caveman Skill for Claude Code: Make Claude Answer Briefly

Makes Claude answer in a terse voice that drops filler and keeps every technical fact, until you say "stop caveman".

Installs: 604.4K; on skills.sh
Stars: 116.7K; on GitHub
Files: 1; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Nov 2026; last repo commit

caveman changes how Claude talks, not what it knows. Answers lead with the result, skip greetings, hedging and recaps, and drop articles when the sentence still reads. Code, commands, paths, numbers and error messages stay exact, and it keeps words like not and never.

You turn it on with /caveman or phrases like "be brief" and it stays on for the whole session until you say "stop caveman" or "normal mode". It switches to plain sentences for security warnings, irreversible actions, and anything saved outside chat such as commits and docs.

Good for

Developers who pay per token and read in a terminal
Anyone tired of long, polite preambles from an assistant
Teams who want short answers without losing exact code and errors

Install caveman

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the caveman skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman --skill caveman

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

From its listing on skills.sh. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Terse caveman voice: answer first, fluff gone, every technical fact kept. Use for /caveman, "caveman mode", "talk like caveman", "be brief", "less tokens". Stays on until "stop caveman" or "normal mode".

Sections in SKILL.md

Persistence
Why
Rules
1. Answer first
2. Kill ceremony
3. Short word
4. Articles optional, meaning never
5. One idea per sentence
6. Payload verbatim
7. Tool runs: bounded status
8. User's language
9. Never perform caveman
When to break the rules
Pre-send check

Key facts

Author: Julius Brussee
Repo: juliusbrussee/caveman
Installs on skills.sh: 604,417 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 116,702 (Nov 2, 2026)
License: Apache-2.0
Last repo commit: Nov 1, 2026
Files next to SKILL.md: 1 files
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk pass
Bundled file: A README, no scripts
Related skills: /caveman ultra and /caveman wenyan point to the ultracave and megacave skills

What it includes

Turns on the terse voice for the whole session
/caveman
Reports the current mode and changes nothing
/caveman status
Aliases that hand over to the ultracave and megacave skills
/caveman ultra, /caveman wenyan
Result, then reason, then next step
Answer first
Code, commands, paths, numbers and quoted errors are never shortened
Payload verbatim
Security warnings, irreversible actions, ordered steps, and anything saved outside chat
When it speaks plainly
Say "stop caveman" or "normal mode" and it confirms in one line
Stop

From the official docs

Questions

What does caveman do?

It makes Claude answer in short, direct sentences with no greeting or recap. Technical content stays exact.

How do I install caveman?

Use the install box at the top for the skill alone. The README also describes a larger installer that sets up more than the skill, so pick the one that matches what you want.

How do I turn it off?

Say "stop caveman" or "normal mode". The SKILL.md says it stays on for every response until you do.

Will it shorten my code and commit messages?

No. Code blocks stay as written, and the SKILL.md says anything persisted outside chat, such as code, comments, commits and docs, uses plain prose.

Does it really save tokens?

The SKILL.md argues that every output token is billed and read, so cutting filler helps. The README publishes its own test results, which we have not reproduced.

Is it safe?

The skill folder bundles a README and no scripts, and its SKILL.md only sets writing rules. The larger installer in the README does more than this skill, so read it before running it. Skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk pass.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: juliusbrussee/caveman
Folder: skills/caveman

juliusbrussee/caveman skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 3

caveman SKILL.md · github.com
caveman on skills.sh · skills.sh
caveman README · github.com