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amanpal3
amanpal3COMMUNITY
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ponytail-debt

Scans repositories for ponytail shortcut comments and compiles them into a technical debt ledger.

1|Updated Sep 3, 2026
Search Tags:#technical debt#code comments#grep#code scan#shortcut tracking#debt ledger
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/amanpal3/SKILLs --skill ponytail-debt-amanpal3
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ponytail-debt
Source: https://github.com/amanpal3/SKILLs/tree/main/.agent/plugins/ponytail/.openclaw/skills/ponytail-debt
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/amanpal3/SKILLs --skill ponytail-debt-amanpal3

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Deliberate shortcut comments scattered across a codebase are easy to forget, letting temporary deferrals silently become permanent. This Skill collects every ponytail: marker into a single ledger so technical debt stays visible and tracked. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Repository-wide scan: Greps the codebase for ponytail: comment markers while skipping node_modules, .git, and build output. - Structured debt ledger: Groups one row per marker by file, extracting the ceiling (limit) and upgrade path (trigger) from each comment. - Rot-risk flagging: Tags any marker missing an upgrade trigger as no-trigger so the riskiest deferrals stand out. - Use Case: Before a sprint planning session, run the scan to produce a grouped ledger of all deferred shortcuts, then optionally persist it to PONYTAIL-DEBT.md for the team to review. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to scan this repository for ponytail markers and report the debt ledger.

Frequently Asked Questions about ponytail-debt

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I track technical debt comments in a codebase?▼

Mark each deliberate shortcut with a `ponytail:` comment naming its ceiling and upgrade path, then run a grep scan for the marker across the repo. The results are grouped by file into a ledger with one row per marker.

What format should a ponytail debt comment use?▼

Use the convention `ponytail: <ceiling>, <upgrade path>` after a comment prefix like `#` or `//`. The ceiling names the current limit and the upgrade path names the trigger to revisit it.

Does the ponytail scan modify my source files?▼

No, the scan is read-only and only reports findings. It writes a ledger file such as PONYTAIL-DEBT.md only if you explicitly ask it to persist the output.

How are risky debt markers identified in the ledger?▼

Any `ponytail:` comment that names no upgrade path or trigger is tagged `no-trigger`. These are the deferrals most likely to silently become permanent, so they are flagged for attention.

Can I add an owner to each debt ledger row?▼

Yes, run `git blame -L<line>,<line>` for each marker line to attribute the row to the commit author. This is optional and added on top of the default file, ceiling, and upgrade columns.

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