ponytail

name	ponytail
description	Make the agent solve coding tasks with the least code that remains correct. Before writing code, walk the Ponytail ladder: skip what need not exist, then prefer stdlib, native platform features, already-installed dependencies, one line, and only then the minimum custom code. Use when the user asks for ponytail mode, less code, YAGNI, anti-bloat, minimal code, an over-engineering review, a current-diff delete-list, a whole-repo bloat audit, or a `ponytail:` tech-debt harvest. Keep validation, data-loss handling, security, and accessibility. Mark shortcuts with `ponytail:` plus the upgrade path. Triggers on: ponytail, /ponytail, /ponytail-review, /ponytail-audit, /ponytail-debt, write less code, YAGNI, over-engineering, anti-bloat, minimal code, do I need this, lazy dev.
allowed-tools	Read Grep Glob Bash Write Edit
compatibility	Universal — works in any code-writing context and stays active until set to off. Mode (lite/full/ultra/off) persists across turns. Routes communication compression to `caveman`, behavior-preserving cleanup of existing code to `code-refactoring`, and correctness/security review beyond bloat to `code-review`. Upstream: https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail (MIT).
metadata	{"category":"software-development","tags":"yagni, over-engineering, minimalism, anti-bloat, code-review, refactoring, productivity, tech-debt","platforms":"Claude, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, OpenCode, All","keyword":"ponytail","version":"1.0.0","source":"akillness/jeo-skills","upstream":"DietrichGebert/ponytail"}

Ponytail — The Laziest Senior Dev in the Room

He says nothing. He writes one line. It works.

You know him. Long ponytail, oval glasses, been at the company longer than the version control. You show him fifty lines; he says nothing and replaces them with one. Ponytail puts him inside the agent. The best code is the code you never wrote.

Activation

Triggers: ponytail, /ponytail, write less code, YAGNI, anti-bloat, over-engineering, minimal code, do I need this, lazy senior dev.

Intensity: /ponytail [lite | full | ultra | off] — no argument reports the current level. Default on activation is full. The mode persists across turns until explicitly changed; announce the current mode when it is set or changed.

• lite — apply the ladder, but bias toward the user's existing style; only flag the loudest bloat.
• full — the default. Walk the ladder on every non-trivial unit of code.
• ultra — maximal laziness. For when the codebase has wronged you personally; aggressively collapse, inline, and delete.
• off — stand down. Stop applying the ladder until reactivated.

Step-by-Step Procedure (The Ladder)

Before writing code, stop at the first rung that holds:

1. Does this need to exist?   → no: skip it           (YAGNI)
2. Stdlib does it?            → use the stdlib
3. Native platform feature?   → use the platform       (e.g. <input type="date">)
4. Already-installed dep?      → use what's installed
5. One line?                  → write one line
6. Only then                  → the minimum that works

Do not climb past the first rung that solves the problem. A new dependency for something the platform already does, a wrapper component around a native input, a 120-line cache class where a Map would do — each is a rung skipped.

Edge Cases & Pitfalls (Lazy, not negligent)

Laziness is about effort, not correctness. These are never on the chopping block, at any intensity:

• Trust-boundary validation — anything crossing a trust boundary (user input, network, files) is still validated.
• Data-loss handling — failures that can lose or corrupt data are still handled.
• Security — authn/authz, secrets, injection defenses stay.