Ponytail
Ponytail is a skill/plugin for AI coding agents that enforces a lazy-but-safe coding ladder: write only what the task needs, reuse existing code, prefer standard library and native features, and never cut validation, security, or accessibility. It reduces code size, cost, and latency while keeping safety guards intact. It is for developers using AI coding assistants like Claude Code, Codex, Copilot CLI, and others.
🎬 This Claude Code Plugin Writes 94% Less Code (ponytail) · Better Stack
✨ Key features
- Reduces code by ~54% on average (up to 94%)
- Cuts token usage by ~22%, cost by ~20%, time by ~27%
- Keeps 100% safety: never drops validation, security, accessibility
- Works across many AI coding tools via plugins or rules
- Active every session with mode levels (lite/full/ultra/off)
- Injects ruleset into subagents automatically
🎯 Use cases
- Implementing feature tickets with minimal code changes
- Avoiding over-engineered solutions like unnecessary libraries
- Refactoring existing code to be more concise and efficient
- Ensuring AI agents follow YAGNI and reuse existing code
📦 Installation
🧰 Requirements: Requires Node.js on PATH for Claude Code and Codex plugins; no API keys or accounts needed.
Claude Code
/plugin marketplace add DietrichGebert/ponytail
/plugin install ponytail@ponytail
(You have to send two separate prompts for the install to work)
Codex
codex plugin marketplace add DietrichGebert/ponytail
codex plugin add ponytail@ponytail
GitHub Copilot CLI
copilot plugin marketplace add DietrichGebert/ponytail
copilot plugin install ponytail@ponytail
Pi agent harness
pi install git:github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail
OpenCode
Add to opencode.json:
{ "plugin": ["@dietrichgebert/ponytail"] }
Gemini CLI
gemini extensions install https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail
Antigravity CLI
agy plugin install https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail
Hermes Agent
hermes plugins install DietrichGebert/ponytail --enable
Devin CLI
devin plugins install DietrichGebert/ponytail
OpenClaw
clawhub install ponytail
Grok Build
grok plugin install DietrichGebert/ponytail --trust
For other tools (Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, etc.), copy the matching rules file from the repo.
🚀 Usage
After installation, ponytail is active every session. Use commands like /ponytail to see status, /ponytail lite|full|ultra|off to change mode. Example from README: a date picker request results in a single native HTML input instead of a library.
⚠️ Good to know
The reduction is near zero on code that is already minimal; a terse reasoning model may spend more thinking tokens and increase cost on some models (e.g., GPT-5.5).
❓ FAQ
How does ponytail reduce code size?
It uses a ladder of checks before writing code: skip if not needed, reuse existing code, use stdlib, native features, installed dependencies, one-liners, and only then write the minimum that works.
Does ponytail sacrifice safety?
No. It explicitly never cuts validation, error handling, security, or accessibility. Benchmarks show 100% safety compared to a bare prompt that drops safety.
Which AI coding tools are supported?
Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot CLI, Pi, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Antigravity CLI, Hermes, Devin, OpenClaw, Grok Build, and many others via rules files (Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, etc.).
How do I change the default mode?
Set the PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE environment variable to lite, full, ultra, or off, or add a defaultMode field in ~/.config/ponytail/config.json.
📊 Repository
🤖 Overview, features, install steps and FAQ were generated from the project's README on Sep 4, 2026. Always check the original source before running commands.