Darwin Skill Optimizer
alchaincyf/darwin-skill
Scores SKILL.md files on a nine-dimension rubric, then improves them in a keep-or-revert loop with independent judge agents, test prompts, git history and human checkpoints.
Shows a one-shot quick-reference card for the ponytail skills: intensity levels, the six commands, and how to turn it off, set a default mode and update.
Install Ponytail Help Card
$ npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-help -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install DietrichGebert/ponytail ponytail-help --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/DietrichGebert/ponytail.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/ponytail-help .claude/skills/ponytail-help && 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 "ponytail-help" agent skill from https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail/tree/main/skills/ponytail-help into .claude/skills/ponytail-help/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ponytail-help", 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/DietrichGebert/ponytail/tree/main/skills/ponytail-helpType 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 DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-help -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install DietrichGebert/ponytail ponytail-help --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/ponytail-help .agents/skills/ponytail-help && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "ponytail-help" agent skill from https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail/tree/main/skills/ponytail-help into .agents/skills/ponytail-help/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ponytail-help", 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 DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-help -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install DietrichGebert/ponytail ponytail-help --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/ponytail-help .cursor/skills/ponytail-help && 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 "ponytail-help" agent skill from https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail/tree/main/skills/ponytail-help into .cursor/skills/ponytail-help/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ponytail-help", 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/DietrichGebert/ponytail.git --path skills/ponytail-help--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 DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-help -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install DietrichGebert/ponytail ponytail-help --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/ponytail-help .gemini/skills/ponytail-help && 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 "ponytail-help" agent skill from https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail/tree/main/skills/ponytail-help into .gemini/skills/ponytail-help/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ponytail-help", 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 DietrichGebert/ponytail ponytail-helpInstalls 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 DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-help -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/ponytail-help .github/skills/ponytail-help && 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 "ponytail-help" agent skill from https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail/tree/main/skills/ponytail-help into .github/skills/ponytail-help/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ponytail-help", 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 DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-help -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install DietrichGebert/ponytail ponytail-help --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/ponytail-help .opencode/skills/ponytail-help && 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 "ponytail-help" agent skill from https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail/tree/main/skills/ponytail-help into .opencode/skills/ponytail-help/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ponytail-help", 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
ponytail-help- GitHub stars
- 159k
- Token cost
- ~726 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 320 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 6
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Shows a one-shot quick-reference card for the ponytail skills: intensity levels, the six commands, and how to turn it off, set a default mode and update.
- Looking up which ponytail commands exist
- SKILL.md covers Levels, Skills, Deactivate and Configure Default Mode, plus 2 more sections
- Calls npm and brew
- Checking what the lite, full and ultra levels do
What it does
When invoked, the agent displays a reference card and does nothing else: it does not change mode, write flag files or persist anything. The card lists three intensity levels. Lite builds what you asked and names a lazier alternative in one line, Full, the default, enforces a ladder from YAGNI through the standard library and native features down to one line and the minimum, and Ultra deletes before adding and challenges requirements before building. The chosen level stays until it is changed or the session ends.
The card also tabulates six skills and their commands: ponytail itself, an over-engineering review, a whole-repo audit that ranks what to delete, a debt skill that gathers shortcut comments into a ledger, a gain scoreboard, and this help card. Codex uses dollar-prefixed names while Claude Code and OpenCode use slash commands. It explains how to turn ponytail off by saying stop ponytail or normal mode, how to set the default mode through the PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE variable or a config.json file, with the variable taking priority, and how to enable auto-update through the plugin marketplace.
When your agent uses it
- Looking up which ponytail commands exist
- Checking what the lite, full and ultra levels do
- Finding out how to change ponytail's default mode or switch it off
Example prompts
- “Run /ponytail-help and show me the card.”
- “What ponytail commands are there and what does each one do?”
- “How do I set ponytail's default mode to lite?”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 9cc65d0. 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
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
npmbrew
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
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
Ponytail Help Card loads about 726 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 39 tokens; SKILL.md has 320 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 DietrichGebert/ponytail at commit 9cc65d0, republished under its MIT licence (© DietrichGebert). 320 words, ~726 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/ponytail-help/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- ponytail-help
- description
- Quick reference for ponytail levels, skills and commands. One-shot display. Use for /ponytail-help, "ponytail help", "how do I use ponytail".
Ponytail Help
Display this reference card when invoked. One-shot, do NOT change mode, write flag files, or persist anything.
Levels
| Level | Trigger | What change |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | /ponytail lite | Build what was asked, name the smaller option in one line. |
| Full | /ponytail | The smallest complete change, a check where the logic needs one, and a reply that names what was skipped and any risk. Default. |
| Ultra | /ponytail ultra | Also questions the request and pushes back before building. |
Level sticks until changed or session end.
Skills
| Skill | Trigger | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| ponytail | /ponytail | Lazy mode itself: least new code, clear replies that name skipped work and risks. |
| ponytail-review | /ponytail-review | Quality review of a diff: bugs, security, load, missing tests, speed, what to cut. Each finding says what goes wrong and how to fix it. |
| ponytail-audit | /ponytail-audit | The same quality review for the whole repo, ranked. |
| ponytail-debt | /ponytail-debt | Harvest shortcut: comments into a tracked ledger. |
| ponytail-gain | /ponytail-gain | Measured-impact scoreboard: less code, less cost, more speed. |
| ponytail-help | /ponytail-help | This card. |
In Codex CLI and the IDE extension, invoke skills with $ponytail:ponytail,
$ponytail:ponytail-review, or $ponytail:ponytail-help. Claude Code and OpenCode use the
slash-command forms above (OpenCode ships all six as slash commands).
Deactivate
Say "stop ponytail" or "normal mode". Resume anytime with /ponytail.
/ponytail off also works.
Configure Default Mode
Default mode = full, auto-active every session. Change it:
Environment variable (highest priority):
export PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE=ultraConfig file (~/.config/ponytail/config.json, Windows: %APPDATA%\ponytail\config.json):
{ "defaultMode": "lite" }Set "off" to disable auto-activation on session start, activate manually
with /ponytail when wanted.
Resolution: env var > config file > full.
Update
Enable auto-update once: open /plugin, go to Marketplaces, pick ponytail, Enable auto-update. Claude Code then pulls new versions at startup (run /reload-plugins when it prompts). Manual refresh: /plugin marketplace update ponytail then /reload-plugins.
If /plugin is not recognized, your Claude Code is out of date. Update it (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest, or brew upgrade claude-code) and restart. Other hosts use their own update flow.
More
Full docs + examples: https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail
© DietrichGebert, 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 skills/ponytail-help of DietrichGebert/ponytail.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 9cc65d0
Compare with similar skills
Ponytail Help Card 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponytail Help Card this skillDietrichGebert/ponytail | 159k | — | ~726 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Darwin Skill Optimizeralchaincyf/darwin-skill | 6.2k | 1 repos | ~4.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Using Agent Skillsaddyosmani/agent-skills | 103k | 4 repos | ~2.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Skill Creatorzhayujie/CowAgent | 47k | — | ~4.7k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Task Observerrebelytics/one-skill-to-rule-them-all | 3.2k | 1 repos | ~12k | Automated safety check: Pass | CC-BY-4.0 | |
| Skill Stocktakeaffaan-m/ECC | 276k | 5 repos | ~1.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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More from DietrichGebert/ponytail
Ponytail Gain Scoreboard
DietrichGebert/ponytail
Show ponytail's measured savings (code, cost, speed) from the benchmark. One-shot display. Use for /ponytail-gain, "what does ponytail save", "ponytail impact".
Ponytail Lazy Developer Mode
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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.
Ponytail Audit
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Quality audit of a whole repo: bugs, security holes, what breaks under real load, risky code without tests, slow paths, and what to delete, merge or split.
Ponytail Debt Ledger
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Collects every ponytail: comment in a codebase into one debt ledger, flags shortcuts with no upgrade trigger and reports without changing any files.
Over-Engineering Review
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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.
Related
Categories
Questions about Ponytail Help Card
What does Ponytail Help Card do?
Shows a one-shot quick-reference card for the ponytail skills: intensity levels, the six commands, and how to turn it off, set a default mode and update. When invoked, the agent displays a reference card and does nothing else: it does not change mode, write flag files or persist anything. The card lists three intensity levels.
When should I use Ponytail Help Card?
Ponytail Help Card fits situations like: looking up which ponytail commands exist; checking what the lite, full and ultra levels do; finding out how to change ponytail's default mode or switch it off.
How do I install Ponytail Help Card in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-help -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/ponytail-help in DietrichGebert/ponytail) into .claude/skills/ponytail-help in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Ponytail Help Card in Codex?
Run `npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-help -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/ponytail-help in DietrichGebert/ponytail) into .agents/skills/ponytail-help in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Ponytail Help Card 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 DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-help -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/ponytail-help, .gemini/skills/ponytail-help, .github/skills/ponytail-help and .opencode/skills/ponytail-help in your project.
What does Ponytail Help Card need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Ponytail Help Card needs the command-line tools its instructions call (npm and brew).
Does Ponytail Help Card access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Ponytail Help Card 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 Ponytail Help Card use?
Ponytail Help Card 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 Ponytail Help Card use?
About 726 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.9k 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 Ponytail Help Card?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Ponytail Help Card: Darwin Skill Optimizer (alchaincyf/darwin-skill, 6.2k stars), Using Agent Skills (addyosmani/agent-skills, 103k stars), Skill Creator (zhayujie/CowAgent, 47k stars) and Task Observer (rebelytics/one-skill-to-rule-them-all, 3.2k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Ponytail Help Card?
DietrichGebert (a GitHub user) maintains it in DietrichGebert/ponytail, which has 158,888 GitHub stars. The repository holds 6 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.
Source: DietrichGebert/ponytail on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.