caveman

A Claude Code skill/plugin and Codex plugin that makes agent talk like caveman — cutting ~75% of output tokens while keeping full technical accuracy. Now with 文言文 mode, terse commits, one-line code reviews, and a compression tool that cuts ~46% of input tokens every session.

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.

Before / After

🗣️ Normal Claude (69 tokens)

"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."

🪨 Caveman Claude (19 tokens)

"New object ref each render. Inline object prop = new ref = re-render. Wrap in useMemo."

🗣️ Normal Claude

"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."

🪨 Caveman Claude

"Bug in auth middleware. Token expiry check use < not <=. Fix:"

Same fix. 75% less word. Brain still big.

Pick your level of grunt:

🪶 Lite

"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."

🪨 Full

"New object ref each render. Inline object prop = new ref = re-render. Wrap in useMemo."

🔥 Ultra

"Inline obj prop → new ref → re-render. useMemo."

📜 文言文

"物出新參照，致重繪。useMemo Wrap之。"

Same answer. You pick how many word.

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  TOKENS SAVED          ████████ 75% │
│  TECHNICAL ACCURACY    ████████ 100%│
│  SPEED INCREASE        ████████ ~3x │
│  VIBES                 ████████ OOG │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

• Faster response — less token to generate = speed go brrr
• Easier to read — no wall of text, just the answer
• Same accuracy — all technical info kept, only fluff removed (science say so)
• Save money — ~71% less output token = less cost
• Fun — every code review become comedy

Install

Pick your agent. One command. Done.

| Agent | Install | |-------|---------| | Claude Code | claude plugin marketplace add JuliusBrussee/caveman && claude plugin install caveman@caveman | | Codex | Clone repo → /plugins → Search "Caveman" → Install | | Gemini CLI | gemini extensions install https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman | | Cursor | npx skills add JuliusBrussee/caveman -a cursor | | Windsurf | npx skills add JuliusBrussee/caveman -a windsurf | | Copilot | npx skills add JuliusBrussee/caveman -a github-copilot | | Cline | npx skills add JuliusBrussee/caveman -a cline | | Any other | npx skills add JuliusBrussee/caveman |

Install once. Use in every session for that install target after that. One rock. That it.

What You Get

Auto-activation is built in for Claude Code, Gemini CLI, and the repo-local Codex setup below. npx skills add installs the skill for other agents, but does not install repo rule/instruction files, so Caveman does not auto-start there unless you add the always-on snippet below.

| Feature | Claude Code | Codex | Gemini CLI | Cursor | Windsurf | Cline | Copilot | |---------|:-----------:|:-----:|:----------:|:------:|:--------:|:-----:|:-------:| | Caveman mode | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | | Auto-activate every session | Y | Y¹ | Y | —² | —² | —² | —² | | /caveman command | Y | Y¹ | Y | — | — | — | — | | Mode switching (lite/full/ultra) | Y | Y¹ | Y | Y³ | Y³ | — | — | | Statusline badge | Y⁴ | — | — | — | — | — | — | | caveman-commit | Y | — | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | | caveman-review | Y | — | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | | caveman-compress | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | | caveman-help | Y | — | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |

[!NOTE] Auto-activation works differently per agent: Claude Code uses SessionStart hooks, this repo's Codex dogfood setup uses .codex/hooks.json, Gemini uses context files. Cursor/Windsurf/Cline/Copilot can be made always-on, but npx skills add installs only the skill, not the repo rule/instruction files.

¹ Codex uses $caveman syntax, not /caveman. This repo ships .codex/hooks.json, so caveman auto-starts when you run Codex inside this repo. The installed plugin itself gives you $caveman; copy the same hook into another repo if you want always-on behavior there too. caveman-commit and caveman-review are not in the Codex plugin bundle — use the SKILL.md files directly. ² Add the "Want it always on?" snippet below to those agents' system prompt or rule file if you want session-start activation. ³ Cursor and Windsurf receive the full SKILL.md with all intensity levels. Mode switching works on-demand via the skill; no slash command. ⁴ Available in Claude Code, but plugin install only nudges setup. Standalone install.sh / install.ps1 configures it automatically when no custom statusLine exists.

The plugin install gives you skills + auto-loading hooks. If no custom statusLine is configured, Caveman nudges Claude to offer badge setup on first session.

claude plugin marketplace add JuliusBrussee/caveman
claude plugin install caveman@caveman

Standalone hooks (without plugin): If you prefer not to use the plugin system:

# macOS / Linux / WSL
bash <(curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/main/hooks/install.sh)

# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/main/hooks/install.ps1 | iex

Or from a local clone: bash hooks/install.sh / powershell -File hooks\install.ps1

Uninstall: bash hooks/uninstall.sh or powershell -File hooks\uninstall.ps1

Statusline badge: Shows [CAVEMAN], [CAVEMAN:ULTRA], etc. in your Claude Code status bar.

• Plugin install: If you do not already have a custom statusLine, Claude should offer to configure it on first session
• Standalone install: Configured automatically by install.sh / install.ps1 unless you already have a custom statusline
• Custom statusline: Installer leaves your existing statusline alone. See hooks/README.md for the merge snippet

macOS / Linux:

1. Clone repo → Open Codex in the repo directory → /plugins → Search "Caveman" → Install
2. Repo-local auto-start is already wired by .codex/hooks.json + .codex/config.toml

Windows:

1. Enable symlinks first: git config --global core.symlinks true (requires Developer Mode or admin)
2. Clone repo → Open VS Code → Codex Settings → Plugins → find "Caveman" under local marketplace → Install → Reload Window
3. Codex hooks are currently disabled on Windows, so use $caveman to start manually

This repo also ships .codex/hooks.json and enables hooks in .codex/config.toml, so caveman auto-activates while you run Codex inside this repo on macOS/Linux. The installed plugin gives you $caveman; if you want always-on behavior in other repos too, copy the same SessionStart hook there and enable:

[features]
codex_hooks = true

gemini extensions install https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman

Update: gemini extensions update caveman · Uninstall: gemini extensions uninstall caveman

Auto-activates via GEMINI.md context file. Also ships custom Gemini commands:

• /caveman — switch intensity level (lite/full/ultra/wenyan)
• /caveman-commit — generate terse commit message
• /caveman-review — one-line code review

npx skills add installs the skill file only — it does not install the agent's rule/instruction file, so caveman does not auto-start. For always-on,