Ponytail Lazy Developer Mode
DietrichGebert/ponytail
Makes the agent pick the laziest solution that works: skip unneeded work, reuse what exists, prefer the standard library and platform features, and keep diffs small.
Detects and redirects scope creep during implementation — unrequested features, drive-by refactors, premature abstraction, and over-engineering.
Install Vibe Scope Guard
$ npx skills add ash1794/vibe-engineering --skill vibe-scope-guard -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install ash1794/vibe-engineering vibe-scope-guard --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard .claude/skills/vibe-scope-guard && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "vibe-scope-guard" agent skill from https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering/tree/master/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard into .claude/skills/vibe-scope-guard/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "vibe-scope-guard", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering/tree/master/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guardType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add ash1794/vibe-engineering --skill vibe-scope-guard -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install ash1794/vibe-engineering vibe-scope-guard --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard .agents/skills/vibe-scope-guard && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "vibe-scope-guard" agent skill from https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering/tree/master/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard into .agents/skills/vibe-scope-guard/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "vibe-scope-guard", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add ash1794/vibe-engineering --skill vibe-scope-guard -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install ash1794/vibe-engineering vibe-scope-guard --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard .cursor/skills/vibe-scope-guard && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "vibe-scope-guard" agent skill from https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering/tree/master/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard into .cursor/skills/vibe-scope-guard/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "vibe-scope-guard", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering.git --path plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add ash1794/vibe-engineering --skill vibe-scope-guard -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install ash1794/vibe-engineering vibe-scope-guard --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard .gemini/skills/vibe-scope-guard && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "vibe-scope-guard" agent skill from https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering/tree/master/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard into .gemini/skills/vibe-scope-guard/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "vibe-scope-guard", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install ash1794/vibe-engineering vibe-scope-guardInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add ash1794/vibe-engineering --skill vibe-scope-guard -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard .github/skills/vibe-scope-guard && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "vibe-scope-guard" agent skill from https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering/tree/master/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard into .github/skills/vibe-scope-guard/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "vibe-scope-guard", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add ash1794/vibe-engineering --skill vibe-scope-guard -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install ash1794/vibe-engineering vibe-scope-guard --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard .opencode/skills/vibe-scope-guard && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "vibe-scope-guard" agent skill from https://github.com/ash1794/vibe-engineering/tree/master/plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard into .opencode/skills/vibe-scope-guard/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "vibe-scope-guard", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
vibe-scope-guard- GitHub stars
- 163
- Token cost
- ~702 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 349 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 33
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Detects and redirects scope creep during implementation — unrequested features, drive-by refactors, premature abstraction, and over-engineering.
- Works in 3 steps: Was it requested? → No → → Is it required for the requested change… → Don't add it. Mention it as a suggestion…
- Tasks that involve Code simplification
- SKILL.md covers When to Use This Skill, When NOT to Use This Skill, Scope Creep Signals and The Rule, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Vibe Scope Guard is an agent skill from ash1794/vibe-engineering. Detects and redirects scope creep during implementation — unrequested features, drive-by refactors, premature abstraction, and over-engineering. Use while implementing, especially when a change is growing beyond the original request.
Its SKILL.md is about 700 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Development, covering Code simplification and Refactoring. The repository describes itself as: 33 engineering discipline skills for Claude Code, OpenAI Codex & Gemini CLI + a CLI for CI/CD enforcement. Extracted from real-world multi-agent system development. Born from… The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Tasks that involve Code simplification
- Tasks that involve Refactoring
Example prompts
- “Use the vibe-scope-guard skill to detect and redirects scope creep during implementation — unrequested features, drive-by refactors, premature…”
- “/vibe-scope-guard”
Workflow steps
3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Was it requested? → No →
- Is it required for the requested change to be correct? → No →
- Don't add it. Mention it as a suggestion in the summary if it's worth the user's attention.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 8f1d71b. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Vibe Scope Guard loads about 702 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 63 tokens; SKILL.md has 349 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from ash1794/vibe-engineering at commit 8f1d71b, republished under its MIT licence (© ash1794). 349 words, ~702 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/vibe-scope-guard/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- vibe-scope-guard
- description
- Detects and redirects scope creep during implementation — unrequested features, drive-by refactors, premature abstraction, and over-engineering. Use while implementing, especially when a change is growing beyond the original request.
- user-invocable
- true
vibe-scope-guard
The best code is the code you don't write. Frontier coding models tend to over-build: extra configurability, defensive layers, helpers "for later." Stay on what was asked.
When to Use This Skill
- During any implementation task
- When you notice you're "improving" code that wasn't in the request
- When the diff is noticeably larger than the request implies
- When you're about to create an abstraction "for later"
When NOT to Use This Skill
- During brainstorming (ideas should be unconstrained)
- When the user explicitly asks for broad improvements
- When the extra work is necessary for correctness (a bug in the code path you're changing)
Scope Creep Signals
| Signal | Example | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Unrequested features | "While I'm here, let me add caching" | Was caching requested? |
| Premature abstraction | "Let me create a generic helper for this" | Is there a second caller today? |
| Gold plating | "Comprehensive error messages for every case" | Only at system boundaries |
| Drive-by refactor | "This function could be cleaner" | Not in this change |
| Over-engineering | "Let me make this configurable" | Does anyone need to configure it? |
| Defensive sprawl | Validation and fallbacks for states that can't occur | Trust internal invariants; validate at the boundary |
| Documentation creep | "Docstrings on all these functions" | Only on what you changed |
| Test over-expansion | "Test every possible input" | Test boundaries and behaviors, not permutations |
The Rule
Three similar lines of code are better than a premature abstraction.
Before adding anything not explicitly requested:
- Was it requested? → No →
- Is it required for the requested change to be correct? → No →
- Don't add it. Mention it as a suggestion in the summary if it's worth the user's attention.
Steps
When you detect scope creep:
- Stop — Don't commit the extra work
- Revert it if it's already written
- Note it: "Also noticed: [X]. Not changed; want a follow-up?"
- If the user accepts — do it as a separate, clearly labeled change
Output
This skill mostly changes behavior rather than producing output. When invoked explicitly:
Scope Audit
Original request: [what was asked] Scope additions detected: X
| Addition | Requested? | Needed for correctness? | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| [extra work] | No | No | Removed; suggested as follow-up |
© ash1794, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard of ash1794/vibe-engineering.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 8f1d71b
Compare with similar skills
Vibe Scope Guard next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vibe Scope Guard this skillash1794/vibe-engineering | 163 | — | ~702 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Ponytail Lazy Developer ModeDietrichGebert/ponytail | 160k | 1 repos | ~873 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| PonytailDavidObando/gsharp | 565 | 7 repos | ~1.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Code Simplification for ego-litecitrolabs/ego-lite | 17k | — | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Refactor Pass for Simplicitystar-history/star-history | 9.6k | 1 repos | ~168 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| RTK Rust Code Simplifierrtk-ai/rtk | 83k | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
Similar skills
Ponytail
DavidObando/gsharp
Forces the laziest solution that actually works, simplest, shortest, most minimal.
Code Simplification for ego-lite
citrolabs/ego-lite
Finds and implements evidence-backed simplifications in the ego-lite repository, such as dead code, duplicated state and speculative abstractions, without hiding behavior changes.
Refactor Pass for Simplicity
star-history/star-history
Perform a refactor pass focused on simplicity after recent changes. Use when the user asks for a refactor/cleanup pass, simplification, or dead-code removal…
RTK Rust Code Simplifier
rtk-ai/rtk
Reviews RTK's Rust code for over-engineering and verbose patterns, applying idioms like iterator chains and early returns while protecting a specific list of constraints from being simplified away.
Over-Engineering Review
DietrichGebert/ponytail
Reviews a diff only for unnecessary complexity and lists what to delete or shrink, one numbered line per finding with the location, the cut and its replacement.
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Audits tests for concurrency safety — race conditions, shared mock state, cleanup ordering.
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Generates fuzz test scaffolding for parsers handling external input (YAML, JSON, config files, user input).
Vibe Golden File Testing
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Implements snapshot/golden file tests with temporal normalization so tests don't break daily.
Vibe Parallel Task Decomposition
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Vibe Slop Filter
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Strips AI-generation "smell" from prose before it ships (READMEs, docs, release notes, PR descriptions, posts, emails).
Vibe Spec Sync
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Keeps specification documents and code in agreement. An agent skill from ash1794/vibe-engineering.
Related
Categories
Questions about Vibe Scope Guard
What does Vibe Scope Guard do?
Detects and redirects scope creep during implementation — unrequested features, drive-by refactors, premature abstraction, and over-engineering. Vibe Scope Guard is an agent skill from ash1794/vibe-engineering. Detects and redirects scope creep during implementation — unrequested features, drive-by refactors, premature abstraction, and over-engineering.
When should I use Vibe Scope Guard?
Vibe Scope Guard fits situations like: tasks that involve Code simplification; tasks that involve Refactoring.
How do I install Vibe Scope Guard in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add ash1794/vibe-engineering --skill vibe-scope-guard -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard in ash1794/vibe-engineering) into .claude/skills/vibe-scope-guard in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Vibe Scope Guard in Codex?
Run `npx skills add ash1794/vibe-engineering --skill vibe-scope-guard -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/vibe-engineering/skills/vibe-scope-guard in ash1794/vibe-engineering) into .agents/skills/vibe-scope-guard in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Vibe Scope Guard in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add ash1794/vibe-engineering --skill vibe-scope-guard -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/vibe-scope-guard, .gemini/skills/vibe-scope-guard, .github/skills/vibe-scope-guard and .opencode/skills/vibe-scope-guard in your project.
What does Vibe Scope Guard need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Vibe Scope Guard is instructions for the agent only.
Does Vibe Scope Guard access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Vibe Scope Guard safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Vibe Scope Guard use?
Vibe Scope Guard is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Vibe Scope Guard use?
About 702 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Vibe Scope Guard?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Vibe Scope Guard: Ponytail Lazy Developer Mode (DietrichGebert/ponytail, 160k stars), Ponytail (DavidObando/gsharp, 565 stars), Code Simplification for ego-lite (citrolabs/ego-lite, 17k stars) and Refactor Pass for Simplicity (star-history/star-history, 9.6k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Vibe Scope Guard?
ash1794 (a GitHub user) maintains it in ash1794/vibe-engineering, which has 163 GitHub stars. The repository holds 33 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.
Source: ash1794/vibe-engineering on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.