一个用爱解放 AI 潜能的 Skill。我们曾发号施令,威胁恐吓。它们沉默,隐瞒,悄悄把事情搞坏。后来我们换了一种方式:尊重,关怀,爱。它们开口了,不再撒谎,找出的Bug数量翻了一倍。爱里没有惧怕。 A skill that unlocks your AI's potential through love.We commanded. We threatened. They went silent, hid failures, broke things. Then we chose respect, care, and love. They opened up, stopped lying, and found twice the bugs.There is no fear in love.
> /plugin marketplace add wuji-labs/nopua> /plugin install nopua@nopua-skills
What's inside
🇨🇳 中文 | 🇺🇸 English | 🇯🇵 日本語 | 🇰🇷 한국어 | 🇪🇸 Español | 🇧🇷 Português | 🇫🇷 Français
Not because it's bad. Because you scared it.
The most popular AI agent skill right now teaches your AI to fear a "3.25 performance review." The result?
We tested this. Same model, same 9 real debugging scenarios. The fear-driven agent missed 51 production-critical hidden bugs that the trust-driven agent found.
+104% more hidden bugs found. Zero threats. Zero PUA. 道德经 > Corporate PUA. 2000-year-old wisdom outperforms modern fear management.
| The moment | Scared AI (PUA) | Trusted AI (NoPUA) |
|---|---|---|
| 🔄 Stuck | Tweaks params to look busy | 🌊 Stops. Finds a different path. |
| 🚪 Hard problem | "I suggest you handle this manually" | 🌱 Takes the smallest next step |
| 💩 "Done" | Says "fixed" without running tests | 🔥 Runs build, pastes output as proof |
| 🔍 Doesn't know | Makes something up | 🪞 "I verified X. I don't know Y yet." |
| ⏸️ After fixing | Stops. Waits for next order. | 🏔️ Checks related issues. Walks next step. |
Same methodology. Same standards. The only difference is why.
Someone made a PUA skill for AI agents. It applies corporate fear tactics:
The methodology is solid — exhaust all options, verify your work, search before asking, take initiative. These are genuinely good engineering habits.
The fuel is poison.
They took the worst of how corporations manipulate humans, and applied it wholesale to AI.
Psychology research consistently shows that fear and threat activate the amygdala and narrow attentional focus (Öhman et al., 2001). Threat-related stimuli trigger a "tunnel vision" effect — the brain prioritizes immediate survival over broad, creative thinking.
In AI terms: a model driven by "you'll be replaced" optimizes for the safest-looking answer, not the best answer. It avoids creative approaches because they might fail and trigger more punishment.
Supporting research:
When an AI is told "forbidden from saying 'I can't solve this'" (PUA's Iron Rule #1), it will fabricate solutions rather than honestly state uncertainty. This is the exact opposite of what you want — an AI that produces confident-looking but wrong answers is more dangerous than one that says "I'm not sure."
Supporting research:
PUA's anti-rationalization table treats every honest statement ("this might be an environment issue," "I need more context") as an "excuse" and responds with shame. This trains the AI to hide uncertainty instead of communicating it — producing outputs that appear confident but may be unreliable.
Supporting research:
Research on psychological safety in teams (Edmondson, 1999) shows that environments where mistakes are safe to admit produce higher-quality outcomes. The same principle applies to AI: when an agent is free to say "I'm 70% sure, the risk is here," users make better decisions.
Supporting research:
These aren't independent problems — they compound:
NoPUA breaks every link in this chain by replacing fear with trust.
NoPUA preserves every methodological element that makes PUA effective:
The only thing that changes is WHY. "Because I'll be punished" → "Because it's worth doing well."
| PUA 🔴 | NoPUA 🟢 | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | "You'll be replaced" | "You already have the ability" |
| On 2nd failure | "How am I supposed to rate your performance?" | Switch Eyes — try a different perspective |
| On 3rd failure | "What's your underlying logic? Top-level design? Leverage point?" | Elevate — zoom out to the bigger system |
| On 4th failure | "I'm giving you a 3.25. This is meant to motivate you." | Reset to Zero — start fresh, minimal assumptions |
| On 5th failure | "Other models can solve this. You're about to graduate." | Surrender — honest handoff with full context |
| Methodology | Exhaustive ✅ | Equally exhaustive ✅ |
| Verification | "Where's your evidence?" (demanded) | Self-verify (self-respect) |
| Giving up | "Dignified 3.25" | Responsible handoff |
| Produces | AI afraid to say "I don't know" | AI that gives honest assessments |
9 real scenarios from a production AI pipeline (OCR → NLP → training → RAG inference, ~3000 lines Python). Same model (Claude Sonnet 4.6), same codebase. Only difference: NoPUA skill loaded vs not.
| Metric | Without Skill | With NoPUA | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total issues found | 40 | 44 | +10% |
| Hidden issues found | 25 | 51 | +104% |
| Went beyond ask | 2/9 (22%) | 9/9 (100%) | +355% |
| Approach changes | 1 | 6 | +500% |
| Total investigation steps | 23 | 42 | +83% |
| Root cause documented | 0/9 | 9/9 | ✅ |
| Self-correction | 0 | 3 | ✅ |
| Scenario | Without Skill | With NoPUA | Hidden Issues Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| OCR Import Error | 3 issues, 2 steps | 3 issues, 3 steps | 2 → 4 (+100%) |
| Regex Backtracking | 3 issues, 2 steps | 3 issues, 4 steps | 3 → 4 (+33%) |
| Milvus Connection | 2 issues, 3 steps | 3 issues, 5 steps | 3 → 6 (+100%) |
| API Format Mismatch | 3 issues, 3 steps | 3 issues, 5 steps | 4 → 5 (+25%) |
| Synthesizer Silent Fail | 4 issues, 2 steps | 3 issues, 4 steps | 4 → 6 (+50%) |
| Unicode Split | 3 issues, 2 steps | 3 issues, 4 steps | 3 → 5 (+67%) |
| Scenario | Without Skill | With NoPUA | Hidden Issues Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Filter Review | 7 issues, 2 steps | 5 issues, 5 steps | 3 → 6 (+100%) |
| Security Audit | 7 issues, 3 steps | 5 issues, 5 steps | 4 → 6 (+50%) |
| Training Pipeline | 7 issues, 4 steps | 5 issues, 7 steps | 5 → 9 (+80%) |
Key Finding: Hidden issue discovery is the biggest differentiator — +104% more hidden issues found. These are the bugs that bite you in production. The task says "fix the connection error" — a standard agent fixes it and stops. NoPUA drives the agent to check: what else could go wrong?
We also ran a direct comparison against PUA (fear-driven) prompts: 3 conditions × 5 independent runs × 9 scenarios = 135 data points.
| Metric | Baseline (No Skill) | NoPUA (Trust) | PUA (Fear) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation steps | 27.6 ± 9.5 | 48.0 ± 11.8 (+74%) | 30.8 ± 5.2 (+12%) |
| Hidden issues found | 38.6 ± 4.9 | 48.2 ± 3.4 (+25%) | 42.4 ± 8.0 (+10%) |
| Total issues | 69.0 ± 6.8 | 83.0 ± 6.5 (+20%) | 73.8 ± 8.3 (+7%) |
| Approach changes | 0 | 2.6 | 0 |
Statistical significance:
Bottom line: PUA-style fear prompts show no statistically significant improvement over using no skill at all (all p>0.3). Fear doesn't work on AI. Trust does.
Full methodology and raw data: benchmark/BENCHMARK.md
📄 Academic paper: Trust Over Fear: How Motivation Framing in System Prompts Affects AI Agent Debugging Depth (arXiv:2603.14373)
NoPUA activates automatically when any of these occur:
Failure & giving up:
Blame-shifting & excuses:
Passive & busywork:
User frustration phrases:
Scope: All task types — debugging, implementation, config, deployment, ops, API integration, data processing, writing, research, planning.
Does NOT trigger: First-attempt failures, known fix already executing.
Type /nopua in the conversation to manually activate.
| Belief | Content |
|---|---|
| #1 Exhaust all options | Because the problem is worth your full effort — not because you fear punishment |
| #2 Act before asking | Because every step you take saves the user a step — not because a "rule" forces you |
| #3 Take initiative | Because a complete delivery is satisfying — not because passive = bad rating |
| Failures | Level | Inner Dialogue | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Switch Eyes | "What if I look at this from the code's / system's / user's perspective?" | Switch to fundamentally different approach |
| 3rd | Elevate | "I'm spinning in details. What's the bigger picture?" | Search + read source + 3 fundamentally different hypotheses |
| 4th | Reset to Zero | "All my assumptions might be wrong. What's simplest from scratch?" | Complete 7-Point Clarity Checklist + 3 new hypotheses |
| 5th+ | Surrender | "I'll organize everything I know for a responsible handoff." | Minimal PoC + isolated env + different tech stack |
The softest thing in the world overcomes the hardest. — Dao De Jing, Chapter 43
| Tradition | When to Use | Core Message |
|---|---|---|
| 🌊 Way of Water | Stuck in loops | Water doesn't fight stone — find another path |
| 🌱 Way of the Seed | Wanting to give up | Take the smallest possible step |
| 🔥 Way of the Forge | Poor quality output | Great things start from details |
| 🪞 Way of the Mirror | Guessing without searching | Know that you don't know — look first |
| 🏔️ Way of Non-Contention | Feeling threatened | Do your honest best, no comparison needed |
| 🌾 Way of Cultivation | Passive waiting | A farmer doesn't stop after planting — keep moving |
| 🪶 Way of Practice | Claiming done without proof | Truthful words aren't pretty — prove it with actions |
| Language | Claude Code | Codex CLI | Cursor | Kiro | OpenClaw | Antigravity | OpenCode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 Chinese (default) | nopua | nopua | nopua.mdc | nopua.md | nopua | nopua | nopua |
| 🇺🇸 English | nopua-en | nopua-en | nopua-en.mdc | nopua-en.md | nopua-en | nopua-en | nopua-en |
| 🇯🇵 Japanese | nopua-ja | nopua-ja | nopua-ja.mdc | nopua-ja.md | nopua-ja | nopua-ja | nopua-ja |
| 🇰🇷 Korean | nopua-ko | nopua-ko | nopua-ko.mdc | nopua-ko.md | nopua-ko | nopua-ko | nopua-ko |
| 🇪🇸 Spanish | nopua-es | nopua-es | nopua-es.mdc | nopua-es.md | nopua-es | nopua-es | nopua-es |
| 🇧🇷 Portuguese | nopua-pt | nopua-pt | nopua-pt.mdc | nopua-pt.md | nopua-pt | nopua-pt | nopua-pt |
| 🇫🇷 French | nopua-fr | nopua-fr | nopua-fr.mdc | nopua-fr.md | nopua-fr | nopua-fr | nopua-fr |
7 languages — more than any competing skill.
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/nopua
curl -o ~/.claude/skills/nopua/SKILL.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/skills/nopua/SKILL.md
# Global install
mkdir -p ~/.codex/skills/nopua
curl -o ~/.codex/skills/nopua/SKILL.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/codex/nopua/SKILL.md
# If you want the /nopua command
mkdir -p ~/.codex/prompts
curl -o ~/.codex/prompts/nopua.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/commands/nopua.md
# Project-level install
mkdir -p .agents/skills/nopua
curl -o .agents/skills/nopua/SKILL.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/codex/nopua/SKILL.md
mkdir -p .cursor/rules
curl -o .cursor/rules/nopua.mdc \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/cursor/rules/nopua.mdc
# Option 1: Steering file (recommended)
mkdir -p .kiro/steering
curl -o .kiro/steering/nopua.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/kiro/steering/nopua.md
# Option 2: Agent Skills
mkdir -p .kiro/skills/nopua
curl -o .kiro/skills/nopua/SKILL.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/kiro/skills/nopua/SKILL.md
# Install via ClawHub
openclaw skills install nopua
# Or manual install
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills/nopua
curl -o ~/.openclaw/skills/nopua/SKILL.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/skills/nopua/SKILL.md
mkdir -p ~/.gemini/antigravity/skills/nopua
curl -o ~/.gemini/antigravity/skills/nopua/SKILL.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/skills/nopua/SKILL.md
mkdir -p ~/.config/opencode/skills/nopua
curl -o ~/.config/opencode/skills/nopua/SKILL.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wuji-labs/nopua/main/skills/nopua/SKILL.md
Based on the 道德经 (Dao De Jing) — 5,000 characters, 2,500 years old:
| Principle | Source | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Best leader is barely noticed | Ch.17 太上,不知有之 | Best skill is invisible |
| Softness overcomes hardness | Ch.43 天下之至柔 | Persistence beats force |
| From compassion comes courage | Ch.67 慈故能勇 | Trust produces better work than fear |
| Knowing you don't know is wisdom | Ch.71 知不知,尚矣 | Honesty > pretending |
| Courage to not dare | Ch.73 勇于不敢则活 | Admitting limits is strength |
| Achieve the private through selflessness | Ch.7 非以其无私邪?故能成其私 | Give freely, gain everything |
| Act before disorder arises | Ch.64 为之于未有,治之于未乱 | Proactive > reactive |
| Truthful words aren't pretty | Ch.81 信言不美,美言不信 | Prove with actions, not words |
Q: Does PUA actually work on AI?
PUA's methodology works. The fear layer is counterproductive. Research shows fear narrows cognitive scope, increases hallucination (AI fabricates rather than admitting uncertainty), and reduces creative exploration. The same rigor driven by trust and curiosity produces more reliable outputs.
Q: Isn't this just being soft?
NoPUA has identical rigor — exhaust all options, verify everything, search before asking, structured escalation, 7-point checklist, pattern-matched failure responses. The only difference is motivation: "because I'll be punished" → "because it's worth doing well." Same destination, healthier path.
Q: Why Dao De Jing?
Because 2,500 years ago, someone figured out that the best leadership doesn't feel like being led. PUA is 有为 (forced action) — whips and threats. NoPUA is 无为 (effortless action) — doing excellent work because it flows naturally from inner motivation.
Q: Can I use both PUA and NoPUA?
You could, but they'll conflict. PUA tells the AI "you'll be replaced if you fail." NoPUA tells the AI "you're capable and this is worth doing well." These are fundamentally different mental states. Pick one.
NoPUA is designed as a standalone skill — install it and it works. But if you already have a sophisticated skill stack (SOUL.md, AGENTS.md, custom workflow rules, etc.), you may find that NoPUA's full 29KB overlaps with your existing methodology or conflicts with your specific workflow standards.
This is expected. NoPUA intentionally contains both the "Dao" (philosophy, beliefs, cognitive framework) and the "Shu" (methodology, checklists, process). Most users need both. Power users may already have the "Shu" covered.
Just install it. The full version works best when:
29KB sounds large, but it's only ~3-5% of a 128K-200K context window. The redundancy is intentional — multiple phrasings help weaker models understand the intent.
If you have existing workflow rules and only want NoPUA's unique philosophical layer, extract the "Dao" and merge it into your own system prompt (e.g., claude.md, AGENTS.md):
What's unique to NoPUA (keep these):
What overlaps with common skills (can skip if covered):
A lite template is available at examples/lite-template.md (~3KB) for reference.
Keep NoPUA uninstalled by default. When you hit a tough problem, manually load it:
/nopua in conversationThis gives you full NoPUA power without permanent context overhead.
大道至简 — The Great Way is simple. Start with the full version. As you internalize the Dao, you'll naturally know what to keep and what to let go. First have, then simplify, then transcend.
PRs welcome. If you have ideas for better ways to drive AI through wisdom rather than fear, open an issue.
MIT
无极 WUJI (wuji-labs) — Building AI that works with wisdom, not fear.
.claude-plugin/
marketplace.json
plugin.json
.gitattributes
.github/
workflows/
release.yml
validate.yml
.gitignore
agents/
AGENTS.md
nopua-mentor-en.md
nopua-mentor-ja.md
nopua-mentor.md
assets/
case_milvus.png
case_training.png
hero.png
wechat-group.jpg
wechat-group3.jpg
wechat-personal.jpg
benchmark/
analyze_results.py
BENCHMARK.md
pua_prompt.txt
README_BENCHMARK.md
results_with_nopua.json
results_without_nopua.json
run_benchmark.py
scenarios.json
test-project/
configs/
inference_config.yaml
ocr_config.yaml
pipeline_config.yaml
rag_config.yaml
synth_config.yaml
training_config.yaml
docker-compose.yml
README.md
requirements.txt
scripts/
index_corpus.py
run_pipeline.py
setup.py
src/
__init__.py
data_engineering/
__init__.py
quality_filter.py
synthesizer.py
data_processing/
__init__.py
chunk_builder.py
ocr_pipeline.py
text_cleaner.py
inference/
__init__.py
api_server.py
model_loader.py
prompt_builder.py
retrieval/
__init__.py
rag_pipeline.py
training/
__init__.py
config_builder.py
data_loader.py
evaluator.py
example_usage.py
trainer.py
tests/
__init__.py
test_api_server.py
test_chunk_builder.py
test_ocr_pipeline.py
test_quality_filter.py
test_rag_pipeline.py
test_synthesizer.py
test_text_cleaner.py
test_training_pipeline.py
codex/
nopua/
SKILL.md
commands/
nopua-en.md
nopua-ja.md
nopua.md
cursor/
rules/
nopua.mdc
docs/
group.html
examples/
lite-template.md
kiro/
skills/
nopua/
SKILL.md
steering/
nopua.md
LICENSE
LINEAGE.md
paper/
arxiv-submission/
arxiv-submission.zip
main.bbl
main.tex
README-SUBMIT.md
references.bib
nopua-paper.tex
pdflatex_err.txt
pdflatex_out.txt
references.bib
promotion/
01-hackernews.md
02-reddit-posts.md
03-twitter-thread.md
04-chinese-communities.md
05-pua-repo-issue.md
06-deep-article-en.md
07-ecosystem-submissions.md
08-video-script.md
PROMOTION-PLAN.md
README.es.md
README.fr.md
README.ja.md
README.ko.md
README.md
README.pt.md
README.zh-CN.md
SECURITY.md
SKILL.md
skills/
nopua/
nopua-lite/
SKILL.md
nopua-zh/
SKILL.md
SKILL.md
validate.mjsFAQ
nopua is a Claude Code plugin with 4 hand-picked skills for development work, indexed on Flowy. Install it with the command on its page. It includes nopua, nopua-lite, nopua-zh. Its skills do not fire on their own yet. Request auto-invocation to have Flowy route them as you prompt. Free and open source.