How barkesh/ponytail works
Ponytail is an AI-agent coding skill with runtime hooks and host-specific adapters. The main workflow is a developer prompt entering an agent, where Ponytail’s activation supplies coding rules and a repository map; the agent then performs the task under those rules. Separate skills support review, audit, debt, gain and help. In Claude Code, the band surfaces session metrics and a local task board. The graph reflects documented behavior and sampled call/import evidence; unsampled adapter wiring is omitted rather than inferred.
Main entry points: board.ts Task board · ponytail-activate.js Session activation · ponytail-mode-tracker.js Mode tracker · register.tsx Band integration
Components 20
Agent workflow
- Core skill
skills/ponytail/SKILL.md
Skills and reviews
- Review skill
skills/ponytail-review/SKILL.md - Audit skill
skills/ponytail-audit/SKILL.md - Debt skill
skills/ponytail-debt/SKILL.md - Gain skill
skills/ponytail-gain/SKILL.md - Help skill
skills/ponytail-help/SKILL.md
Runtime hooks
- Session activation
hooks/ponytail-activate.js - Instruction builder
hooks/ponytail-instructions.js - Repository mapper
hooks/ponytail-map.js - Mode configuration
hooks/ponytail-config.js - Runtime state
hooks/ponytail-runtime.js - Mode tracker
hooks/ponytail-mode-tracker.js
Metrics band
- Session importer
hooks/ponytail-band-import.js - Band CSV ledger
- Band integration
hooks/band/register.tsx - Metrics helpers
hooks/band/metrics.ts - Task board
hooks/band/board.ts - Board artwork
hooks/band/logo.ts
Other components
- Developer
- AI agent
Connections 19
- Developer → AI agent: prompts
README.md - AI agent → Core skill: uses skill
README.md - Session activation → Instruction builder: builds rules
hooks/ponytail-activate.js - Session activation → Repository mapper: runs map
hooks/ponytail-activate.js - Session activation → Mode configuration: reads mode
hooks/ponytail-activate.js - Mode tracker → Mode configuration: reads and writes
hooks/ponytail-mode-tracker.js - Mode tracker → Runtime state: uses runtime state
hooks/ponytail-mode-tracker.js - Mode tracker → Instruction builder: loads rules
hooks/ponytail-mode-tracker.js - Developer → Review skill: requests review
README.md - Developer → Audit skill: requests audit
README.md - Developer → Debt skill: requests debt
- Developer → Gain skill: requests gain
- Developer → Help skill: requests help
- Session importer → Band CSV ledger: writes sessions
hooks/ponytail-band-import.js - Band CSV ledger → Task board: supplies CSV
hooks/band/board.ts - Band integration → Task board: uses board
hooks/band/register.tsx - Band integration → Metrics helpers: uses metrics
hooks/band/register.tsx - Metrics helpers → Task board: uses helpers
hooks/band/metrics.ts - Task board → Board artwork: renders artwork
hooks/band/board.ts