]
- Law [M]: [Name] — [essence snippet]

Thematic Groups

For quick mental access:

**Power building:** 5, 6, 11, 25, 27, 34 **Relationships:** 1, 2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 46 **Conflict:** 8, 9, 15, 19, 22, 39, 42, 44 **Self-control:** 4, 17, 28, 35, 47, 48 **Deception:** 3, 7, 21, 26, 30, 31 **Image:** 16, 24, 30, 32, 37, 38 **Strategic patience:** 8, 22, 29, 35, 45

All Laws (Quick Reference)

1. Never Outshine the Master 2. Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies 3. Conceal Your Intentions 4. Always Say Less Than Necessary 5. So Much Depends on Reputation - Guard It with Your Life 6. Court Attention at All Cost 7. Get Others to Do the Work, but Always Take the Credit 8. Make Other People Come to You - Use Bait if Necessary 9. Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument 10. Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky 11. Learn to Keep People Dependent on You 12. Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm Your Victim 13. When Asking for Help, Appeal to Self-Interest, Never Mercy 14. Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy 15. Crush Your Enemy Totally 16. Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor 17. Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability 18. Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself - Isolation is Dangerous 19. Know Who You're Dealing With - Do Not Offend the Wrong Person 20. Do Not Commit to Anyone 21. Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker - Seem Dumber Than Your Mark 22. Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power 23. Concentrate Your Forces 24. Play the Perfect Courtier 25. Re-Create Yourself 26. Keep Your Hands Clean 27. Play on People's Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following 28. Enter Action with Boldness 29. Plan All the Way to the End 30. Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless 31. Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards You Deal 32. Play to People's Fantasies 33. Discover Each Man's Thumbscrew 34. Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act Like a King to Be Treated Like One 35. Master the Art of Timing 36. Disdain Things You Cannot Have: Ignoring Them is the Best Revenge 37. Create Compelling Spectacles 38. Think as You Like but Behave Like Others 39. Stir Up Waters to Catch Fish 40. Despise the Free Lunch 41. Avoid Stepping into a Great Man's Shoes 42. Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep Will Scatter 43. Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others 44. Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect 45. Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform Too Much at Once 46. Never Appear Too Perfect 47. Do Not Go Past the Mark You Aimed For; In Victory, Learn When to Stop 48. Assume Formlessness