git:20261003.b52dd9b to git:20261008.2a1fe84

11 added, 8 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: ponytail-debt

- description: "Harvest every ponytail: shortcut comment into one debt ledger, so deferrals get tracked instead of forgotten. One-shot report."

+ description: "Harvest every shortcut: comment into one debt ledger, so deferrals get tracked instead of forgotten. One-shot report."

homepage: https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail

license: MIT

---

- Every deliberate ponytail shortcut is marked with a `ponytail:` comment naming

- its ceiling and upgrade path. This collects them into one ledger so a deferral

+ Every deliberate ponytail shortcut is marked with a `shortcut:` comment naming

+ its ceiling and upgrade path (older code may say `ponytail:`). This collects them into one ledger so a deferral

can't quietly become permanent.

## Scan

Grep the repo for comment markers, skipping `node_modules`, `.git`, and build

output:

- `grep -rnE --exclude-dir=.git --exclude-dir=node_modules --exclude-dir=dist --exclude-dir=build '(#|//|/[*]) ?ponytail:' .` (add other comment prefixes if your stack uses them)

+ `grep -rnE --exclude-dir=.git --exclude-dir=node_modules --exclude-dir=dist --exclude-dir=build '(#|//|/[*]) ?(shortcut|ponytail):' .` (add other comment prefixes if your stack uses them)

+ If the user names their own marker word (`/ponytail-debt TODO`), grep for that word instead.

Each hit is one ledger row. The comment prefix keeps prose that merely mentions

- the convention out of the ledger.

+ the convention out of the ledger. Skip hits that are not a deferral, like a note

+ about a keyboard shortcut.

## Output

One row per marker, grouped by file:

`<file>:<line>, <what was simplified>. ceiling: <the limit named>. upgrade: <the trigger to revisit>.`

- The convention is `ponytail: <ceiling>, <upgrade path>`, so pull the ceiling

+ The convention is `shortcut: <ceiling>, <upgrade path>`, so pull the ceiling

and the trigger straight from the comment. Want an owner per row too? add

`git blame -L<line>,<line>`.

- Flag the rot risk: any `ponytail:` comment that names no upgrade path or

+ Flag the rot risk: any marker comment that names no upgrade path or

trigger gets a `no-trigger` tag, those are the ones that silently rot.

- End with `<N> markers, <M> with no trigger.` Nothing found: `No ponytail: debt. Clean ledger.`

+ End with `<N> markers, <M> with no trigger.` Nothing found: `No shortcut debt. Clean ledger.`

## Boundaries

Reads and reports only, changes nothing. To persist it, ask and it writes the

ledger to a file (e.g. `PONYTAIL-DEBT.md`). One-shot. "stop ponytail-debt" or

"normal mode" to revert.