ponytail-help
Provides a quick guide on how to use tools and commands. It helps to understand the available functionalities.
What it does
This is a quick guide to using Ponytail. It explains the different 'intensity' levels (Lite, Full, Ultra) and the various tools (skills) Ponytail offers, like reviewing code or tracking improvements.
When to use it
- ✓When you want to understand what Ponytail can do.
- ✓When choosing which Ponytail help level to use.
- ✓To know how to activate or deactivate certain Ponytail functions.
Example of what to ask your AI
“How do I use Ponytail?”
Want more? Open the sections below.
How to use
The easiest way: copy the message below and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any AI. It reads the skill and follows the instructions.
Skill link
Ready-to-paste message
How it works
When you ask for help with 'ponytail help', it displays this list of commands and explanations. It's like an instruction manual that appears when you need it.
Installation
Easiest way: copy the skill link and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor asking it to follow the instructions.
In the terminal (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor), in your project folder:
npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-helpOr download just the file:
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail/main/skills/ponytail-help/SKILL.md -o SKILL.mdTechnical content (original SKILL.md)
Original text by the author, straight from GitHub.
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 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.
Band (Claude Code)
/ponytail band hides the band above the prompt, the same command brings it back.
/ponytail band on and /ponytail band off set it directly. The level stays.
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
FAQ
What are the Lite, Full, and Ultra levels?
These are Ponytail's operating modes. Lite does the basics, Full does a bit more, including warnings about what was skipped, and Ultra questions the request more before proceeding.
What are the other Ponytail tools (skills)?
There are tools for code review (`ponytail-review`), auditing the entire project (`ponytail-audit`), logging improvements (`ponytail-debt`), and measuring results (`ponytail-gain`).
How do I deactivate Ponytail?
You can say 'stop ponytail' or 'normal mode'. To reactivate, use the `/ponytail` command.
Details
Original description by the author
Quick reference for ponytail levels, skills and commands. One-shot display. Use for /ponytail-help, "ponytail help", "how do I use ponytail".
repo: DietrichGebert/ponytail
Popularity
- GitHub stars
- 164k
- Ranking position
- #337
- License
- MIT
- Updated
- 10/15/2026
Comments
- …
More skills from this repository
ponytail-audit
Performs a complete code audit. It finds bugs, security flaws, slow code, and suggests what to remove or improve.
DietrichGebert/ponytail
ponytail-debt
Lists all code shortcuts ('shortcut:') left for later. It helps to see what still needs to be fixed in the project.
DietrichGebert/ponytail
ponytail-gain
Shows the code, cost, and speed savings achieved through optimizations. Useful for understanding the impact of improvements made.
DietrichGebert/ponytail
ponytail-review
Reviews the quality of a code change. It checks if the logic is correct, safe, fast, and if all lines are necessary.
DietrichGebert/ponytail
Similar skills
architecture-decision-records
Has your agent record important project structure decisions. It helps to understand the reasoning behind choices and maintain a clear history of changes.
affaan-m/ECC
code-tour
Lets your agent create step-by-step code walkthroughs with exact file and line anchors. It's useful for project introductions, code explanations, or change reviews. Helps understand how a system works.
affaan-m/ECC
codebase-onboarding
Helps your agent analyze unfamiliar code and create an onboarding guide. It includes an architecture map, entry points, and conventions. Ideal for starting on a new project.
affaan-m/ECC