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From ponytail
Displays a quick-reference card for all ponytail modes, skills, and commands including usage, configuration, and update instructions.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/ponytail:ponytail-helpThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Display this reference card when invoked. One-shot, do NOT change mode,
Display this reference card when invoked. One-shot, do NOT change mode, write flag files, or persist anything.
| 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.
| 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-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 /ponytail and
/ponytail-review).
Say "stop ponytail" or "normal mode". Resume anytime with /ponytail.
/ponytail off also works.
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.
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If /plugin is not recognized, your Claude Code is out of date.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.
Full docs + examples: https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail
npx claudepluginhub dietrichgebert/ponytail --plugin ponytailGuides creating slash commands for Claude Code: structure, YAML frontmatter, dynamic arguments, file references, bash execution, user interactions, organization, and best practices.
Forces the laziest solution that works, with intensity levels. Use when you want to avoid over-engineering, boilerplate, and unnecessary dependencies.
Guides developers on creating, structuring, and organizing slash commands for Claude Code. Covers YAML frontmatter, dynamic arguments, bash execution, user interactions, and best practices for reusable command workflows.