JuliusBrussee / caveman

# why many token when few do trick
**Caveman make your AI agent say less and read less. Code stay exact. Brain still big.**
 33.2% fewer input tokens, whole sessions 54 Claude Code runs , 18 of 18 answers right 
 54% cheaper with Auto, same score 85 coding tasks vs Opus 5.5 at xhigh, interim 
 397 → 76 tokens for one test run Blocks vs | tail -20 
 1.4 to 2.4× cheaper with caveman-style output Adobe Research , eight models 
Cited by **Adobe Research** · A/B tested by **JetBrains** · Remade for Elasticsearch on **Elasticsearch Labs** 
**#1** on Hacker News · **#1** on GitHub Trending · *"No way this actually works."* ThePrimeagen
**Install · Six rocks · Proof · Say less · Read less · Auto · Blocks · Commands · Caveman Cloud**
---
 Normal agent · 63 tokens 
 Caveman agent · 20 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.
> New object ref each render, so React re-renders. Wrap the prop in `useMemo`.
**Same fix. 63 token become 20. Brain still big.**
Pick your club:
| Skill | Same answer | Tokens |
|---|---|---:|
| `/caveman` | New object ref each render, so React re-renders. Wrap the prop in `useMemo`. | 20 |
| `/ultracave` | Inline object prop, new ref, re-render. `useMemo`. | 14 |
| `/megacave` | 新參照致重繪。`useMemo`。 | **13** |
 Token counts: tiktoken o200k. 
## Install
 [code] 
One command. Mac, Linux, Windows. Caveman find your agents and your logins, show what it change. Press Enter. Done. Needs Node.js 22.13+.
After that, plain `claude` stays caveman'd. So do Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, and 30+ more. It runs on your machine, with your keys and your Claude Pro/Max login. One rock. That it.
 Had caveman before 4.0? Say @latest , or the old copy on your machine wins. Already set up? caveman setup opens the screen again. Only want shorter answers? Get just the skill . 
## Six rocks, one install
New in 4.0: caveman is six parts. All on after install. Each has its own switch.
| Rock | What it does | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| **Say less** | Agent answers short. Code stays exact | 63 → 20 tokens, same fix |
| **Read less** | Logs, JSON, CSV, test output shrink before the model reads them | **33.2%** fewer input tokens per session |
| **Auto** · new | Picks the model and the effort for each ask | **54%** cheaper than Opus at xhigh, same score |
| **Blocks** · new | Code mode: agent keeps the scripts it writes and runs them again | **397 → 76** tokens for one test run |
| **Waste fixes** | Finds where your tokens go and fixes it. New: keeps the prompt cache warm while you pause | Not measured yet |
| **Browse** | Web pages come back compressed | **129.8×** smaller page |
`caveman status` shows what is on. `caveman off browse` turns one off. Only Auto needs an account, and it is