ponytail

Apply a decision ladder before writing anything: check if the feature is needed at all, reuse existing helpers in the codebase, prefer standard library functions, then native platform features, and only write new code as a last resort. Stop at the first rung that solves the problem.

Prefer the standard library whenever it covers the use case, and use already-installed dependencies before adding new ones. Never add a dependency for something a few lines of code can accomplish, since each dependency adds maintenance and supply-chain cost.

Ponytail supports three levels: lite suggests a lazier alternative while building what was asked, full (the default) enforces the simplification ladder strictly, and ultra challenges the requirement itself. Switch anytime with /ponytail lite, full, or ultra.

Never simplify away input validation at trust boundaries, error handling that prevents data loss, security measures, accessibility basics, or anything explicitly requested. Also never skip understanding the problem first, since a small diff in the wrong place creates a second bug.

A bug report names a symptom, but sibling callers of the same function usually share the defect. Fixing once in the shared code path produces a smaller diff than guarding every caller and prevents the same bug from resurfacing through other paths.