ponytail-debt
Harvest every `ponytail:` comment in the codebase into a debt ledger, so the deliberate shortcuts and deferrals ponytail leaves behind get tracked instead of rotting into "later means never". Use when the user says "ponytail debt", "/ponytail-debt", "what did ponytail defer", "list the shortcuts", "ponytail ledger", or "what did we mark to do later". One-shot report, changes nothing.
npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-debt --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
Every deliberate ponytail shortcut is marked with a `ponytail:` comment naming its ceiling and upgrade path. This collects them into one ledger so a deferral can't quietly become permanent. ## Scan Grep the repo for comment markers, skipping `node_modules`, `.git`, and build output: `grep -rnE '(#|//) ?ponytail:' .` (add other comment prefixes if your stack uses them) Each hit is one ledger row. The comment prefix keeps prose that merely mentions the convention out of the ledger. ## Output One row per marker, grouped by file: `<file>:<line>, <what was simplified>. ceiling: <the limit named>. upgrade: <the trigger to revisit>.` The convention is `ponytail: <ceiling>, <upgrade path>`, so pull the ceiling and the trigger straight from the comment. Want an owner per row too? add `git blame -L<line>,<line>`. Flag the rot risk: any `ponytail:` comment that names no upgrade path or trigger gets a `no-trigger` tag, those are the ones that silently rot. End with `<N> markers, <M> with no trigger.` Nothing found: `No ponytail: debt. Clean ledger.` ## Boundaries Reads and reports only, changes nothing. To persist it, ask and it writes the ledger to a file (e.g. `PONYTAIL-DEBT.md`). One-shot.
- Scan
- Output
- Boundaries
What does the ponytail-debt skill do?
Harvest every `ponytail:` comment in the codebase into a debt ledger, so the deliberate shortcuts and deferrals ponytail leaves behind get tracked instead of rotting into "later means never". Use when the user says "ponytail debt", "/ponytail-debt", "what did ponytail defer", "list the shortcuts", "ponytail ledger", or "what did we mark to do later". One-shot report, changes nothing.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-debt --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From DietrichGebert/ponytail, a repository with 95,650 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.