TESIGN
SAVED

EN · KO

  1. TESIGN / RADAR
  2. ponytail

ponytail

Make your agent write less code

WHO USES ITSolo developer · Team lead

For developers

Makes a coding agent ask whether the code needs writing at all.

USE PACKAGE
START IN 5 MINUTES ↓
ponytail.dev landing page: a line-drawn developer with a ponytail on black, the title 'ponytail' and an install button.

TESIGN TAKE

The rule that matters: remove code that need not exist, but never cut validation, security or accessibility.

Activity and discovery evidence
★ 182k▲ +31 / 7dDaily star increases over 14 days. Hollow bars mean no data. The last day may be partial.2026-10-19 no data2026-10-20 no data2026-10-21 no data2026-10-22 no data2026-10-23 no data2026-10-24 no data2026-10-25 no data2026-10-26 +52026-10-27 +42026-10-28 +42026-10-29 +82026-10-30 no data2026-10-31 no data2026-11-01 +10largest one-day increase in the 14 days+10last 14 days · stars per dayhollow = no data

182,172 stars · checked on GitHub · 7-day +31 observed via GH Archive (as of )

RANKS All-time #7 AI #6 DEV TOOLS #2

AT A GLANCE

LICENSE
MIT
USAGE
Use, change and redistribute, commercially too. Keep the notice.
LANGUAGE
JavaScript
ACTIVITY
last commit 3 days ago () · latest release v5.3.3 () · 30 releases
COMMUNITY
133 contributors · 148 open issues (incl. PRs) · made by: an individual
SOURCES
GitHub
OPEN SOURCE
YES
FIRST SEEN
CATEGORY
AI · DEV TOOLS

A summary, not legal advice.

WHY IT MATTERS

Hand work to a coding agent and abstractions and options nobody asked for tend to arrive with it. ponytail makes the agent behave like the laziest senior developer in the room, biasing it towards removing code that does not need to exist. It attaches as a skill or rule set to tools such as Claude Code and Cursor, under the MIT license.

BUILD FROM THIS

  • A default agent configuration matching the team's coding rules
  • A pre-review rule set that strips out the padding first

WHO IT'S FOR

Solo developer
the agent keeps adding abstractions nobody asked for
Team lead
wants a default rule that strips padding before review

START IN 5 MINUTES

# In the Claude Code prompt, as two separate messages:
# /plugin marketplace add DietrichGebert/ponytail
# /plugin install ponytail@ponytail
# Codex:
$ codex plugin marketplace add DietrichGebert/ponytail
$ codex plugin add ponytail@ponytail

CAVEATS

  • The Claude Code and Codex plugins need Node.js on PATH for their hooks
  • On reasoning-heavy models such as GPT-5.5 it can cost more, per the README
  • The savings figures are the repository's own benchmark

RECEIPT

FIRST SEEN
AT SOURCE
KEPT
STAR DELTA
+10 ★ / 24h
CREATED → FIRST SEEN
93d
WHEN FIRST SEEN
136,829 ★
SOURCES
GitHub

The same facts in machine-readable form — View as Markdown · JSON

SIMILAR TOOLS

Up to five from AI by ★ total: edited entries first, then repository cards; this entry is highlighted. Drawn from the same stored snapshot as the rankings — a comparison, not a recommendation.

IMAGENAME★ TOTAL▲ 7dLICENSEPLATFORMLAST PUSH
ECC README banner: headline 'The operating system for AI agent harnesses', harness chips, and skill, agent and command lists.
eccSkills, memory and security for agents★ 295k▲ +28MITpermissivewindows · macos · linux · cli
DeepSeek Harness landing: blue background, the headline 'Everything is a plugin' and a quick-start box with the npx command.
DeepSeek HarnessPlugin agent harness for developers★ 268k▲ +61MITpermissiveweb · cli
Hermes Agent landing: blue background, the headline 'The agent that grows with you' and an engraving-style winged figure.
Hermes AgentSelf-improving personal agent★ 260k▲ +10MITpermissivelinux · macos · windows · android · cli
ponytail.dev landing page: a line-drawn developer with a ponytail on black, the title 'ponytail' and an install button.
ponytailMake your agent write less codeTHIS ENTRY★ 182k▲ +31MITpermissive—
anomalyco/opencodeCARD★ 207k▲ +8MITpermissive—

ALSO WORTH SEEING

RC DesktopGUI for WSL containers on WindowsThe RC Desktop dashboard: 6 of 7 containers running, 7 images, 6 volumes and the WSLC session status.Install to use
★ 5▲ 4 HN
A small Windows app that manages WSL Containers (wslc) like Docker Desktop, in Rust.GitOrangeTeam git host on CloudflareA GitOrange pull request page: 'Add division to the Mill', all checks passed and a Merge button.Self-host
★ 32▲ 2 HN
A self-hosted, GitHub-style git host for your team that deploys as a single Cloudflare Worker, with no servers to run.OpenDotsTemplate for always-on AI coworkersThe OpenDots page: four colourful Dot characters and 'Always-on AI coworkers for text, calls and Slack'.Self-host
★ 6.3k
An open-source template for always-on AI coworkers that each have their own computer and work across text, calls and Slack (alpha).MyGoBuild desktop apps in GoThe MyGo home page: 'Desktop apps in Go. Tiny, fast, fully typed.' with the start command.For developers
★ 4k
Build desktop apps in Go with a web frontend or a native UI; each app ships as one binary of a few megabytes.

TIMELINE

  1. Repository created
  2. FIRST SEEN BY TESIGN