ponytail-review

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

1|Updated Aug 24, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/CliffVale/opencode-free-setup --skill ponytail-review-cliffvale
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ponytail-review
Source: https://github.com/CliffVale/opencode-free-setup/tree/main/skills/ponytail-review
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/CliffVale/opencode-free-setup --skill ponytail-review-cliffvale

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 dead code, hand-rolled stdlib replacements, unneeded dependencies, and speculative abstractions while explicitly ignoring correctness, security, and performance issues. - 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 single metric showing how many lines could be removed, or confirms the diff is already lean. - Use Case: After a large feature branch is ready, run this review to discover that a 27-line validator class can be replaced by a one-line check, or that moment.js was imported for a single format call that Intl.DateTimeFormat handles natively. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to review this diff for over-engineering and tell me what can be deleted or simplified.

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 this 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 count of lines that can be removed.

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

It finds hand-rolled code the standard library already ships, dependencies duplicating native platform features, abstractions with a single implementation, dead code, and logic that can be written in fewer lines.

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 the review apply the simplifications automatically?▼

No. It only lists findings with locations and suggested replacements; it does not modify the code. You decide which cuts to apply.

When should I not use an over-engineering review?▼

Skip it when you need correctness, security, or performance feedback, since those are out of scope. It also never flags minimal tests or assert-based self-checks, so test coverage concerns need a different review.