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Caveman Compress

  • 265k installs
  • 93.6k repo stars
  • Updated July 26, 2026
  • juliusbrussee/caveman

caveman-compress is a skill command that rewrites memory files into compressed caveman-speak, saving 46% input tokens permanently.

About

Rewrite memory files (CLAUDE.md) in compressed caveman-speak, cutting 46% input tokens forever. Preserves code, URLs, and paths byte-for-byte while reducing filler.

  • memory compression
  • 46% input token savings
  • persistent optimization

Caveman Compress by the numbers

  • 264,966 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +18,171 installs in the week ending Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #15 of 2,742 Automation & Workflows skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: HIGH risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
At a glance

caveman-compress capabilities & compatibility

Capabilities
file compression · context optimization · memory rewriting
Use cases
token optimization
Runs
Runs locally
Pricing
Free
npx skills add https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman --skill caveman-compress

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs265k
repo stars93.6k
Security audit2 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJuly 26, 2026
Repositoryjuliusbrussee/caveman

What it does

Developers compress their memory files to reduce input tokens across all future sessions.

Who is it for?

Optimizing memory files, reducing long-term token costs, simplifying documentation

Skip if: Compressing source code, legal documents requiring exact prose, or files where overwriting without team review is unacceptable.

When should I use this skill?

A developer maintains a memory file and wants permanent input token savings across sessions

What you get

Token-compressed memory files, preserved code and URLs, and `.original.md` human-readable backups.

  • compressed memory file
  • .original.md backup

By the numbers

  • Writes backup as <filename>.original.md before overwrite

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Caveman Compress

Purpose

Compress natural language files (CLAUDE.md, todos, preferences) into caveman-speak to reduce input tokens. Compressed version overwrites original. Human-readable backup saved as <filename>.original.md.

Trigger

/caveman-compress <filepath> or when user asks to compress a memory file.

Process

1. The compression scripts live in scripts/ (adjacent to this SKILL.md). If the path is not immediately available, search for scripts/__main__.py next to this SKILL.md.

2. From the directory containing this SKILL.md, run:

python3 -m scripts <absolute_filepath>

3. The CLI will:

  • detect file type (no tokens)
  • call Claude to compress
  • validate output (no tokens)
  • if errors: cherry-pick fix with Claude (targeted fixes only, no recompression)
  • retry up to 2 times
  • if still failing after 2 retries: report error to user, leave original file untouched

4. Return result to user

Compression Rules

Remove

  • Articles: a, an, the
  • Filler: just, really, basically, actually, simply, essentially, generally
  • Pleasantries: "sure", "certainly", "of course", "happy to", "I'd recommend"
  • Hedging: "it might be worth", "you could consider", "it would be good to"
  • Redundant phrasing: "in order to" → "to", "make sure to" → "ensure", "the reason is because" → "because"
  • Connective fluff: "however", "furthermore", "additionally", "in addition"

Preserve EXACTLY (never modify)

  • Code blocks (fenced ``` and indented)
  • Inline code (backtick content)
  • URLs and links (full URLs, markdown links)
  • File paths (/src/components/..., ./config.yaml)
  • Commands (npm install, git commit, docker build)
  • Technical terms (library names, API names, protocols, algorithms)
  • Proper nouns (project names, people, companies)
  • Dates, version numbers, numeric values
  • Environment variables ($HOME, NODE_ENV)

Preserve Structure

  • All markdown headings (keep exact heading text, compress body below)
  • Bullet point hierarchy (keep nesting level)
  • Numbered lists (keep numbering)
  • Tables (compress cell text, keep structure)
  • Frontmatter/YAML headers in markdown files

Compress

  • Use short synonyms: "big" not "extensive", "fix" not "implement a solution for", "use" not "utilize"
  • Fragments OK: "Run tests before commit" not "You should always run tests before committing"
  • Drop "you should", "make sure to", "remember to" — just state the action
  • Merge redundant bullets that say the same thing differently
  • Keep one example where multiple examples show the same pattern

CRITICAL RULE: Anything inside `` ... `` must be copied EXACTLY. Do not:

  • remove comments
  • remove spacing
  • reorder lines
  • shorten commands
  • simplify anything

Inline code (...) must be preserved EXACTLY. Do not modify anything inside backticks.

If file contains code blocks:

  • Treat code blocks as read-only regions
  • Only compress text outside them
  • Do not merge sections around code

Pattern

Original:

You should always make sure to run the test suite before pushing any changes to the main branch. This is important because it helps catch bugs early and prevents broken builds from being deployed to production.

Compressed:

Run tests before push to main. Catch bugs early, prevent broken prod deploys.

Original:

The application uses a microservices architecture with the following components. The API gateway handles all incoming requests and routes them to the appropriate service. The authentication service is responsible for managing user sessions and JWT tokens.

Compressed:

Microservices architecture. API gateway route all requests to services. Auth service manage user sessions + JWT tokens.

Boundaries

  • ONLY compress natural language files (.md, .txt, .typ, .typst, .tex, extensionless)
  • NEVER modify: .py, .js, .ts, .json, .yaml, .yml, .toml, .env, .lock, .css, .html, .xml, .sql, .sh
  • If file has mixed content (prose + code), compress ONLY the prose sections
  • If unsure whether something is code or prose, leave it unchanged
  • Original file is backed up as FILE.original.md before overwriting
  • Never compress FILE.original.md (skip it)

Related skills

Forks & variants (1)

Caveman Compress has 1 known copy in the catalog totaling 1 installs. They canonicalize to this original listing.

FAQ

What does caveman-compress preserve?

caveman-compress keeps all technical substance, code blocks, URLs, and document structure while removing articles, filler, and hedging from natural-language sections in CLAUDE.md, todos, or preference files.

Does caveman-compress backup the original file?

caveman-compress overwrites the target file with the compressed version and writes a human-readable backup named `<filename>.original.md` alongside it for rollback.

Is Caveman Compress safe to install?

skills.sh reports 2 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

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