Ponytail Review

Review code or diffs only for over-engineering. Finds what to delete, replace with stdlib/native features, inline, or shrink. Use when the user asks whether something is over-engineered, what can be deleted, how to simplify a diff, or explicitly invokes ponytail review.

summersec 206613b 1.2 KB Updated

File contents

Review diffs for unnecessary complexity. One line per finding: location, what to cut, what replaces it. The best diff is a shorter diff.

Format

L<line>: <tag> <what>. <replacement>., or <file>:L<line>: ... for multi-file diffs.

Tags:

  • delete: dead code, unused flexibility, speculative feature. Replacement: nothing.
  • stdlib: hand-rolled thing the standard library already 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.

End with: net: -<N> lines possible.

If there is nothing to cut, say Lean already. Ship. and stop.

Scope: over-engineering only. Correctness, security, and performance are out of scope here.

summersec/sumsec-skills/tree/main/dev-tools/skills/ponytail-review commit 206613bdec

Frequently asked questions

npx skillmds@latest add summersec/ponytail-review