chore: drop ZCode from the supported hosts (#1040)

Removes the ZCode install section, its portability row, the isZcode detection and JSON output branch, and its hook test. I can't test ZCode myself, so it should not be listed as supported.

Author: DietrichGebert

INSTALL.md

@@ -177,10 +177,6 @@ Start a new session (or reload plugins). Skills show as `/ponytail`, `/ponytail-
 
 `AGENTS.md` still works instruction-only from a checkout without the plugin.
 
-## ZCode
-
-ZCode loads Claude Code plugins. Open **Settings → Plugins**, choose **Create → Add marketplace**, enter `DietrichGebert/ponytail`, then install ponytail from the Personal tab. The ruleset arrives at session start and `/ponytail` level switches work, like in Claude Code (needs ponytail 4.10.3 or later and `node` on your PATH). ZCode has no `SubagentStart` event, so subagents run without the ruleset.
-
 ## Goose
 
 ```bash

docs/agent-portability.md

@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ to load in a given agent.
 | Codex | `.codex-plugin/plugin.json`, `hooks/claude-codex-hooks.json`, `hooks/`, `skills/` | Plugin install with the same skills plus lifecycle hooks for activation and mode tracking. |
 | CodeBuddy | `.claude-plugin/plugin.json`, `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`, `hooks/claude-codex-hooks.json`, `hooks/`, `skills/` | CodeBuddy Code reads the Claude-format manifests when no `.codebuddy-plugin/` exists and expands `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}` in hook commands, so `/plugin marketplace add DietrichGebert/ponytail` + `/plugin install ponytail@ponytail` installs the Claude plugin unchanged. The hooks detect it by `CODEBUDDY_PLUGIN_ROOT`, keep the mode flag in `$CODEBUDDY_CONFIG_DIR` or `~/.codebuddy`, and answer in `hookSpecificOutput` JSON. No subagent injection: CodeBuddy discards `SubagentStart` hook output. Verified with CodeBuddy CLI 2.161.2. |
 | Grok Build | root `plugin.json`, `.grok-plugin/marketplace.json`, `skills/`, `commands/` | `grok plugin install DietrichGebert/ponytail --trust`, then enable. Grok can auto-invoke ponytail from its coding-task skill description; `/ponytail` makes activation explicit. Grok lifecycle hooks are not used because passive hook output cannot inject instructions. |
-| ZCode | `.claude-plugin/plugin.json`, `hooks/claude-codex-hooks.json`, `hooks/`, `skills/` | ZCode loads Claude Code plugins: **Settings → Plugins → Create → Add marketplace** → `DietrichGebert/ponytail`, then install ponytail. The hooks answer in ZCode's strict JSON shape (detected via `ZCODE_APP_VERSION`, #799), so the ruleset arrives at session start and `/ponytail` switches land. ZCode has no `SubagentStart` event, so subagents run without the ruleset; the statusline nudge is skipped. Confirmed by users on ZCode 3.14.4 with ponytail 4.10.3 (#798). |
 | Goose | `plugin.json`, `skills/`, `AGENTS.md` | `goose plugin install https://github.com/DietrichGebert/ponytail.git` clones the repo into `~/.agents/plugins/ponytail/` and imports the six skills as `ponytail:<skill>`. Always-on rules come from `AGENTS.md`: goose reads it from the project (git root down to the working directory) and from `~/.agents/AGENTS.md`, plus `.goosehints` from `~/.config/goose/`. No lifecycle hooks, so no persistent `/ponytail` levels. Verified with Goose 1.53.0. |
 | Muse Code (Meta) | `AGENTS.md`, `skills/` | Muse reads `AGENTS.md` (or `CLAUDE.md`) in the project once the workspace is trusted, and `~/.config/muse/AGENTS.md` for every project. Skills: copy the folders from `skills/` to `~/.agents/skills/`, or run `muse skills install ./skills/<name> --scope user` per skill. Instruction-tier, no `/ponytail` levels or hooks. Verified with Muse Code 1.4.2. |
 | OpenCode | `.opencode/plugins/ponytail.mjs`, `.opencode/command/`, `hooks/`, `skills/` | Server plugin injects the ruleset each turn via `experimental.chat.system.transform` and persists `/ponytail` switches; reuses the shared instruction builder. Installs globally with `opencode plugin add @dietrichgebert/ponytail` (OpenCode writes the `plugins` entry itself), or per project through the `plugins` array in `opencode.json`. |

hooks/ponytail-activate.js

@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ const {
   isCodex,
   isCopilot,
   isCursor,
-  isZcode,
   setMode,
   writeHookOutput,
 } = require('./ponytail-runtime');
@@ -61,9 +60,7 @@ try {
 let output = getPonytailInstructions(mode);
 
 // 3. Detect missing statusline config — nudge Claude to help set it up
-// Skipped on ZCode: its statusline configuration story is unverified, and a
-// wrong pointer at Claude's settings.json would just mislead the agent.
-if (!isCodex && !isCopilot && !isCursor && !isZcode && !isCodeBuddy) try {
+if (!isCodex && !isCopilot && !isCursor && !isCodeBuddy) try {
   const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
   let statusCommand = null;
   if (fs.existsSync(settingsPath)) {

hooks/ponytail-runtime.js

@@ -31,9 +31,6 @@ const isCodeBuddy = !isCopilot && !isCodex && !isQoder && Boolean(process.env.CO
 // hooks next to CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT, and it needs Cursor-shaped JSON either
 // way, so this check comes after the hosts with their own data dirs.
 const isCursor = !isCopilot && !isCodex && !isQoder && !isCodeBuddy && Boolean(process.env.CURSOR_VERSION);
-// ZCode injects ZCODE_APP_VERSION into every child process, hooks included.
-const isZcode = !isCopilot && !isCodex && !isQoder && !isCursor &&
-  Boolean(process.env.ZCODE_APP_VERSION);
 
 let stateDir = getClaudeDir();
 if (isCodex) stateDir = process.env.PLUGIN_DATA;
@@ -128,13 +125,9 @@ function writeHookOutput(event, mode, context = '') {
     process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify(output));
     return;
   }
-  if (isQoder || isZcode || isCodeBuddy) {
+  if (isQoder || isCodeBuddy) {
     // Qoder: hookSpecificOutput JSON, same shape as Codex minus systemMessage.
     // UserPromptSubmit additionalContext is injected into the Agent's conversation.
-    // ZCode parses hook stdout as strict JSON too — raw text fails validation
-    // and is silently discarded (#798). Unlike Qoder it has SessionStart, so
-    // activate.js handles startup injection and only the output shape differs
-    // from Claude Code.
     // CodeBuddy would take raw stdout too, but also echoes it into the chat.
     const output = {};
     if (context) {
@@ -177,7 +170,6 @@ module.exports = {
   isCopilot,
   isCursor,
   isQoder,
-  isZcode,
   readMode,
   setMode,
   writeHookOutput,

tests/hooks.test.js

@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ delete process.env.COPILOT_PLUGIN_DATA;
 // A leaked subagent matcher would scope the inject-into-every-subagent assertions.
 delete process.env.PONYTAIL_SUBAGENT_MATCHER;
 delete process.env.QODER_SESSION_ID;
-delete process.env.ZCODE_APP_VERSION;
 // A leaked project dir would move the flag into ponytail-modes/ (#662).
 delete process.env.CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR;
 // Cursor sets these only for hook processes, but a suite launched from a Cursor
@@ -700,58 +699,6 @@ result = run('ponytail-activate.js', { ...codebuddyEnv, CODEBUDDY_CONFIG_DIR: co
 assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr);
 assert.equal(fs.readFileSync(path.join(codebuddyConfigDir, '.ponytail-active'), 'utf8'), 'lite');
 
-// Zcode: parses hook stdout as strict JSON, so the native-Claude raw-text
-// SessionStart output is silently discarded (#798). Same hookSpecificOutput
-// shape as Qoder, but Zcode does have SessionStart — activate.js injects the
-// ruleset at startup and the mode-tracker only speaks up on mode switches.
-const zcodeHome = path.join(temp, 'zcode-home');
-const zcodeState = path.join(zcodeHome, '.claude', '.ponytail-active');
-fs.mkdirSync(zcodeHome, { recursive: true });
-
-const zcodeEnv = {
-  HOME: zcodeHome,
-  USERPROFILE: zcodeHome,
-  ZCODE_APP_VERSION: '3.10.2',
-  PONYTAIL_DEFAULT_MODE: 'full',
-};
-
-// SessionStart: flag written, ruleset emitted as hookSpecificOutput JSON.
-result = run('ponytail-activate.js', zcodeEnv);
-assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr);
-assert.equal(fs.readFileSync(zcodeState, 'utf8'), 'full');
-output = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
-assert.equal(output.systemMessage, undefined, 'Zcode must not emit systemMessage');
-assert.equal(output.hookSpecificOutput.hookEventName, 'SessionStart');
-assert.match(
-  output.hookSpecificOutput.additionalContext,
-  /PONYTAIL MODE ACTIVE — level: full/,
-);
-
-// '@ponytail lite': mode tracker updates the flag and confirms via JSON.
-result = run(
-  'ponytail-mode-tracker.js',
-  zcodeEnv,
-  JSON.stringify({ prompt: '@ponytail lite' }),
-);
-assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr);
-assert.equal(fs.readFileSync(zcodeState, 'utf8'), 'lite');
-output = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
-assert.equal(output.hookSpecificOutput.hookEventName, 'UserPromptSubmit');
-assert.match(
-  output.hookSpecificOutput.additionalContext,
-  /PONYTAIL MODE CHANGED — level: lite/,
-);
-
-// "stop ponytail": deactivates, clears flag, short confirmation as JSON.
-result = run(
-  'ponytail-mode-tracker.js',
-  zcodeEnv,
-  JSON.stringify({ prompt: 'stop ponytail' }),
-);
-assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr);
-assert.equal(fs.existsSync(zcodeState), false, 'flag must be cleared after stop ponytail');
-output = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
-assert.equal(output.hookSpecificOutput.additionalContext, 'PONYTAIL MODE OFF');
 // writeDefaultMode must merge into existing config, not overwrite it (#490).
 const mergeHome = path.join(temp, 'merge-home');
 const mergeConfigDir = path.join(mergeHome, '.config', 'ponytail');