ponytail-debt
List every `shortcut:` comment (and older `ponytail:` ones) as a debt ledger
by dietrichgebertFree
Description
ponytail-debt is an agent skill from the dietrichgebert ponytail collection, listed on skills.sh. It gathers every deliberate shortcut in a codebase into one ledger, so a deferral cannot quietly become permanent. A ponytail shortcut is marked with a comment that starts with shortcut and names its ceiling and upgrade path, and older code may use the ponytail prefix. The skill greps the repository for these markers, skipping git data and anything ignored by .gitignore, and each hit becomes one row in the ledger. Hits that are not deferrals, such as a note about a keyboard shortcut, are dropped. If a person names their own marker word, the skill searches for that word instead. It is a one-shot report and changes nothing. It is useful before a release, during a debt review, or whenever someone asks what has been put off. A skill is a SKILL.md file of instructions that an AI agent loads when a task calls for it. It is free and open source, and the skills.sh listing shows all three security audits passing.…
Highlights
- Ledger of shortcut comments
- Respects .gitignore
- Custom marker words
- Read-only one-shot report
Ratings & Reviews
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate ponytail-debt.
People also visit
rules-distill
Scan skills to extract cross-cutting principles and distill them into rules
extract-errors
Adding new error messages to React, or seeing "unknown error code" warnings
timeline-report
Generate a "Journey Into [Project]" narrative report analyzing a project's
ponytail-debt FAQ
What does the ponytail-debt skill do?
It lists every shortcut comment in the codebase as a debt ledger, so deferred work stays visible.
Does it change any code?
No. It is a one-shot report and changes nothing.
What counts as a shortcut?
A comment starting with shortcut or the older ponytail prefix that names the ceiling and upgrade path.
How do I install it?
Run: npx skills add https://github.com/dietrichgebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-debt
Is it free?
Yes. It is free and open source.
Are there security findings?
The skills.sh listing shows Gen Agent Trust Hub, Socket and Snyk all passing.
What are the best ponytail-debt alternatives?
Popular alternatives to ponytail-debt include competitive-report-structure, config-gc and rules-distill. See all ponytail-debt alternatives