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ponytail-audit

Audits an entire codebase for over-engineering and ranks what to delete or simplify.

2|Updated Jan 26, 2026
Search Tags:#refactoring#yagni#code audit#dead code#over-engineering#code simplification#repository scan
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Nzettodess/Awesome-Agent-Skills --skill ponytail-audit-nzettodess
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ponytail-audit
Source: https://github.com/Nzettodess/Awesome-Agent-Skills/tree/main/Skills/Development/ponytail-audit
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Nzettodess/Awesome-Agent-Skills --skill ponytail-audit-nzettodess

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Codebases accumulate dead code, redundant abstractions, and hand-rolled utilities that duplicate standard library features. This Skill scans the whole repository and produces a ranked list of what to cut, so you can reduce bloat without manually hunting through every file. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Whole-Repo Over-Engineering Scan: Reviews the entire codebase instead of a single diff, tagging findings as delete, stdlib, native, yagni, or shrink. - Ranked Findings Report: Outputs one line per finding ordered by biggest cut first, ending with an estimate of removable lines and dependencies. - Read-Only Audit: Lists findings without applying any fixes, keeping you in control of what actually gets removed. - Use Case: Before a major refactor, run the audit to discover that a custom retry wrapper duplicates a stdlib function, three single-implementation interfaces can be inlined, and an unused config flag can be deleted. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to audit this codebase for over-engineering and list what can be deleted or replaced with standard library equivalents.

Frequently Asked Questions about 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 every file for dead code, unused abstractions, and hand-rolled utilities duplicating the standard library. The output is a ranked list of what to delete or simplify, ordered by biggest cut first.

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

Look for unused flexibility, speculative features, dead flags and config, single-implementation interfaces, and wrappers that only delegate. Each finding is tagged by type so you can decide what to remove.

What is the difference between ponytail-audit and ponytail-review?▼

ponytail-audit scans the entire repository tree, while ponytail-review examines only a diff. Both use the same tagging system for delete, stdlib, native, yagni, and shrink findings.

Does the audit automatically fix or delete the flagged code?▼

No, the audit is read-only and one-shot. It lists findings ranked by impact but applies nothing, leaving all deletion and simplification decisions to you.

What issues are out of scope for an over-engineering audit?▼

Correctness bugs, security holes, and performance problems are explicitly out of scope. Those should be routed to a normal code review pass instead of this audit.

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