code-standards

name	code-standards
description	User-scope code/diff/PR review against the user-wide standards — ZFC, ZFC leveling, root-cause-first, and the ponytail (lazy senior dev) ladder. Dispatched by the /code-standards command.

Code Standards Dispatch

Reviews code, diffs, PRs, or proposed implementations against four independent, user-wide standards. This skill is the source of truth for the four-lane workflow; ~/.claude/commands/code-standards.md is a thin dispatcher that points here.

Source skills (loaded by this workflow)

Skill	Path
Ponytail — lazy senior dev mode	~/.claude/skills/ponytail/SKILL.md
Zero-Framework Cognition (ZFC)	~/.claude/skills/zero-framework-cognition/SKILL.md
ZFC Leveling Roadmap	~/.claude/skills/zfc-leveling-roadmap/SKILL.md
Root-cause-first engineering	~/.claude/skills/root-cause-first/SKILL.md

~/.claude/skills/ponytail/SKILL.md is the canonical mirror of ponytail/.github/copilot-instructions.md. The same skill is mirrored at ~/.codex/skills/ponytail/SKILL.md for Codex.

Lanes dispatched

1. Ponytail — the lazy-senior-dev seven-rung ladder. Stops you from writing code that already exists in-tree, from adding a new dependency when stdlib or installed packages cover it, and from chasing abstractions that weren't requested. Mark intentional simplifications with a ponytail: comment.
2. ZFC — no keyword/regex/heuristic routing in application code. Delegate semantic decisions to a model.
3. ZFC leveling — for level-up work, the model picks the target level (do not derive primary availability from XP thresholds).
4. Root-cause-first — patch the upstream prompt/schema/agent first; only add backend enforcement as a narrow, logged invariant after documenting why prompt correction is insufficient.

Workflow

When invoked as /code-standards <scope> (or with no argument, against the current diff/PR):

1. Load ponytail first. It is the do discipline. Read it, apply the seven-rung ladder to the proposed diff before any of the check lanes run.
2. Define the review scope from the command argument, or use the current diff / active PR context if no argument was supplied.
3. Load the four source skills by path and treat them as authoritative. Do not duplicate the standards into the command file — this skill file is the only place the standards content should live.
4. Dispatch or emulate the four independent review lanes. Each lane must return either PASS with file/line evidence or FAIL with the exact location and required fix. Rationalizations are not evidence.
5. Reconcile the lane results into the report format below.
6. Do not mark any lane skipped unless this is the explicit smoke-test mode (see below). A repo-local command may add its own smoke-test argument that proves the command file loaded without dispatching reviews.

Report format

Reconcile the four lanes into one report:

Lane	Verdict	Evidence (file:line)	Required fix
Ponytail	PASS/FAIL
ZFC	PASS/FAIL
ZFC leveling	PASS/FAIL/N-A
Root-cause-first	PASS/FAIL

Smoke-test mode

If the argument contains smoke-test, do not dispatch review lanes and do not edit files. Instead, report:

• that the command file loaded,
• the command file path (~/.claude/commands/code-standards.md),
• this skill file path (~/.claude/skills/code-standards/SKILL.md),
• the ponytail skill path (~/.claude/skills/ponytail/SKILL.md),
• the marker for this revision.

This is the same convention used by repo-local .claude/commands/code-standards.md files (e.g. CODEX_CODE_STANDARDS_COMMAND_V1). It lets a runner confirm the command is on PATH and loadable without paying for a real review.

Bidirectional pointer contract

The user-scope command at ~/.claude/commands/code-standards.md is project-agnostic: it applies to every repo, including ones without a repo-local .claude/commands/code-standards.md. Any repo-local .claude/commands/code-standards.md (for example at $GITHUB_REPOSITORY/.claude/commands/code-standards.md) MUST:

1. Load BOTH files. State that the user-scope command at ~/.claude/commands/code-standards.md / this skill are the source of truth for the four-lane workflow (ponytail, ZFC, ZFC leveling, root-cause-first).
2. Always reference ~/.claude/skills/ponytail/SKILL.md so the lazy-senior-dev ladder is always part of the review, not a per-repo choice.
3. Define repo-specific behavior (e.g. an extra /thermo lane, a /es evidence rule, or a smoke-test marker like WORLDARCHITECT_CODE_STANDARDS_COMMAND_V1) WITHOUT forking the four user-scope lanes.
4. Stay loadable in codex debug smoke-test mode by honoring the same smoke-test argument convention.
5. Reciprocal pointer — the repo-local file MUST contain a bidirectional pointer back to ~/.claude/commands/code-standards.md and document which lanes are added vs. inherited.

When invoked inside a repo with a local copy, both files load. When invoked inside a repo without a local copy, the user-scope file is the complete implementation. The two are intentionally designed to co-exist; do not delete either one.

For Codex callers

~/.codex/commands/code-standards.md is a thin Codex-side dispatcher that references the same four user-scope source skills. If a repo-local .codex/commands/code-standards.md exists, prefer it; otherwise the ~/.codex copy is the entry point.