Ponytail

The ponytail extension adds compressed communication modes to Selesai. You can switch between lite, full, and ultra compression levels, or call dedicated review helpers (ponytail-review, ponytail-audit, ponytail-gain, ponytail-debt, ponytail-help) through slash-command aliases.

Bundled with Selesai

Loaded automatically with Selesai; no per-extension npm install is required.

Manifest entry: ./ponytail/index.js
Runtime surface: Skill-backed

Setup and prerequisites

Bundled with Selesai and loaded automatically.
Companion skills are located in src/skills/ponytail* directories; the extension itself is the entrypoint, not the individual skills.

What it sets up

Registers the /ponytail slash command to set or report the current mode and default mode.
Registers /ponytail-review, /ponytail-audit, /ponytail-gain, /ponytail-debt, and /ponytail-help aliases that send the matching /skill:ponytail-* message.
Persists mode changes as ponytail-mode custom session entries.
Writes the default mode to the ponytail config file when you use /ponytail default <mode>.

What you can configure

Ponytail's default mode is resolved from environment, then config file, then the built-in default. Session commands can switch mode without persisting it.

Configuration locations and precedence

Ponytail config
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/ponytail/config.json, ~/.config/ponytail/config.json, or %APPDATA%\ponytail\config.json
XDG_CONFIG_HOME takes precedence; falls back to POSIX or Windows paths.

Settings

Key / path	Type, default, and values	Description
`defaultMode`	string Default: "full" Allowed values: "off", "lite", "full", "ultra", "review"	Default communication mode. "review" is treated as "full" when persisted.

Environment variables

Key / path	Allowed values	Description
`PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE`	"off", "lite", "full", "ultra", "review"	Highest-priority override for the default mode.

Command, tool, and shortcut controls

Key / path	Description
`/skill:ponytail*`	Invoke Ponytail skills.
`/ponytail default`	Persist the current session's mode to the config file.
`stop ponytail / normal mode`	Whole-message deactivation phrases.

Source evidence

src/extensions/ponytail/ponytail-config.cjs

What you can do

Enable compression with /ponytail lite, /ponytail full, or /ponytail ultra.
Disable it with /ponytail off.
Check the current and default modes with /ponytail status.
Set a new default mode with /ponytail default <mode>.
Run a review helper: /ponytail-review expands and sends /skill:ponytail-review.
Return to normal prose by sending stop ponytail or normal mode as the full message.

Commands, tools, and shortcuts

Command	Description
`/ponytail`	Toggle between `off` and the configured default mode.
`/ponytail <lite\|full\|ultra\|off>`	Set the current mode for this session.
`/ponytail status`	Show current mode and configured default mode.
`/ponytail default <off\|lite\|full\|ultra\|review>`	Persist a new default mode.
`/ponytail-review`	Alias for `/skill:ponytail-review`.
`/ponytail-audit`	Alias for `/skill:ponytail-audit`.
`/ponytail-gain`	Alias for `/skill:ponytail-gain`.
`/ponytail-debt`	Alias for `/skill:ponytail-debt`.
`/ponytail-help`	Alias for `/skill:ponytail-help`.
`stop ponytail` / `normal mode`	Natural-language phrase to disable ponytail.

There are no keyboard shortcuts or agent tools.

Limits and safety

The mode applies per session branch. When you resume or fork a session, the mode is restored from the most recent ponytail-mode custom entry in that branch.
review is valid as a persisted default but is normalized to full for runtime sessions.
The deactivation phrases only work when they are the entire user message.
Individual review helpers are companion skills, not separate bundled extensions; this extension only provides the slash aliases and mode management.
Higher compression levels reduce verbosity. Switch back to a lower level or off when you need detailed explanation.

Source evidence

Selesai version: 0.10.0