ponytail--ponytail-audit

Audits an entire codebase for over-engineering and produces a ranked list of deletions and simplifications.

Updated Dec 3, 2025
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/hhenrichsen/dots --skill ponytail-ponytail-audit-hhenrichsen
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ponytail--ponytail-audit
Source: https://github.com/hhenrichsen/dots/tree/main/dot_skills/ponytail/ponytail-audit
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/hhenrichsen/dots --skill ponytail-ponytail-audit-hhenrichsen

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Codebases accumulate dead code, speculative abstractions, redundant dependencies, and hand-rolled utilities that the standard library already provides. Manually finding this bloat across a whole repository is slow and inconsistent, and teams often lack a structured way to decide what to cut first. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Whole-Repo Over-Engineering Scan: Scans the entire codebase rather than a diff, hunting for dead code, single-implementation interfaces, one-product factories, delegating wrappers, unused config flags, and hand-rolled stdlib equivalents. - Tagged, Ranked Findings: Classifies each finding as delete, stdlib, native, yagni, or shrink, and ranks them biggest cut first with a concrete replacement suggestion and file path. - Net Impact Summary: Ends the report with an estimate of removable lines and dependencies, e.g. "net: -300 lines, -2 deps possible." - Use Case: Before a refactor sprint, ask for an audit of your repository to get a prioritized list of what to delete, what to replace with standard library functions, and which abstractions to collapse. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to audit this codebase for over-engineering and list what can be deleted or replaced with stdlib equivalents.

Frequently Asked Questions about ponytail--ponytail-audit

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I audit a codebase for over-engineering?▼

Run a whole-repo audit that scans the full tree for dead code, speculative abstractions, and redundant dependencies. Findings are tagged by category and ranked biggest cut first, each with a suggested replacement and file path.

How to find dead code and bloat in a repository?▼

Scan for unused flexibility, dead flags and config, wrappers that only delegate, files exporting one thing, and factories with a single product. Each finding is reported as one ranked line with the path and what to cut.

What is the difference between a repo audit and a diff review?▼

A diff review examines only changed code in a pull request, while a repo audit scans the entire codebase. Use the audit when you want a holistic picture of accumulated bloat rather than feedback on new changes.

Does a code audit tool apply fixes automatically?▼

No, this audit is a one-shot report that only lists findings and applies nothing. It gives you a ranked deletion and simplification list so you can decide what to act on yourself.

What are the limitations of an over-engineering audit?▼

The scope is strictly over-engineering and complexity. Correctness bugs, security holes, and performance problems are explicitly out of scope and should be routed to a normal review pass instead.