DietrichGebert
Install Ponytail Debt
Pick your agent. Every command is ready to paste.
npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-debtThe open skills CLI detects your agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ more) and installs to the right folder. Add -g to install globally.
01
Install it
Run the command above, or upload the folder in Claude.
02
Ask naturally
Describe the task. Your agent loads ponytail-debt when the request matches its description.
03
Name it if needed
If it does not trigger, say “use the ponytail-debt skill”. In Codex, type $ponytail-debt.
The skill itself
SKILL.md
Every deliberate ponytail shortcut is marked with a shortcut: comment naming
its ceiling and upgrade path (older code may say ponytail:). This collects them into one ledger so a deferral
can't quietly become permanent.
Scan
Grep the repo for comment markers, skipping .git and everything the
.gitignore files ignore (dependencies, build output, caches, in any stack):
git grep --no-index --exclude-standard -nE '(#|//|/[*]) ?(shortcut|ponytail):' (add other comment prefixes if your stack uses them)
If the user names their own marker word (/ponytail-debt TODO), grep for that word instead.
Each hit is one ledger row. The comment prefix keeps prose that merely mentions the convention out of the ledger. Skip hits that are not a deferral, like a note about a keyboard shortcut.
Output
One row per marker, grouped by file:
<file>:<line>, <what was simplified>. ceiling: <the limit named>. upgrade: <the trigger to revisit>.
The convention is shortcut: <ceiling>, <upgrade path>, so pull the ceiling
and the trigger straight from the comment. Want an owner per row too? add
git blame -L<line>,<line>.
Flag the rot risk: any marker comment that names no upgrade path or
trigger gets a no-trigger tag, those are the ones that silently rot.
End with <N> markers, <M> with no trigger. Nothing found: No shortcut debt. Clean ledger.
Boundaries
Reads and reports only, changes nothing. To persist it, ask and it writes the
ledger to a file (e.g. PONYTAIL-DEBT.md). One-shot.
Tips for Ponytail Debt
- • Start a fresh session after installing so your agent picks up the new skill.
- • It is part of a pack with 6 skills. Install only the ones you need with --skill to keep triggers precise.
- • If two skills overlap, mention the one you want by name.
Questions about Ponytail Debt
What does the Ponytail Debt skill do?
List every `shortcut:` comment (and older `ponytail:` ones) as a debt ledger. One-shot report, changes nothing. Use for "ponytail debt", "what did ponytail defer", "list the shortcuts", /ponytail-debt.
How do I install Ponytail Debt?
Run "npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-debt" in your project. The skills CLI installs it for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ other agents. In Claude on the web, upload the skill folder as a ZIP under Customize > Skills.
Does Ponytail Debt work in Cursor and Codex?
Yes. Ponytail Debt uses the open SKILL.md format, so it works in Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and other agents that support agent skills.
Is Ponytail Debt free?
Ponytail Debt is open source on GitHub under the MIT license. It is free to install; check the license before commercial use.
Who made Ponytail Debt?
Ponytail Debt is published by DietrichGebert in the DietrichGebert/ponytail repository, together with 5 other skills.
