1. Habit
  2. Skills
  3. Ponytail Review skill
DietrichGebert · 54K installs

Ponytail Review skill
Runs by itself, pull request opened.

Every change reviewed before merge.

Install the Ponytail Review skill and make it a habit: follow https://gethabit.dev/skills/dietrichgebert/ponytail-review.md

  1. 1Copy
  2. 2Paste into Claude Code, Codex or Cursor
  3. 3It runs by itself

54K installs172K starsMIT licenceSource on GitHub ↗

Ponytail Review

by DietrichGebert · 54K installs

The skill

The ponytail review skill makes your agent review a diff like the developer on call: bugs, security, real load, missing tests, speed and code to delete, each with a concrete case and the smallest fix.

Only when you ask.

The habit

Every change reviewed before merge.

↻ Runs by itselfpull request opened

How the habit works.
You don't have to.

Three questionsWhen does it start? How does it check its work? What does it remember?

01

It starts by itself

pull request opened. Runs in GitHub Actions or Claude Code routine.

  • ↻ pull request opened
  • pull_request.opened or pull_request.synchronize

02

It checks its work

report format check. If a check fails, it tries again.

  • ✓report starts with What this change does:
  • ✓every finding has What this is, Problem, Fix and If we skip it
  • ✓every finding names a file and line range
  • ✓report ends with a Verdict: line

03

It remembers

review verdict log. The next run reads it first: past verdicts and findings still open on this branch.

loops/ponytail-review-loop/log.md

One run, step by step.
Then it stops.

Stop ruleStops after one pull request per run and one retry if the report format fails.

  1. 01

    Understand first

    Read the diff, callers, called functions, tests and README, and find the expected load.

  2. 02

    Look for problems

    Check for bugs, risks, scale issues, missing tests, slowness and lean cuts in that order.

  3. 03

    Confirm each case

    Keep only findings with a concrete input that goes wrong, and skip marked shortcut: comments within their limit.

  4. 04

    Write the report

    Group findings into must fix, should fix and nice to have, numbered across groups.

  5. 05

    Give the verdict

    End with the verdict, possible lean line savings and anything not checked.

What it may do.
Nothing more.

Safe by defaultIt writes only in its own folder and asks you before anything goes out.

Is it for you?
Use it when it fits.

Quick checkRead both lists. If the left one sounds like you, the Ponytail Review skill helps.

Use it when

  • ✓ You want a review before merging
  • ✓ A change touches shared functions
  • ✓ You want to know what code can be deleted

Skip it when

  • – You only want style comments
  • – You want the agent to change code directly

Questions

Ponytail Review skill, answered.

Does it fix the code?

No. It lists findings only. You pick which numbers to fix.

Will it complain about style?

No. Findings need a concrete failing case, so taste and vague worries are left out.

What if nothing is wrong?

The report says what the change does, that it looks good, and what was checked.

How do I install the Ponytail Review skill?

Copy the prompt at the top into your agent. It installs the skill from DietrichGebert/ponytail and sets up the habit. Or run npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-review.

Is the Ponytail Review skill free?

Yes. It is published under MIT. Habit is free too.

Ponytail Review. Now as a habit.

Install the Ponytail Review skill and make it a habit: follow https://gethabit.dev/skills/dietrichgebert/ponytail-review.md

  • Free
  • No account
  • Undo in one line

All DietrichGebert skills →More code skills →

Works in

  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • Cursor
  • ChatGPT
  • Claude app

Made by DietrichGebert, published under MIT. Habit links to the original and never changes it. Is this your skill?

Copying didn't work here. Select the line and copy it by hand.