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Show the ponytail command and mode reference card. Use for ponytail help, available commands, or /ponytail-help. One-shot display, not a persistent mode.
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
Based on SOC occupation classification
Resolve short approval against the latest checkpoint. Use for "lgtm", "looks good", "approved", or "go ahead"; not risky or review feedback.
Re-check a prior assistant claim. Use when user says "nack", "not convinced", or "check again"; not for review feedback.
UI/UX routing front door. Use as the front door for broad or ambiguous UI/UX work that needs the right build, redesign, audit, design-system, accessibility, or browser specialist. Do not use when the user already names a narrower UI skill.
Proposes UI Vault resource upgrades for a selected webpage. Use when the user asks for libraries, assets, effects, or inspiration for an existing page. Do not use for implementation or greenfield design.
Upload, list, or delete files with s3upload and return expiring Azure links. Use for configured temporary Azure storage; not for S3 or cloud setup.
Ship local Git changes by inspecting, polishing, validating, split-committing, and pushing. Use for commit, push, ship, delivery audit, or delivery blockers; not deploys or releases.
| name | ponytail-help |
| description | Show the ponytail command and mode reference card. Use for ponytail help, available commands, or /ponytail-help. One-shot display, not a persistent mode. |
Shared package contract: follow skills/shared/COMMON-CONTRACT.md unless this skill's stricter output rules override it.
Display this reference card when invoked. One-shot, do NOT change mode, write flag files, or persist anything.
| 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.
| 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).
Say "stop ponytail" or "normal mode". Resume anytime with /ponytail.
/ponytail off also works.
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.
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.
Full docs + examples: https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail