arena-power-user-playbook 🏆 v2.0.0
Executable companion to arena.ai power usage. Every claim here is either
sourced (dated, in references/), measured (script output), or
labeled as a heuristic. No unverifiable numbers, no phantom scripts.
Hard rules (anti-hallucination contract)
- Model names are rotating data, not facts. Never copy a name from this
skill into a live decision; use the live picker or
arena.ai/leaderboard/agent, then
model-checkagainst the snapshot. - The dated snapshot in
data/is a comparison baseline only. weakreports screening flags, never quality judgments.- Fallback is cloud-only — no local GGUF/llama.cpp, ever.
- Every script prints one machine-readable summary line; full JSON via
--out. Exit codes: 0 ok · 1 findings/changes · 2 usage or no data · 3 internal error.
Command contract
| Command | Purpose | Key flags |
|---|---|---|
mode |
recommend Direct / Agent / Side-by-Side / Battle | --task --files --steps --coding --compare --blind --budget-conscious --tasks file.json |
weak |
screen one response with weighted heuristic flags (bands weak/medium/strong) | --response | --file --min-words 35 --expect-short |
model-check |
fresh leaderboard dump vs dated snapshot: drift, rotated-out, new | --dump file.json --date |
snapshot |
write a new dated snapshot from a dump | --dump --date YYYY-MM-DD --out |
state |
SESSION-STATE.md for chunked multi-chat work | --file --action init|add|summary|next|validate --goal --phase --done ... --next ... --force |
stats |
local feedback log + report (self-improvement loop) | --action log|report --event --model --mode --log |
selftest |
run the skill self-test | — |
All commands: python3 scripts/arena_playbook.py <cmd> ... (python3 stdlib,
zero network, works on any agent runtime).
Mode decision (quick)
- Compare two known models → Side-by-Side · Blind A/B vote → Battle
- Multi-step / tools / files + build / coding with iteration → Agent (official Agent Mode task mix: coding 29%, research 11%, planning 11%)
- Single-shot Q&A, including one-file questions → Direct
- "Max/High/xHigh" are per-model compute tiers on the leaderboard, not a router. Pick model, then a tier the task can afford (see Cost/Task P50).
Details + official sources: references/modes.md.
Leaderboard (how to read it)
Headline = Net Improvement (τ̂) from causal tracing over in-the-wild
Agent sessions (95% CIs). Signals: confirmed success, praise-vs-complaint,
steerability, bash recovery, tool hallucination (lower = better). Small
session counts = wide CIs; adjacent ranks within CIs are not distinguishable.
Rotation protocol: model-check → snapshot. Details:
references/leaderboard.md.
Weak response (3-strike escalation)
weak bands: weak ≥50, medium ≥25, strong <25 (screening only). On a real
task: strike 1 = new chat, same task · strike 2 = rephrase + fresh chat with
state next carry · strike 3 = higher tier or different family from the live
board · persistent = switch provider (cloud-only table) or split the task.
Log each strike via stats log --event weak_response. Details:
references/fallback.md.
Load map (progressive disclosure)
| File | Load when |
|---|---|
references/modes.md |
deciding a mode beyond the quick table; auditing mode claims |
references/leaderboard.md |
reading ranks/CIs, running rotation protocol |
references/fallback.md |
arena.ai degraded, weak-response escalation, chunking |
data/model_snapshot_2026-09-05.json |
baseline for model-check — sourced from arena.ai/leaderboard/agent, board date 2026-09-05, fetched 2026-09-06 (verify before relying) |
tools/playbook_selftest.py |
verifying the install (10 groups, all offline) |
Verification
python3 scripts/arena_playbook.py selftest → ALL CHECKS PASSED.
README.md carries the artifact tree hash with the recompute script.
Privacy
Local scripts read only files you pass them; stats writes only to a local
log you name. Nothing leaves the machine. arena.ai itself processes your
prompts server-side — share only data appropriate for it.
