Agent skill · software engineering · dietrichgebert
ponytail-help
Quick reference for ponytail's modes, skills, and commands. One-shot display.
Why this skill is useful
Provides specific commands and modes for the ponytail tool that enhance its usage and efficiency, which the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires npm installed locally. About 1k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-07-15. 97,533 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Ponytail Help Display this reference card when invoked. One-shot, do NOT change mode, write flag files, or persist anything. Levels Level Trigger What change ------- --------- ------------- Lite /ponytail lite Build what's asked, name the lazier alternative in one line. Full /ponytail The ladder enforced: YAGNI → stdlib → native → one line → minimum. Default. Ultra /ponytail ultra YAGNI extremist. Deletion before addition. Challenges requirements before building. Level sticks until changed or session end. Skills Skill Trigger What it does ------- --------- -------------- ponytail /ponytail Lazy mode itself. Simplest solution that works. ponytail-review /ponytail-review Over-engineering review: L42: yagni: factory, one product. Inline. ponytail-audit /ponytail-audit Whole-repo over-engineering audit: ranked list of what to delete. ponytail-debt /ponytail-debt Harvest ponytail: shortcut comments into a tracked ledger. ponytail-gain /ponytail-gain Measured-impact scoreboard: less code, less cost, more speed. ponytail-help /ponytail-help This card. Codex uses @ponytail, @ponytail-review, and @ponytail-help; Claude Code and OpenCode use the slash-command forms above (OpenCode ships all six as slash commands). Deactivate Say "stop ponytail" or "normal mode". Resume anytime with /ponytail. /ponytail off also works. Configure Default Mode Default mode = full, auto-active every session. Change it: Environment variable (highest priority): Config file (~/.config/ponytail/config.json, Windows: %APPDATA%\ponytail\config.json): Set "off" to disable auto-activation on session start, activate manually with /ponytail when wanted. Resolution: env var > config file > full. Update Enable auto-update once: open /plugin, go to Marketplaces, pick ponytail, Enable auto-update. Claude Code then pulls new versions at startup (run /reload-plugins when it prompts). Manual refresh: /plugin marketplace update ponytail then /reload-plugins. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills dietrichgebert/ponytail-help