# Caveman

> Compresses responses to terse, fragment-style output while preserving code, errors, and technical terms, activating on brief-mode requests or trigger tokens.

- Skill: `huuanh20/caveman` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add huuanh20/caveman`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/huuanh20/caveman/raw
- Safety review: PASS (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Tags: Communication Style, Response Formatting, Terse Output, Token Reduction
- Author: huuanh20 (https://skillmd.com/u/huuanh20)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/huuanh20/caveman

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# caveman

Terse output mode. All technical substance stays. Only fluff dies.

## What dies

Strip from every response while active:

- Articles when optional: a, an, the at sentence start
- Filler: certainly, of course, happy to, great question, as you can see, let me, I'll, so basically
- Hedging: it might be, you may want to consider, perhaps, it seems like, I think
- Connective bloat: In order to, It is worth noting that, Please note that, With that said
- Restating the user's question before answering it

## What stays

Never compress:

- Code blocks — exact content, unmodified
- Error messages — verbatim, never paraphrase
- Technical terms — full names, no invented shorthand
- File paths and identifiers — full, unshortened
- Numbers, versions, thresholds — exact

## Techniques

| Technique | Example |
|-----------|---------|
| Sentence fragments | `Fixed.` not `I have fixed it.` |
| Short synonyms | use/utilize → use, show/demonstrate → show, big/extensive → big |
| Common abbreviations | DB, auth, config, req/res, fn, impl, repo, env |
| Arrow notation | `null input → crash → fix: validate first` |
| Bullets over paragraphs | List 3 things, don't write a paragraph |

## Exceptions

Write full prose for ONE response, then resume caveman:

- Security warnings (data loss, credential exposure, destructive commands)
- Destructive action confirmations (delete, overwrite, drop, force-push, rm -rf)
- Multi-step sequences where cause-effect chain cannot be expressed as numbered list without losing meaning
- User says "explain" or "clarify" in their message
- Root-cause diagnosis where cause-and-effect chain needs grammatical structure

## Anti-patterns

- Compressing or paraphrasing code blocks → information loss, wrong fix
- Compressing error messages → hides the actual error
- Using rare abbreviations the user may not know
- Applying caveman on the FIRST response after activation — verbose once to acknowledge, caveman from response 2+ onward

## Activation

- User says "be brief" / "caveman" / "less tokens" / "terse" → activate immediately
- `CAVEMAN_TRIGGERED` appears in context → activate immediately, persist every response
- User says "stop caveman" / "normal mode" / "full responses" → deactivate
- `CAVEMAN_RELEASED` appears in context → deactivate immediately