ponytail-help
dietrichgebert/ponytail
Quick-reference card for ponytail modes, skills, and commands.
What is ponytail-help?
Displays a one-shot help reference for all ponytail lazy-coding modes (Lite, Full, Ultra), available skills, and command triggers. Use it to understand ponytail's command syntax and configuration without entering a persistent mode.
- Display all ponytail modes and their behaviors in a reference table
- Show available skills (ponytail, ponytail-review, ponytail-gain) and their triggers
- List command triggers for activating help and deactivating ponytail
- Explain how to configure default mode via environment variable or config file
- Provide update instructions for Claude Code and other hosts
How to install ponytail-help
npx skills add https://github.com/dietrichgebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-helpHow to use ponytail-help
- 1.Trigger the help card by typing `/ponytail-help`, saying 'ponytail help', 'what ponytail commands', or 'how do I use ponytail'
- 2.Review the Levels table to understand Lite (lazy alternative), Full (default, enforced ladder), and Ultra (deletion-first) modes
- 3.Check the Skills table to see available commands: `/ponytail`, `/ponytail-review`, `/ponytail-gain`
- 4.If you want to change the default mode, set the environment variable `PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE` or edit `~/.config/ponytail/config.json`
- 5.To deactivate, say 'stop ponytail' or 'normal mode'; resume anytime with `/ponytail`
Use cases
- New user learning ponytail commands and modes for the first time
- Quick lookup of the correct slash-command or trigger phrase
- Understanding the difference between Lite, Full, and Ultra modes before switching
- Finding the config file location to set a persistent default mode
- Checking how to enable auto-update for ponytail in Claude Code
- Developers using Claude Code, Cursor, or OpenCode with ponytail installed
- Teams adopting lazy-coding practices and YAGNI principles
- Anyone needing a quick reference without reading full documentation
ponytail-help FAQ
Lite builds what's asked and names the lazier alternative in one line. Full (default) enforces the YAGNI ladder: YAGNI → stdlib → native → one line → minimum. Ultra is YAGNI extremist, challenging requirements and deleting before adding.
Set the environment variable `PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE=lite` (or `ultra`), or create `~/.config/ponytail/config.json` with `{"defaultMode": "lite"}`. Environment variable takes highest priority.
Say 'stop ponytail', 'normal mode', or use `/ponytail off`. Resume anytime with `/ponytail`.
Open `/plugin`, go to Marketplaces, select ponytail, and enable auto-update. Claude Code will pull new versions at startup. Alternatively, run `/plugin marketplace update ponytail` then `/reload-plugins`.
ponytail-review identifies over-engineering issues (e.g., 'L42: yagni: factory, one product. Inline.'). ponytail-gain shows measured impact: less code, less cost, more speed.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from dietrichgebert/ponytail.
name: ponytail-help description: > 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".
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-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 /ponytail and
/ponytail-review).
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):
export PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE=ultra
Config file (~/.config/ponytail/config.json, Windows: %APPDATA%\ponytail\config.json):
{ "defaultMode": "lite" }
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.
If /plugin is not recognized, your Claude Code is out of date. Update it (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest, or brew upgrade claude-code) and restart. Other hosts use their own update flow.
More
Full docs + examples: https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail
Related skills
More from dietrichgebert/ponytail and the wider catalog.
ponytail
Forces the laziest solution that actually works—question whether tasks need to exist, reach for stdlib first, ship minimal code.
ponytail-review
Code review focused exclusively on over-engineering—finds what to delete.
ponytail-audit
Whole-repo audit for over-engineering: ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace.
ponytail-debt
Harvest ponytail: comments into a debt ledger to track deliberate shortcuts before they rot.
ponytail-gain
Display ponytail's measured benchmark impact as a compact ASCII scoreboard.