| name | deslop |
| description | Question changed code as liability and remove unjustified surface area. Use before commit, push, PR, merge, or when a change feels overbuilt or low-value. |
Deslop
Repo/code changes: run /deslop before commit, push, PR, or merge.
Code is liability. Every added line can break, page someone, or need support.
Inputs
- Run
/simplify, /ponytail-review, /ponytail-audit for broad bloat, and /ponytail-debt for ponytail: markers; then use this skill as the stricter certainty gate.
- Read
git diff --stat and git diff for changed files.
- Read nearby code before proposing new helpers or abstractions.
- If the goal/spec is unclear, ask one question before judging value.
Loop: Delete -> Inline -> Justify
- Inventory additions -- new files, functions, branches, deps, config, hooks.
- Ponytail review -- run
/ponytail-review; record delete/stdlib/native/yagni/shrink candidates before judging value.
- Ponytail audit/debt -- for repo-wide cleanup or marked shortcuts, run
/ponytail-audit and /ponytail-debt. Pair audit/debt with /improve when fixes are not immediate.
- Reuse-first ladder -- before owning new code, prefer deletion, standard library, native platform, already-installed dependency, then one-line local code.
- Question every addition -- keep code only when you are certain it proves product value, defensive correctness, or test confidence.
- Delete first -- remove dead paths, speculative options, unused exports, wrapper layers.
- Inline second -- inline one-use helpers/components; prefer direct code until reuse is real.
- Tighten last -- flatten branches, improve names, shrink tests without weakening assertions.
- Eval evidence -- skill or harness changes need matching evals changed, with RED->GREEN or failing->passing evidence. No eval evidence means block or record why the change is docs-only/non-deterministic.
- Verify -- rerun focused tests/type/lint. Green alone is not enough if diff is noisy.
Blocking finding
Return NEEDS_CHANGES when the diff is low-value, sloppy, untested, non-defensive, or larger than the problem needs. Do not commit, push, or merge until the smallest passing diff is clear.
Output
- Kept: why each major addition deserves ownership cost.
- Deleted/inlined: what surface area shrank.
- Still risky: blockers, tests to add, or user decisions.
See REFERENCE.md for the surface-area budget checklist.
