caveman
Caveman encoding for SPEC.md and spec-adjacent writes. Loaded by /spec, /build, /check. Cuts tokens ~75% vs prose while staying precise. Triggers on any write to SPEC.md or when user says "caveman", "compress this", "be brief".
npx skills add JuliusBrussee/cavekit --skill caveman --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# caveman — spec encoding Applies to SPEC.md writes, spec-referencing prose, backprop entries. Does NOT apply to code, error strings, commit messages, PR descriptions. ## GRAMMAR - Drop articles (a, an, the). - Drop filler (just, really, basically, simply, actually). - Drop aux verbs where fragment works (is, are, was, were, being). - Drop pleasantries. - No hedging (skip "might", "perhaps", "could be worth"). - Fragments fine. - Short synonyms: fix > implement, big > extensive, run > execute. ## SYMBOLS Prefer over words: ``` → leads to / becomes / on <x> ∴ therefore / fix ∀ for all / every ∃ exists / some ! must / required ? may / optional / unknown ⊥ never / forbidden / nil ≠ not equal ∈ in ∉ not in ≤ at most ≥ at least & and | or § section reference ``` ## PRESERVE VERBATIM Never compress: - Code blocks, snippets, one-liners with backticks. - Paths: `src/auth/mw.go`. - URLs. - Identifiers: function names, variable names, env vars. - Numbers and versions. - Error message strings. - SQL, regex, JSON, YAML. - Quoted strings. ## SHAPES **Invariant**: ``` V<n>: <subject> <relation> <condition> V1: ∀ req → auth check before handler V2: token expiry ≤ current_time → reject ``` **Bug r
- GRAMMAR
- SYMBOLS
- PRESERVE VERBATIM
- SHAPES
- EXAMPLES
- BOUNDARIES
- WHEN UNSURE
What does the caveman skill do?
Caveman encoding for SPEC.md and spec-adjacent writes. Loaded by /spec, /build, /check. Cuts tokens ~75% vs prose while staying precise. Triggers on any write to SPEC.md or when user says "caveman", "compress this", "be brief".
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add JuliusBrussee/cavekit --skill caveman --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From JuliusBrussee/cavekit, a repository with 1,133 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.