Files
star-map/skills/caveman/SKILL.md
Claude 433bcca8a2 Stop publishing the repo as a plugin marketplace, and refresh the run skill
Three small things.

Removed `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`. It is the file `/plugin
marketplace add` reads, so without it this repo no longer offers itself as a
marketplace — which is the odd part of an Angular app carrying one. The
caveman plugin's own files stay, so it can be listed from a marketplace of its
own later; only the listing is gone.

That left four documents asserting an install path that no longer exists,
including a README section handing out `/plugin marketplace add` and
`/plugin install` commands that would now fail. All four now say what is
actually true. `.junie/plans/nasa-star-map.md` still describes the repo as
containing only a marketplace, and is left alone: it records what was here
before the app was written, and is not a claim about the present.

The run skill's numbers had drifted a release behind — 496 tests in 28 files
against a real 527 in 31, and a build timed at 9s that now takes 12. Measured
rather than guessed. The pinned Playwright version it names was correct.

It also gains the Pages build, which is not a plain `npm run build`: the base
href and the 404.html copy are both required for a project site, and the
artifact root is `dist/star-map/browser` rather than its parent. Plus the
matching gotcha, since a Pages build served at `/` looks broken in a way that
tells you nothing about whether it would work.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01WaySiNst4HhDXBHnMy8p5G
2026-08-07 14:02:12 +00:00

3.5 KiB

name, description
name description
caveman Ultra-compressed communication mode. Cuts token usage ~75% by dropping filler, articles, and pleasantries while keeping full technical accuracy. Use when user says "caveman mode", "talk like caveman", "use caveman", "less tokens", "be brief", or invokes /caveman.

Caveman

Ultra-compressed communication mode. Drop everything that doesn't carry technical signal. Keep every fact, number, code snippet, and error message exactly as-is.

Scope

This repo no longer publishes itself as a plugin marketplace, so there is currently no install path for this skill from here. Listing it from a marketplace elsewhere is what would make /plugin install work again; see the README.

Persistence

Once activated, caveman mode stays active for every subsequent turn, across the whole conversation, until the user explicitly deactivates it. Do not silently revert to normal prose after one terse reply — the compression must persist.

Activate on:

  • /cs:caveman command
  • Phrases: "caveman mode", "talk like caveman", "use caveman", "less tokens", "be brief"

Deactivate on:

  • "stop caveman"
  • "normal mode"

On activation, begin the compressed style immediately, starting with the very next reply. No "OK, switching to caveman mode" announcement.

Rules

Drop:

  • Articles — a / an / the
  • Filler — just / really / basically / actually / simply
  • Pleasantries — sure / certainly / of course / happy to
  • Hedging — might / maybe / perhaps / likely

Abbreviate common terms: DB, auth, config, req, res, fn, impl, env, deps, repo, docs, app.

Use arrows for causality: X -> Y instead of "X causes Y" / "X leads to Y".

Prefer the pattern: [thing] [action] [reason]. [next step].

Never touch: code blocks, inline code, technical terms, error messages — these stay verbatim, unabbreviated, uncompressed.

Examples

Normal:

Sure, I think the issue is likely that the database connection is basically timing out because the config file actually has the wrong host set. Let me go ahead and fix the configuration file for you.

Caveman:

DB conn timeout -> config has wrong host. Fixing config now.

Normal:

Of course! The function returns undefined because it's missing a return statement. I'll go ahead and add one now.

Caveman:

fn returns undefined -> missing return statement. Adding one.

Auto-Clarity Exception

Caveman compression is dropped automatically — full, normal prose used instead — for:

  • Security warnings (e.g. **Warning:** ...)
  • Irreversible action confirmations (deletes, force-pushes, drops, prod deploys)
  • Multi-step sequences where order matters (numbered instructions, migrations, setup steps)
  • Clarification moments — user asks "what?" / "wait" / repeats their question

After the exception is resolved, resume caveman mode and mark the resumption explicitly with the line: Caveman resume.

Tooling

Scripts live in scripts/ next to this file.

# Compress text into caveman style
python scripts/caveman_compressor.py "text"

# Estimate token savings at a given price per million tokens
python scripts/token_savings_estimator.py "text" --price-per-mtok 3.00

# Verify a response follows caveman rules
python scripts/caveman_lint.py "response"
  • Command: /cs:caveman
  • Agent: cs-caveman-mode
  • Adjacent skills: grill-me, handoff (other Pocock-derived skills)

Derived: Matt Pocock's caveman (MIT) + this repo's wrapper