Pattern: Reducing Output Is Becoming a Measurable Agent Objective Rather Than a Code-Review Afterthought

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Ponytail's decision ladder and `/ponytail-gain` benchmark command treat 'lines not written' as a tracked metric with an intensity dial, and MonkeyCode pairs automated PR/MR review with upfront SPEC management for the same reason — an agent that generates freely produces review load faster than humans can absorb it. This inverts the last two years of tooling, which optimized for throughput. It is currently one strong data point plus a weaker corroborating one, so treat it as an emerging direction rather than an established shift, but the mechanism is worth adopting regardless: give the agent an explicit reuse-before-write ladder in your instructions file and a command that audits the diff against it.