ponytail-debt
List every `shortcut:` comment (and older `ponytail:` ones) as a debt ledger. One-shot report, changes nothing. Use for "ponytail debt", "what did ponytail defer", "list the shortcuts", /ponytail-debt.
How do I install this agent skill?
npx skills add https://github.com/dietrichgebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-debtIs this agent skill safe to install?
- Gen Agent Trust Hubpass
The skill identifies technical debt by scanning repository comments. It uses standard local commands (grep, git blame) to extract data. The primary risk is a low-level vulnerability to indirect prompt injection, as the skill processes and summarizes untrusted content from code comments without explicit sanitization or boundary markers.
- Socketpass
No alerts
- Snykpass
Risk: LOW · No issues
What does this agent skill do?
Every deliberate ponytail shortcut is marked with a shortcut: comment naming
its ceiling and upgrade path (older code may say ponytail:). This collects them into one ledger so a deferral
can't quietly become permanent.
Scan
Grep the repo for comment markers, skipping .git and everything the
.gitignore files ignore (dependencies, build output, caches, in any stack):
git grep --no-index --exclude-standard -nE '(#|//|/[*]) ?(shortcut|ponytail):' (add other comment prefixes if your stack uses them)
If the user names their own marker word (/ponytail-debt TODO), grep for that word instead.
Each hit is one ledger row. The comment prefix keeps prose that merely mentions the convention out of the ledger. Skip hits that are not a deferral, like a note about a keyboard shortcut.
Output
One row per marker, grouped by file:
<file>:<line>, <what was simplified>. ceiling: <the limit named>. upgrade: <the trigger to revisit>.
The convention is shortcut: <ceiling>, <upgrade path>, so pull the ceiling
and the trigger straight from the comment. Want an owner per row too? add
git blame -L<line>,<line>.
Flag the rot risk: any marker comment that names no upgrade path or
trigger gets a no-trigger tag, those are the ones that silently rot.
End with <N> markers, <M> with no trigger. Nothing found: No shortcut debt. Clean ledger.
Boundaries
Reads and reports only, changes nothing. To persist it, ask and it writes the
ledger to a file (e.g. PONYTAIL-DEBT.md). One-shot. "stop ponytail-debt" or
"normal mode" to revert.
How can the creator link this skill?
Add the canonical catalog link to the repository README so users can inspect current installs and available audits. The publishing guide covers the complete discovery path.
<a href="https://skillzs.dev/skills/dietrichgebert/ponytail/ponytail-debt">View ponytail-debt on skillZs</a>