ponytail-review skill for Claude Code: plain-English code review

Makes your agent review a change like the senior dev who gets paged when it breaks, with each finding in plain English.

Installs: 62.4K; on skills.sh
Stars: 182K; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

ponytail-review makes the agent review a change and report in full. It loads for requests like review this, code review, review my PR or is this over-engineered, or when you type /ponytail-review. It reviews what you name, or your uncommitted changes, or the last commit.

It reads the code the change touches, not only the diff, and checks in order: correct, safe, holds under load, tested, fast and lean. Findings come in three numbered groups (Must fix, Should fix, Nice to have), then a verdict. The file ends by saying it lists findings and changes no code.

Good for

Developers who want a second look before merging
Newer developers who need findings explained simply
Maintainers checking that a change is not over-engineered

Install ponytail-review

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the ponytail-review skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add DietrichGebert/ponytail --skill ponytail-review

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

Pick one route. The plugin makes ponytail active in every session and adds six skills, with two Node.js hooks, so node must be on your PATH. Send the two plugin commands as two separate prompts, as INSTALL.md says. The single-skill route gives you only /ponytail-review.

From the vendor's docs. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Quality review of a change: is the logic right, is it safe, does it hold under real load, is risky code tested, is it fast enough, and is every line needed. Reads the connected code, not only the diff. Each finding is explained in plain English. Use for "review this", "code review", "review the last commit", "review my PR", "is this over-engineered", /ponytail-review.

Sections in SKILL.md

1. Understand first
2. Look for
3. Check before you report
4. Output

Key facts

Author: DietrichGebert (repo owner)
Installs on skills.sh: 62,391 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 182,027 on the ponytail repo (Nov 2, 2026)
License: MIT
Last commit: 2026-10-29
What installs: 1 file: SKILL.md (the repo's skills folder has six ponytail skills)
Needs: Your code or a named PR or commit to review; the plugin route needs Node.js on PATH for its hooks
Works in: Claude Code, Codex, Copilot CLI, OpenCode, Gemini CLI and more, per the README and INSTALL.md

What it includes

Review what you name, else uncommitted changes, else the last commit
Reads the diff, callers, called code, tests and README, and finds the expected load.
Read · 1. Understand first
Bug, risk, scale, missing test, speed and lean
Lean covers delete, reuse, stdlib or native, yagni, merge and split.
2. Look for
Every finding needs a concrete case; propose the smallest fix
No finding without a case; no style taste or vague worries.
3. Check before you report
What this change does, then Must fix, Should fix and Nice to have
Each numbered finding has what it is, the problem, the fix and the cost of skipping it.
4. Output
Ship, or fix specific findings first
Adds a lean line count and a Not checked line when relevant.
Verdict line
Slash command to start a review
Also triggered by phrases in the description.
/ponytail-review

From the official docs

Permissions

Low risk

The review reads your code and writes a report, and the plugin route adds always-on hooks. Install the single skill if you only want reviews.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

The plugin route runs Node.js hooks
INSTALL.md says the Claude Code and Codex plugins run two small Node.js lifecycle hooks. In Codex you review and trust them in /hooks. The single-skill route avoids them.
The plugin writes files outside its own folder
INSTALL.md lists a mode flag in ~/.claude/.ponytail-active, ~/.config/ponytail/config.json and a statusline script copy in ~/.claude, plus a statusLine entry in ~/.claude/settings.json if you accept the setup nudge. The single-skill routes do not do this.
Install only from the official sources
The README says to install only from DietrichGebert/ponytail on GitHub or @dietrichgebert/ponytail on npm, and that it never ships exe or dll files.
The plugin keeps usage stats on your machine
The README says its band and board keep data in ~/.config/ponytail/band/ by default.

Questions

What does ponytail-review do?

It reviews a change for bugs, security, scale, missing tests, speed and unneeded code. It reads callers and tests, explains each finding in plain English and ends with a ship or fix verdict.

How do I install ponytail-review?

Use the install box above. The default is the single review skill, which adds no hooks and does not change how Claude codes. The box also shows the Claude Code and Codex plugin routes from the README, which install the whole ponytail set and run hooks, plus a Claude app ZIP upload and the skills CLI.

Does it change my code?

No. The file ends with: Lists findings, changes no code. You choose which numbered findings to fix.

Does installing the plugin change how Claude codes?

Yes, for the plugin route. The README says ponytail is active every session, and the plugin runs two Node.js lifecycle hooks. The single-skill route installs only this review skill.

How is it different from /ponytail-audit?

The README says /ponytail-audit runs the same checks on the whole repo, most important first, while /ponytail-review looks at the current diff or a target you name.

Is it safe to use?

The review itself reads code and reports. The plugin route adds Node.js hooks, so install only from DietrichGebert/ponytail on GitHub or @dietrichgebert/ponytail on npm, as the README advises.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: dietrichgebert/ponytail
Folder: skills/ponytail-review

dietrichgebert/ponytail skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 6

Using skills in Claude · support.claude.com
ponytail-review SKILL.md · github.com
ponytail-review SKILL.md · github.com
ponytail README · github.com
ponytail INSTALL.md · github.com
skills CLI commands · github.com