ponytail-review

Reviews code diffs for over-engineering and lists what to delete or simplify.

Updated Jul 14, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/bond23869/skills --skill ponytail-review-bond23869
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ponytail-review
Source: https://github.com/bond23869/skills/tree/main/ponytail-review
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/bond23869/skills --skill ponytail-review-bond23869

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Codebases accumulate unnecessary complexity: hand-rolled utilities that duplicate the standard library, speculative abstractions with a single implementation, and dependencies that add nothing. This Skill reviews diffs exclusively for over-engineering and reports exactly what to cut, one line per finding. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Complexity-Only Review: Hunts dead code, reinvented standard library functions, unneeded dependencies, and speculative abstractions while ignoring correctness, security, and performance issues. - Tagged One-Line Findings: Each finding uses a tag (delete, stdlib, native, yagni, shrink) with the location, what to cut, and what replaces it. - Net-Line Scoring: Ends every review with a net line-reduction estimate, or reports "Lean already. Ship." when nothing can be cut. - Use Case: After opening a pull request, ask for an over-engineering review to discover that a 27-line validator class can be replaced by a one-line standard library call before merging. ## Quick Start Review this diff for over-engineering and tell me what can be deleted or replaced with standard library equivalents.

Frequently Asked Questions about ponytail-review

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I review code for over-engineering?

Invoke the review on a diff and it returns one line per finding: location, a tag (delete, stdlib, native, yagni, shrink), what to cut, and what replaces it. It ends with a net line-reduction estimate for the change.

What kinds of unnecessary code does an over-engineering review find?

It finds hand-rolled utilities the standard library already ships, dependencies duplicating native platform features, abstractions with a single implementation, dead code, and verbose logic that has a shorter equivalent form.

Does this review catch bugs or security issues?

No. It is scoped exclusively to complexity. Correctness bugs, security holes, and performance problems belong to a normal review pass, which this Skill explicitly complements rather than replaces.

Can the review apply the suggested deletions automatically?

No. It only lists findings with locations and replacements; it does not modify the code. You apply the cuts yourself or hand the findings to a separate editing step.

When should I not use an over-engineering review?

Skip it when the diff is still exploratory or when you need correctness, security, or performance feedback, since those are out of scope. It is most useful on near-final diffs where simplification is the goal.