Ponytail Help
SkillDev toolsponytail-help is a skill that shows a quick-reference card for ponytail modes, skills, and commands. It lists the lite, full, and ultra levels, the review, audit, debt, and gain skills, and how to trigger each one. It also covers deactivating the mode, setting a default level, and updating the plugin. The card is a one-shot display: it changes nothing and persists nothing.
Then ask your AI: use the Ponytail Help skill
Details
Instructions available. Your AI can read the instructions. Execution depends on the setup they require.
Account requirements not reviewed. Check the skill instructions before use; Ahel provides instructions and does not run this skill.
No other account needed.
Have ponytail installed in your agent host.
What your AI can do with it
- Show the lite, full, and ultra ponytail levels and their triggers
- List ponytail skills including review, audit, debt, and gain
- Explain how to deactivate ponytail and return to normal mode
- Describe setting a default level via environment variable or config file
- Cover updating the plugin and refreshing the marketplace
Getting started
- Have ponytail installed in your agent host.
- Invoke the skill with /ponytail-help or by asking for ponytail help.
- Read the reference card for levels, skills, and commands.
- To set a default level, add PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE or edit the config file.
What this skill tells your AI
The instructions your AI receives, as published by dietrichgebert/ponytail in skills/ponytail-help/SKILL.md and read by Ahel’s review.
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 was asked, name the smaller option in one line. |
| Full | /ponytail | The smallest complete change, a check where the logic needs one, and a reply that names what was skipped and any risk. Default. |
| Ultra | /ponytail ultra | Also questions the request and pushes back before building. |
Level sticks until changed or session end.
Skills
| Skill | Trigger | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| ponytail | /ponytail | Lazy mode itself: least new code, clear replies that name skipped work and risks. |
| ponytail-review | /ponytail-review | Quality review of a diff: bugs, security, load, missing tests, speed, what to cut. Each finding says what goes wrong and how to fix it. |
| ponytail-audit | /ponytail-audit | The same quality review for the whole repo, ranked. |
| ponytail-debt | /ponytail-debt | Harvest 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. |
In Codex CLI and the IDE extension, invoke skills with $ponytail:ponytail,
$ponytail:ponytail-review, or $ponytail: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):
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.
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
Signals
- GitHub stars
- 159k
- Forks
- 9k
- Last commit
- Oct 2026
Ahel review
K1binfo
installs-packages
Automated review, not a security audit. Ruleset v1+k2.
Questions
- What ponytail commands are there?
- The card lists /ponytail for lazy mode, /ponytail-review for diff review, /ponytail-audit for repo review, /ponytail-debt for shortcut tracking, /ponytail-gain for impact scores, and /ponytail-help for this card.
- How do I use ponytail?
- Run /ponytail to activate full mode, or /ponytail lite or /ponytail ultra for other levels. Skills like /ponytail-review run on demand. Say stop ponytail or normal mode to deactivate.
- Does this skill change my ponytail mode or settings?
- No. It is a one-shot display. It does not change mode, write flag files, or persist anything.
Advanced
- Item type
- skill
- Key
ponytail-help-dietrichgebert- Source
- github.com/dietrichgebert/ponytail
github.com/dietrichgebert/ponytail