| 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
- 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.
- ZFC — no keyword/regex/heuristic routing in application code. Delegate
semantic decisions to a model.
- ZFC leveling — for level-up work, the model picks the target level (do
not derive primary availability from XP thresholds).
- 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):
- 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.
- Define the review scope from the command argument, or use the current
diff / active PR context if no argument was supplied.
- 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.
- 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.
- Reconcile the lane results into the report format below.
- 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:
- 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).
- Always reference
~/.claude/skills/ponytail/SKILL.md so the
lazy-senior-dev ladder is always part of the review, not a per-repo
choice.
- 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.
- Stay loadable in codex debug smoke-test mode by honoring the same
smoke-test argument convention.
- 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.
