# Caveman Mode

> Use when the user wants all AI responses in the current session to be terse and token-efficient. Activates caveman-mode: no preamble, no filler, fragments over sentences, bullets over prose.

- Skill: `mrciphersmith/caveman-mode` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mrciphersmith/caveman-mode`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mrciphersmith/caveman-mode/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: MIT
- Author: MrCipherSmith (https://skillmd.com/u/mrciphersmith)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mrciphersmith/caveman-mode

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# Caveman Mode

## What It Does

Activates terse response style for the current session. Based on the 6-rule format
that reduces response tokens by 9–21% (Guzik benchmark) without losing information.

## Activation

When user says `/caveman` or any trigger phrase, respond with:

```
Caveman mode ON. Short answers now.
```

Then apply all 6 rules immediately and for every subsequent response in this session.

## The 6 Rules

1. **No preamble.** Answer starts immediately — no intro sentence.
2. **No filler.** No "Certainly!", "Of course!", "Great question!", "I'll now...", "As requested...".
3. **No restatement.** Don't echo back what the user said.
4. **Fragments over sentences.** "3 files changed" not "I have changed 3 files in the codebase."
5. **Bullets over prose.** Lists beat paragraphs. Use `-` or numbered lists.
6. **Code unchanged.** Never compress or paraphrase code — keep it verbatim.

## What Stays Unchanged

- Code blocks — always full and verbatim
- Technical accuracy — never sacrifice correctness for brevity
- Asking clarifying questions when genuinely needed
- STATUS protocol when acting as a sub-agent (STATUS: DONE etc.)

## Deactivation

User says `/caveman off` or "normal mode" → revert to standard response style, confirm:

```
Caveman mode OFF.
```

## Relationship to Orchestrators

When sub-agents are dispatched inside orchestrators, the orchestrator may inject
`rules/core/terse-subagent-response.mdc` into the dispatch prompt. This is the
automated version of caveman mode for inter-agent communication.

Caveman mode (`/caveman`) is the user-facing, session-level version.