Ponytail v4.10.0: Let AI write code like the laziest senior engineer, write 54% less in practicePonytail v4.10.0：让 AI 像最懒的资深工程师那样写代码，实测少写 54%

After loading, the agent must climb a ladder before writing any code. If it can stop at the lower step, it must not go down: Does this need to be done? (YAGNI) Is there already a ready-made → standard library in the→ current code base? What can the → platform native functions cover? Can the installed dependencies be → solved? Can it be written as a → line? None of the → above can be written to write the minimum code that can run.

The rules also emphasize order: the ladder is climbed "after you understand the problem", not as a substitute for understanding. Read the task and the code it involves, run the real process end-to-end, and then decide which level to stop at. The original sentence is very straightforward: a small change you don't understand is not laziness, it is disguised as efficient laziness.

The most typical example is the date picker. When you say "add a date picker", the average agent will load the flatpickr, write a packaging component, add a style sheet, and then start discussing the time zone with you. With ponytail installed, it gives you a line <input type="date">- because the browser already has it. In the official data, this case is 404 rows down to 23 rows, and the color selector 287 rows down to 23 rows.

A skill pack that only teaches AI to write less is dangerous, and ponytail draws the line very clearly. None of the following can be omitted: understanding the problem itself, input verification on the trust boundary, error handling to prevent data loss, safety, accessibility, calibration required for real hardware (clock drifts, sensor readings are skewed, the platform is never ideal in the specification), and anything explicitly requested by the user.

There is also a very strong requirement: non-trivial logic must leave "a running check" - a small example of an assert-based self-check, or a small test file, in short, the smallest thing that will fail if the logic breaks. No frames, no fixtures. A plain line of code doesn't need to be tested.

It also requires a “knowingly simplified” cap: if you use a global lock, an O (n ²) scan, or a plain heuristic, you must use a ponytail: comment to clarify what this cap is and how to upgrade it in the future. Technical bonds can be retained, but the name should be retained.

There are also clear rules for fixing bugs: the report is about symptoms, not root causes. To grep all the callers of the function you want to change, change it once in the shared function - one guard diff is smaller than one per caller, and the path that only fixes the work order name will make the other caller of the same source continue to break.

Claude Code takes the plugin market the easiest: claude plugin marketplace add DietrichGebert/ponytail then claude plugin install ponytail @ ponytail. The common way of multi-client is npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail.

Manual copying in offline or intranet environments - skill rules are plain text in nature. Cline users put .clinerules/ponytail.md into the project; Cursor users use .cursor/; clients that support the AGENTS.md specification to drop AGENTS.md directly into the project root directory. The directories for each client in the package are off-the-shelf.

Mounting takes effect by default. Common commands:/ponytail [lite | full | ultra | off] adjust the intensity or turn off,/ponytail-review let it review the code just written according to the lazy standard,/ponytail-audit bulk audit,/ponytail-debt list technical bonds,/ponytail-gain report how many lines have been saved.

A minor prerequisite: The Claude Code/Codex plugin and the Cursor hook run two very small Node.js lifecycle hooks, so the node needs to be on the path (which nvm or Nix users are aware of in the path of a non-interactive shell). There is no error, but the function "Every session automatically takes effect" will be silently disabled.

This site provides the v4.10.0 official source code package, and adds an additional Chinese instruction for use (instructions for use - Chinese .md), puts it under the root directory of the compressed package, and writes the directory structure, three installation methods, and the non-lazy list. About 1.24 MB.

It is suitable for people who are already overwhelmed by AI-generated boilerplate code, and for people who maintain old projects that already have a lot of ready-made tool functions. This skill pack may not be right for you if you explicitly want the agent to write more and write more (say, a full scaffold).

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