ponytail-help

# Ponytail Help Display this reference card when invoked. One-shot, do NOT change mode, write flag files, or persist anything. ## Levels | 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. ## Skills | 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-audit** | `/ponytail-audit` | Whole-repo over-engineering audit: ranked list of what to delete. | | **ponytail-debt** | `/ponytail-debt` | Harvest `ponytail:` shortcut comments into a tracked ledger. | | **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 all six as slash commands). ## Deactivate Say "stop ponytail" or "normal mode". Resume anytime with `/ponytail`. `/ponytail off` also works. ## Configure Default Mode Default mode = `full`, auto-active every session. Change it: **Environment variable** (highest priority): ```bash export PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE=ultra ``` **Config file** (`~/.config/ponytail/config.json`, Windows: `%APPDATA%\ponytail\config.json`): ```json { "defaultMode": "lite" } ``` Set `"off"` to disable auto-activation on session start, activate manually with `/ponytail` when wanted. Resolution: env var > config file > `full`. ## Update 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 If `/plugin` is not recognized, your Claude Code is out of date.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. ## More Full docs + examples: https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail