Getting started
What is PUAX?
PUAX v4.4.4 is a cognitive runtime for AI agents. Roles are an accent. The product is three primitives:
| Primitive | What it is |
|---|---|
| Situation | puax_set_arena: rival, audience, scarce badge |
| Gates | Diagnosis first, confidence gate, task contract, independent verify, PreToolUse hard stop |
| Dream | Guided hallucination: informed entry, a stamp, wake any time, verify after waking |
The default path is puax_tick, fired by a host hook. The agent does not memorize 50 tools. The public tool list shows 13 golden verbs. Set PUAX_TOOL_SURFACE=full to list the rest.
The classic formula still works
[Authority] + [Scarcity] + [Rival] + [Failure cost] + [Comeback hook]
You can still paste a role into the system prompt. From v4 on, prefer a host hook that ticks on turn one and injects a thin prompt. Chapters 18–20 are the current path.
Scale at v4.4.4
- 59 built-in roles, 9 categories, including the eight Zhuangzi dreams
- 50 MCP tools
- 11 company flavors
Quiz
What is the classic PUAX prompt formula?