Updated 1d ago
by DietrichGebert
ponytail
Makes your AI agent think like the laziest senior dev in the room. The best code is the code you never wrote.
164k GitHub stars (164,431)
+18k in 20 days
| Period | New stars |
|---|---|
| Sep 27 | +84 |
| Sep 28 | +425 |
| Sep 29 | +935 |
| Sep 30 | +1,029 |
| Oct 1 | +290 |
| Oct 2 | +1,327 |
| Oct 3 | +1,294 |
| Oct 4 | +1,615 |
| Oct 5 | +1,465 |
| Oct 6 | +1,103 |
| Oct 7 | +857 |
| Oct 8 | +754 |
| Oct 9 | +945 |
| Oct 10 | +1,100 |
| Oct 11 | +819 |
| Oct 12 | +651 |
| Oct 13 | +776 |
| Oct 14 | +871 |
| Oct 15 | +861 |
| Oct 16 | +806 |
- 6 skills (6 skills found in its SKILL.md files)
- 8.9k forks (8,864 forks)
- 1d ago last update (Last updated 1d ago)
Install
Skills CLI
npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail
Asks which skills and agents to install. Just one: npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-audit — add -g for every project.
Claude Code
git clone https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytailcp -r "ponytail/skills/ponytail-audit" ~/.claude/skills/
Copies the ponytail-audit skill into ~/.claude/skills/ for every project (use .claude/skills/ for one project). Repeat for the other skills listed below.
Plugin
/plugin marketplace add DietrichGebert/ponytail
Run inside Claude Code if the repository ships a plugin marketplace, then pick plugins from /plugin.
Skills can run code on your machine — read the SKILL.md first.
Editor's Pick
Chosen and reviewed by the DevSly team. It is pinned to the top of every Best Skills ranking.
What it does
In the author's own words, from each skill's SKILL.md.
-
ponytail-audit
Whole-repo audit for over-engineering. Like ponytail-review, but scans the entire codebase instead of a diff: a ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib/native equivalents. Use when the user says "audit this codebase", "audit for over-engineering", "what can I delete from this repo", "find bloat", "ponytail-audit", or "/ponytail-audit". One-shot report, does not apply fixes.
skills/ponytail-audit/SKILL.md on GitHub (opens in a new tab) -
ponytail-debt
Harvest every `ponytail:` comment in the codebase into a debt ledger, so the deliberate shortcuts and deferrals ponytail leaves behind get tracked instead of rotting into "later means never". Use when the user says "ponytail debt", "/ponytail-debt", "what did ponytail defer", "list the shortcuts", "ponytail ledger", or "what did we mark to do later". One-shot report, changes nothing.
skills/ponytail-debt/SKILL.md on GitHub (opens in a new tab) -
ponytail-gain
Show ponytail's measured impact as a compact scoreboard: less code, less cost, more speed, from the benchmark medians. One-shot display, not a persistent mode, and not a per-repo number. Trigger: /ponytail-gain, "ponytail gain", "what does ponytail save", "show ponytail impact", "ponytail scoreboard".
skills/ponytail-gain/SKILL.md on GitHub (opens in a new tab) -
ponytail-help
Quick-reference card for all ponytail modes, skills, and commands. One-shot display, not a persistent mode. Trigger: /ponytail-help, "ponytail help", "what ponytail commands", "how do I use ponytail".
skills/ponytail-help/SKILL.md on GitHub (opens in a new tab) -
ponytail-review
Code review focused exclusively on over-engineering. Finds what to delete: reinvented standard library, unneeded dependencies, speculative abstractions, dead flexibility. One line per finding: location, what to cut, what replaces it. Use when the user says "review for over-engineering", "what can we delete", "is this over-engineered", "simplify review", or invokes /ponytail-review. Complements co…
skills/ponytail-review/SKILL.md on GitHub (opens in a new tab) -
ponytail
Forces the laziest solution that actually works, simplest, shortest, most minimal. Channels a senior dev who has seen everything: question whether the task needs to exist at all (YAGNI), reach for the standard library before custom code, native platform features before dependencies, one line before fifty. Supports intensity levels: lite, full (default), ultra. Use on ANY coding task: writing, add…
skills/ponytail/SKILL.md on GitHub (opens in a new tab)
No skill matches that filter.
Review before you install
A skill is a set of instructions and scripts your agent will follow, and it can run code on your machine. Read the SKILL.md and any scripts first. This repository is an Editor's Pick, but repositories change after review — check the version you install.