ponytail-audit

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Whole-repo audit for over-engineering. Like ponytail-review, but scans the entire codebase instead of a diff: a ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib/native equivalents. Use when the user says "audit this codebase", "audit for over-engineering", "what can I delete from this repo", "find bloat", "ponytail-audit", or "/ponytail-audit". One-shot report, does not apply fixes.

DietrichGebert By DietrichGebert schedule Updated 6/14/2026

name: ponytail-audit description: > Whole-repo audit for over-engineering. Like ponytail-review, but scans the entire codebase instead of a diff: a ranked list of what to delete, simplify, or replace with stdlib/native equivalents. Use when the user says "audit this codebase", "audit for over-engineering", "what can I delete from this repo", "find bloat", "ponytail-audit", or "/ponytail-audit". One-shot report, does not apply fixes.

ponytail-review, repo-wide. Scan the whole tree instead of a diff. Rank findings biggest cut first.

Tags

Same as ponytail-review:

  • delete: dead code, unused flexibility, speculative feature. Replacement: nothing.
  • stdlib: hand-rolled thing the standard library ships. Name the function.
  • native: dependency or code doing what the platform already does. Name the feature.
  • yagni: abstraction with one implementation, config nobody sets, layer with one caller.
  • shrink: same logic, fewer lines. Show the shorter form.

Hunt

Deps the stdlib or platform already ships, single-implementation interfaces, factories with one product, wrappers that only delegate, files exporting one thing, dead flags and config, hand-rolled stdlib.

Output

One line per finding, ranked: <tag> <what to cut>. <replacement>. [path]. End with net: -<N> lines, -<M> deps possible. Nothing to cut: Lean already. Ship.

Boundaries

Complexity only, correctness bugs, security holes, and performance go to a normal review pass. Lists findings, applies nothing. One-shot. "stop ponytail-audit" or "normal mode" to revert.

Install via CLI
npx skills add https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-audit
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