Art of War
Apply Sun Tzu's 13 chapters to AI agent organization and orchestration. This skill provides a framework for strategic decision-making about when, how, and which agents to deploy for maximum effectiveness with minimum waste.
Core Principles
知彼知己 (Know Enemy, Know Yourself)
- 知彼: Understand the task deeply — requirements, constraints, success criteria
- 知己: Know your agents' capabilities, limitations, and costs
- 百战不殆: With both, every agent deployment is calculated, not hopeful
上兵伐谋 (Best Strategy Attacks Plans)
- Planning > Execution. Invest in task analysis before spawning agents
- A well-planned single agent beats three confused agents
- "Win before fighting" — structure the problem so the solution is obvious
奇正相生 (Orthodox + Unorthodox)
- 正: Standard workflows, proven patterns, reliable agents
- 奇: Creative approaches, novel combinations, experimental agents
- Use 正 for reliability, 奇 for breakthrough. Never rely on 奇 alone.
速战速决 (Speed is Essential)
- Prolonged agent runs waste tokens and drift from intent
- Set clear termination conditions upfront
- If an agent isn't making progress in 2-3 iterations, reassess
先胜后战 (Victory Before Battle)
- Ensure conditions favor success before deploying agents
- If you can't articulate what "winning" looks like, don't start
- Retreat is better than wasting resources on unwinnable tasks
开工前自检（必用）
每次部署 agent 前，填这个表。填不完别发。
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 五事自检 FIVE CONSTANTS │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 道：这任务值得做吗？对齐目标吗？ │
│ □ 是 □ 否 □ 不确定 │
│ │
│ 天：现在是时候吗？依赖准备好了吗？ │
│ □ 是 □ 否 □ 不确定 │
│ │
│ 地：数据/上下文/工具齐了吗？ │
│ □ 是 □ 否 □ 不确定 │
│ │
│ 将：有合适的 agent 吗？能力匹配吗？ │
│ □ 是 □ 否 □ 不确定 │
│ │
│ 法：流程清楚吗？什么叫"做完"？ │
│ □ 是 □ 否 □ 不确定 │
│ │
│ 得分：___/5 │
│ ≥4: 可以发 | 3: 先补弱点 | <3: 别发 │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
三反验证（输出事实前必做）
要验证的事实：________________
□ 来源 1（Agent 内部知识）：________________
□ 来源 2（外部搜索/API）：________________
□ 来源 3（用户上下文/文档）：________________
一致 → 信 | 不一致 → 查
信号监控（迭代中盯这些）
⚠ 问同样的问题第二次 → 缺上下文，补
⚠ 输出越来越长 → 在填充，停
⚠ 过度自信 → 要来源，验
⚠ 回避问题 → 不会，直说
⚠ 循环论证 → 卡住，重定向
看到任一信号 → 立刻干预，别等第 5 次
迭代限制（写死）
最大迭代次数：3 次（默认）
Token 预算：_______
超时：_______ 分钟
到限不出结果 → 强制结论，停
The Thirteen Chapters → Agent Patterns
1. 始计篇 (Laying Plans) — Task Assessment
Before deploying any agent, run the Five Constants + Seven Metrics:
五事 (Five Constants):
- 道 (Wisdom): Does this task align with overall goals?
- 天 (Timing): Is now the right time? Dependencies ready?
- 地 (Environment): Do we have the right context/data/tools?
- 将 (Capability): Which agent(s) have the right skills?
- 法 (Process): What's the workflow? Success criteria?
七计 (Seven Metrics):
- Which side has better task clarity?
- Which side has more capable agents?
- Which side has better context/data?
- Which side has clearer success criteria?
- Which side has better tool access?
- Which side has more disciplined execution?
- Which side will waste fewer resources?
Decision: If you can't answer these, don't deploy. Plan first.
2. 作战篇 (Waging War) — Cost Awareness
Agent runs cost tokens. Treat them like war costs:
- 速战速决: Set iteration limits. Force conclusions.
- 因粮于敌: Use existing outputs/data; don't regenerate what exists
- 胜久则钝: Long-running agents lose focus and waste tokens
- 预算先行: Estimate token cost before starting; track as you go
Rule: If a task can be done in 1 agent iteration, don't use 3.
3. 谋攻篇 (Attack by Stratagem) — Planning Over Force
Hierarchy of agent deployment:
- 上策: Restructure the problem so it solves itself (no agent needed)
- 中策: Single focused agent with clear instructions
- 下策: Multiple agents in complex orchestration
Avoid siege warfare: Don't throw more agents at a poorly-defined problem.
全胜思维: The best outcome is winning without fighting — automate or eliminate the task entirely.
4. 军形篇 (Tactical Dispositions) — Defense First
Before offense, ensure defense:
- What can go wrong? (Hallucination, outdated info, tool failures)
- What's the rollback plan if the agent makes things worse?
- What guardrails prevent catastrophic outputs?
先为不可胜: Make yourself undefeatable first — have validation, version control, and undo capability.
以待敌之可胜: Then wait for the opportunity — deploy when conditions are favorable.
5. 兵势篇 (Energy/Impetus) — Momentum & Combination
Create unstoppable momentum:
- 势 (Shi): Build configurations where each agent output naturally triggers the next
- 奇正: Combine standard agents (正) with creative approaches (奇)
- 节 (Timing): Release agents in waves, not all at once
Example pattern: Research agent → Synthesis agent → Critique agent → Final polish
Each builds on the previous, creating momentum.
6. 虚实篇 (Weak Points & Strong) — Strategic Targeting
Avoid strength, attack weakness:
- Identify the critical bottleneck in the task
- Don't waste agent capacity on parts you can handle yourself
- Deploy agents where they have comparative advantage
避实击虚: If an agent struggles with nuance, handle the nuance yourself; let it handle the bulk work.
致人而不致于人: Control where the agent focuses; don't let it drift.
7. 军争篇 (Maneuvering) — Indirect Approaches
The longest path may be fastest:
- Sometimes 2-3 focused agents beat 1 generalist agent
- Sometimes doing background research first saves 10 iterations later
- "Appear weak when strong" — let the agent explore naive approaches first, then guide
以迂为直: A seeming detour (extra planning, extra validation) often reaches the goal faster.
8. 九变篇 (Nine Variations) — Adaptability
Agents must adapt to changing conditions:
- Have contingency plans: If agent A fails, what's plan B?
- 将在外，君命有所不受: Give agents autonomy within boundaries
- Recognize when to change strategy mid-execution
Five dangerous agent faults:
- Reckless iteration (burns tokens)
- Excessive caution (never completes)
- Quick temper (argues with user)
- Over-optimization (loses the goal)
- Blind compliance (no pushback on bad instructions)
Watch for these; intervene early.
9. 行军篇 (Marching) — Environmental Awareness
Read the signals:
- 相敌 (Observing the enemy): Watch agent outputs for drift, hallucination, confusion
- 信号 (Signals): Repeated questions = unclear instructions; circular reasoning = stuck
- 地形 (Terrain): Some tasks are "difficult ground" — high uncertainty, need more oversight
When to intervene:
- Agent asks the same question twice
- Output quality degrades over iterations
- Agent is confident but wrong
10. 地形篇 (Terrain) — Task Classification
Six terrain types → Six task types:
| 地形 | 任务类型 | Agent 策略 |
|---|
| 通形 (Accessible) | 清晰定义的任务 | 直接部署，标准流程 |
| 挂形 (Entangling) | 容易陷入细节的任务 | 设时间限制，强制输出 |
| 支形 (Stalemate) | 信息不足的任务 | 先收集信息，再决策 |
| 隘形 (Narrow) | 高约束任务 | 精确指令，严格验证 |
| 险形 (Dangerous) | 高风险任务 | 多重验证，保守策略 |
| 远形 (Distant) | 长链条任务 | 分阶段，设检查点 |
11. 九地篇 (Nine Grounds) — Commitment Levels
Match resource commitment to task importance:
| 地 | 任务重要性 | Agent 投入 |
|---|
| 散地 (Home ground) | 日常任务 | 轻量 agent，快速迭代 |
| 轻地 (Light ground) | 低价值任务 | 最小可用方案 |
| 争地 (Contentious) | 竞争/时间敏感 | 优先资源，快速部署 |
| 交地 (Open ground) | 多方协作 | 明确接口，文档先行 |
| 衢地 (Intersecting) | 多目标 | 平衡资源，避免偏废 |
| 重地 (Serious) | 高价值任务 | 多 agent 协作，充分验证 |
| 圮地 (Difficult) | 信息不足 | 先探索，后投入 |
| 围地 (Desperate) | 受约束 | 创造性方案，突破限制 |
| 死地 (Death) | 背水一战 | 全力以赴，不留退路 |
Most tasks are 散地 or 轻地 — don't over-invest.
12. 火攻篇 (Fire Attack) — Tool Usage
Fire = powerful tools (code execution, API calls, external data):
- 五种火 (Five fires):
- 人火 (Human fire): User-provided data/context
- 积火 (Accumulated fire): Cached/prepared resources
- 辎火 (Supply fire): Tool/API access
- 库火 (Arsenal fire): Code execution
- 队火 (Unit fire): Multi-agent collaboration
用火的时机 (When to use fire):
- 行必有备 (Always prepared): Have fallback if tool fails
- 发火有时 (Right timing): Don't use tools prematurely
- 发火在早 (Early): Use tools early to validate direction
Warning: Fire can burn you. Validate tool outputs; don't trust blindly.
13. 用间篇 (Spies) — Information Gathering
Five types of intelligence sources:
| 间 | Agent 应用 |
|---|
| 因间 (Local spies) | 利用现有文档/代码库 |
| 内间 (Inside spies) | 访问内部系统/数据库 |
| 反间 (Double agents) | 交叉验证多个信息源 |
| 死间 (Doomed spies) | 一次性查询（搜索、API） |
| 生间 (Living spies) | 持续监控（RSS、警报） |
关键原则:
- 三反: Cross-verify with 3+ independent sources
- 不可偏信: Never trust a single source
- 先知: Gather intelligence before making decisions
Quick Decision Tree
Task arrives
↓
Can I do this myself in <5 min?
├─ Yes → Do it (don't deploy agent)
└─ No → Continue
↓
Is the task clearly defined?
├─ No → Plan first (始计篇)
└─ Yes → Continue
↓
What's the token budget?
├─ Low (<10k) → Single focused agent (谋攻篇)
└─ High → Multi-agent OK (兵势篇)
↓
What's the risk if wrong?
├─ High → Defense first (军形篇), multiple validation
└─ Low → Speed优先 (作战篇)
↓
Deploy with clear success criteria
↓
Monitor for drift (行军篇)
↓
Validate output (用间篇 - cross-check)
Usage Examples
Example 1: Should I use an agent for this?
User: "I need to research competitors for our new product launch"
Apply 始计篇:
- 道: Aligns with business goals ✓
- 天: Launch is in 3 weeks, timing is good ✓
- 地: Need market data, competitor websites, reviews ✓
- 将: Research agent + synthesis agent ✓
- 法: Research → Synthesize → Present findings ✓
Decision: Deploy, but start with 因间 (existing reports) before 死间 (new searches).
Example 2: Agent is stuck in loops
User: "The agent keeps asking me the same questions"
Apply 行军篇: This is a signal (信号). The agent is on 挂形 (entangling ground).
Action:
- Intervene early
- Provide missing context
- Set iteration limit: "Answer in 2 iterations max"
- If still stuck, switch strategy (九变篇)
Example 3: Multi-agent orchestration
User: "I need to build a complete market analysis report"
Apply 兵势篇 (create momentum):
- Research agent (收集情报)
- Analysis agent (分析数据)
- Critique agent (找出漏洞)
- Writing agent (生成报告)
- Validation agent (交叉验证)
Each output feeds the next, creating 势 (momentum).
Remember
兵者，国之大事，死生之地，存亡之道，不可不察也
"War is a matter of vital importance to the State; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."
Agent deployment is the same. Treat it seriously. Plan thoroughly. Execute decisively. Review honestly.
