Ponytail Audit
- 11.1k installs
- 96k repo stars
- Updated July 15, 2026
- dietrichgebert/ponytail
ponytail-audit is an agent skill for Audit the whole repo for over-engineering. A ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib or native features.
About
Audit the whole repo for over-engineering. A ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib or native features. --- name: ponytail-audit description: "Audit the whole repo for over-engineering. A ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib or native features." homepage: https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail license: MIT --- ponytail-review, repo-wide. Scan the whole tree instead of a diff. Rank findings biggest cut first. ## Tags Same as ponytail-review: - `delete:` dead code, unused flexibility, speculative feature. - `stdlib:` hand-rolled thing the standard library ships. - `native:` dependency or code doing what the platform already does. - `yagni:` abstraction with one implementation, config nobody sets, layer with one caller. - `shrink:` same logic, fewer lines. ## Hunt Deps the stdlib or platform already ships, single-implementation interfaces, factories with one product, wrappers that only delegate, files exporting one thing, dead flags and config, hand-rolled stdlib.
- `delete:` dead code, unused flexibility, speculative feature. Replacement: nothing.
- `stdlib:` hand-rolled thing the standard library ships. Name the function.
- `native:` dependency or code doing what the platform already does. Name the feature.
- `yagni:` abstraction with one implementation, config nobody sets, layer with one caller.
- `shrink:` same logic, fewer lines. Show the shorter form.
Ponytail Audit by the numbers
- 11,138 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- +1,448 installs in the week ending Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
- Ranked #76 of 2,153 Testing & QA skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Security screen: LOW risk (skills.sh audit)
- Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
ponytail-audit capabilities & compatibility
- Capabilities
- `delete:` dead code, unused flexibility, specula · `stdlib:` hand rolled thing the standard library · `native:` dependency or code doing what the plat · `yagni:` abstraction with one implementation, co · `shrink:` same logic, fewer lines. show the shor
- Use cases
- documentation
What ponytail-audit says it does
--- name: ponytail-audit description: "Audit the whole repo for over-engineering.
A ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib or native features." homepage: https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail license: MIT --- ponytail-review, repo-wide.
## Tags Same as ponytail-review: - `delete:` dead code, unused flexibility, speculative feature.
npx skills add https://github.com/dietrichgebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-auditAdd your badge
Show developers this skill is listed on Skillselion. Paste this into your README.
| Installs | 11.1k |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 96k |
| Security audit | 3 / 3 scanners passed |
| Last updated | July 15, 2026 |
| Repository | dietrichgebert/ponytail ↗ |
When should developers use ponytail-audit and what problem does it solve?
Audit the whole repo for over-engineering. A ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib or native features.
Who is it for?
Developers working with ponytail-audit patterns described in the skill documentation.
Skip if: Skip when cached docs are empty or the task is outside the skill's documented scope.
When should I use this skill?
Audit the whole repo for over-engineering. A ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib or native features.
What you get
Grounded guidance and workflows from SKILL.md for ponytail-audit.
- Ranked over-engineering audit report
Files
ponytail-review, repo-wide. Scan the whole tree instead of a diff. Rank findings biggest cut first.
Tags
Same as ponytail-review:
delete:dead code, unused flexibility, speculative feature. Replacement: nothing.stdlib:hand-rolled thing the standard library ships. Name the function.native:dependency or code doing what the platform already does. Name the feature.yagni:abstraction with one implementation, config nobody sets, layer with one caller.shrink:same logic, fewer lines. Show the shorter form.
Hunt
Deps the stdlib or platform already ships, single-implementation interfaces, factories with one product, wrappers that only delegate, files exporting one thing, dead flags and config, hand-rolled stdlib.
Output
One line per finding, ranked: <tag> <what to cut>. <replacement>. [path]. End with net: -<N> lines, -<M> deps possible. Nothing to cut: Lean already. Ship.
Boundaries
Scope: over-engineering and complexity only. Correctness bugs, security holes, and performance are explicitly out of scope. Route them to a normal review pass. Lists findings, applies nothing. One-shot. "stop ponytail-audit" or "normal mode" to revert.
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Choose ponytail-audit over ponytail-review when the scope is an entire repository health scan rather than reviewing a specific pull request diff.
FAQ
What does ponytail-audit do?
Audit the whole repo for over-engineering. A ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib or native features.
When should I invoke ponytail-audit?
Audit the whole repo for over-engineering. A ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib or native features.
Where is the source documentation?
Ground claims in SKILL.md excerpts and linked reference files from the cached docs.
Is Ponytail Audit safe to install?
skills.sh reports 3 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.