Caveman
Caveman cuts ~65% AI output tokens by making agents grunt like a caveman.
If you live inside Claude Code or Cursor, install Caveman now. The token savings are real (~65%), set-up takes seconds, and it works across 30+ agents. Not for casual users, but essential for heavy AI coders aiming to slash costs and get to the point faster.
- Developers using Claude Code or Cursor frequently who want faster, cheaper AI responses
- Teams looking to reduce API costs by compressing AI output tokens
- Power users who prefer concise, no-fluff AI interactions
- Open-source enthusiasts who want to customize their AI coding workflow
- Non-technical users who need verbose, explanatory AI responses
- Anyone using AI assistants without CLI or agent support
- Developers who prefer natural language chat over terse, coding-focused output
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In short
Caveman — Caveman cuts ~65% AI output tokens by making agents grunt like a caveman. Best for Developers using Claude Code or Cursor frequently who want faster, cheaper AI responses, Teams looking to reduce API costs by compressing AI output tokens, Power users who prefer concise, no-fluff AI interactions. Free to use.
Viability Score
How likely is Caveman to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
Last calculated: July 2026
How we score →Key Features
- 65% output token reduction across all replies
- Supports Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Copilot (30+ agents)
- Six grunt levels: lite, full, ultra, wenyan
- Auto-activation on Claude Code, Codex, Gemini
- Slash commands: /caveman-commit (concise commit messages)
- /caveman-review (one-line PR comments)
- /caveman-compress (input file compression)
- /caveman-stats (real-time token savings)
- Statusline badge showing lifetime tokens saved
- Preserves code, commands, and error messages exactly
- Cross-platform install script (macOS, Linux, Windows + PowerShell)
- Open-source MIT license
- Install in ~30 seconds, Node ≥18 required
- Caveman subagents: investigator, builder, reviewer
- MCP middleware for compressing tool descriptions
About Caveman
Caveman is an open-source skill/plugin for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Copilot, and 30+ other coding agents that forces AI output into terse caveman-speak, reducing output tokens by roughly 65% with no loss of technical accuracy. It compresses replies while preserving code, commands, and error messages byte-for-byte. Designed for developers who use AI coding assistants extensively and want faster responses and lower API costs. Caveman installs in ~30 seconds with a single command (Node ≥18 required) and auto-activates on Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini. You get six grunt levels (lite, full, ultra, wenyan) to control verbosity, slash commands for terse commit messages, one-line PR reviews, input file compression, real-time token savings stats, and a statusline badge showing lifetime tokens saved. The project is free (MIT license) and has earned 89k+ GitHub stars. Unlike built-in verbosity settings, Caveman applies aggressive, persona-driven compression across the entire agent ecosystem, making it a must-have add-on for serious AI-assisted developers looking to cut costs and speed up workflows.
Behind the Verdict
Caveman delivers on its core promise: fewer tokens, same answers. The 65% reduction is backed by benchmarks and community reports, and the install process is genuinely one command. For power users running Claude Code all day, that's real money saved. The flexibility of six grunt levels means you can tone down the caveman persona when needed. However, it's not a standalone tool—you need an AI coding agent first. Non-technical users or those who prefer chat-style AI interactions won't enjoy the grunt mode. Compared to built-in verbosity controls (like Claude Code's output verbosity setting), Caveman is more aggressive and works across agents, but it forces a specific persona that may feel gimmicky. The 'wenyan' mode (classical Chinese) is a niche bonus for token optimization, but only if you read Chinese. One caveat: since Caveman operates via system prompt override, occasional quirks with agent upgrades could break it—the active community and frequent commits mitigate this risk. Bottom line: if you value conciseness and cost savings over conversational pleasantries, Caveman is a no-brainer plugin.
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Use Cases
- Reduce token consumption by 65%+ during daily Claude Code sessions to save API costs.
- Use one-line PR reviews to speed up code review workflows in Cursor.
- Enable terse commit messages to enforce project conventions in AI-generated commits.
- Apply input compression to fit more context into limited token windows in Codex.
Limitations
- Caveman relies on being used within compatible AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, etc.).
- It does not work as a standalone tool and requires manual installation per agent/environment.
- Token reduction varies depending on the model and grunt level selected.
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
- Resourcegithub.com
INSTALL · Caveman
Helpful link from github.com
- Resourcegithub.com
README · Caveman
Helpful link from github.com
- Resourcegithub.com
CONTRIBUTING · Caveman
Helpful link from github.com
- Resourcegithub.com
GEMINI · Caveman
Helpful link from github.com
- Resourcegithub.com
AGENTS · Caveman
Helpful link from github.com
- Resourcegithub.com
CLAUDE · Caveman
Helpful link from github.com
Official links
Tools that pair well with Caveman
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