ðŠĻ why use many token when few token do trick â Claude Code skill that cuts 75% of tokens by talking like caveman
# Add to your Claude Code skills
git clone https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/cavemanA Claude Code skill/plugin and Codex plugin that makes agent talk like caveman â cutting ~75% of tokens while keeping full technical accuracy.
Based on the viral observation that caveman-speak dramatically reduces LLM token usage without losing technical substance. So we made it a one-line install.
"The reason your React component is re-rendering is likely because you're creating a new object reference on each render cycle. When you pass an inline object as a prop, React's shallow comparison sees it as a different object every time, which triggers a re-render. I'd recommend using useMemo to memoize the object."
"New object ref each render. Inline object prop = new ref = re-render. Wrap in
useMemo."
"Sure! I'd be happy to help you with that. The issue you're experiencing is most likely caused by your authentication middleware not properly validating the token expiry. Let me take a look and suggest a fix."
"Bug in auth middleware. Token expiry check use
<not<=. Fix:"
Same fix. 75% less word. Brain still big.
Sometimes too much caveman. Sometimes not enough:
"Your component re-renders because you create a new object reference each render. Inline object props fail shallow comparison every time. Wrap it in
useMemo."
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
"New object ref each render. Inline object prop = new ref = re-render. Wrap in
useMemo."
"Inline obj prop â new ref â re-render.
useMemo."
Same answer. You pick how many word.
Real token counts from the Claude API (reproduce it yourself):
| Task | Normal (tokens) | Caveman (tokens) | Saved | |------|---------------:|----------------:|------:| | Explain React re-render bug | 1180 | 159 | 87% | | Fix auth middleware token expiry | 704 | 121 | 83% | | Set up PostgreSQL connection pool | 2347 | 380 | 84% | | Explain git rebase vs merge | 702 | 292 | 58% | | Refactor callback to async/await | 387 | 301 | 22% | | Architecture: microservices vs monolith | 446 | 310 | 30% | | Review PR for security issues | 678 | 398 | 41% | | Docker multi-stage build | 1042 | 290 | 72% | | Debug PostgreSQL race condition | 1200 | 232 | 81% | | Implement React error boundary | 3454 | 456 | 87% | | Average | 1214 | 294 | 65% |
Range: 22%â87% savings across prompts.
[!IMPORTANT] Caveman only affects output tokens â thinking/reasoning tokens are untouched. Caveman no make brain smaller. Caveman make mouth smaller. Biggest win is readability and speed, cost savings are a bonus.
A March 2026 paper "Brevity Constraints Reverse Performance Hierarchies in Language Models" found that constraining large models to brief responses improved accuracy by 26 percentage points on certain benchmarks and completely reversed performance hierarchies. Verbose not always better. Sometimes less word = more correct.
npx skills add JuliusBrussee/caveman
Or with Claude Code plugin system:
claude plugin marketplace add JuliusBrussee/caveman
claude plugin install caveman@caveman
Codex:
/pluginsCavemanInstall once. Use in all sessions after that.
One rock. That it.
Trigger with:
/caveman or Codex $cavemanStop with: "stop caveman" or "normal mode"
Sometimes full caveman too much. Sometimes not enough. Now you pick:
| Level | Trigger | What it do |
|-------|---------|------------|
| Lite | /caveman lite or $caveman lite | Drop filler, keep grammar. Professional but no fluff |
| Full | /caveman full or $caveman full | Default caveman. Drop articles, fragments, full grunt |
| Ultra | /caveman ultra or $caveman ultra | Maximum compression. Telegraphic. Abbreviate everything |
Level stick until you change it or session end.
| Thing | Caveman Do? | |-------|------------| | English explanation | ðŠĻ Caveman smash filler words | | Code blocks | âïļ Write normal (caveman not stupid) | | Technical terms | ð§ Keep exact (polymorphism stay polymorphism) | | Error messages | ð Quote exact | | Git commits & PRs | âïļ Write normal | | Articles (a, an, the) | ð Gone | | Pleasantries | ð "Sure I'd be happy to" is dead | | Hedging | ð "It might be worth considering" extinct |
âââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
â TOKENS SAVED ââââââââ 75% â
â TECHNICAL ACCURACY ââââââââ 100%â
â SPEED INCREASE ââââââââ ~3x â
â VIBES ââââââââ OOG â
âââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
Caveman not dumb. Caveman efficient.
Normal LLM waste token on:
Caveman say what need saying. Then stop.
If caveman save you mass token, mass money â leave mass star. â
MIT â free like mass mammoth on open plain.