ponytail-review

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

Updated Sep 11, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/CYRUS-pinto/pi-bot --skill ponytail-review-cyrus-pinto
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ponytail-review
Source: https://github.com/CYRUS-pinto/pi-bot/tree/main/.agents/skills/ponytail-review
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/CYRUS-pinto/pi-bot --skill ponytail-review-cyrus-pinto

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Codebases accumulate unnecessary complexity: reinvented standard library functions, speculative abstractions, unused dependencies, and dead flexibility. This Skill reviews diffs exclusively for over-engineering and tells you exactly what to cut, one line per finding. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Complexity-Only Review: Hunts over-engineering patterns (dead code, hand-rolled stdlib equivalents, single-implementation abstractions) while explicitly excluding correctness, security, and performance concerns. - 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: -<N> lines possible metric, 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 check, or that moment.js can be swapped for Intl.DateTimeFormat with zero dependencies. ## Quick Start Review this diff for over-engineering and tell me what I can delete or simplify.

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 score showing how much shorter the diff can get.

What kinds of complexity does an over-engineering review find?

It finds dead code and unused flexibility (delete), hand-rolled logic the standard library ships (stdlib), dependencies duplicating platform features (native), abstractions with one implementation (yagni), and logic expressible in fewer lines (shrink).

Does this review catch bugs or security issues?

No. Correctness bugs, security holes, and performance problems are explicitly out of scope and should be routed to a normal review pass. This review only hunts unnecessary complexity.

Will it flag my tests as bloat?

No. A single smoke test or assert-based self-check is considered the minimum, not bloat, and is never flagged for deletion.

Does the review apply the suggested fixes automatically?

No. It only lists findings with locations and replacement suggestions. You decide which cuts to apply and make the changes yourself.