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caveman

Proxy and skill that cut token use in coding agents

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Stars
111k
License
Apache-2.0
Last commit
Oct 2026
Last release
Oct 2026
Language
Go

Overview

Caveman has two parts. A local proxy compresses what coding agents read (logs, CSV, YAML, JSON, test output, web pages), and a skill makes the agent reply in terse, answer-first text while code, paths and numbers stay verbatim. It works with Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Aider and 30+ other agents, and ships SDK middleware for the Vercel AI SDK, LangChain, OpenAI and Anthropic.

Who it is for: Heavy Claude Code or Codex users trying to cut token spend

Strengths

  • Proxy cut whole-session input tokens 33.2% in its own 54-run Claude Code benchmark
  • Skill-only install via `npx skills add`, no proxy needed
  • README lists losing cases: HTML got 9.9% worse, and the per-request billing caveat
  • TypeScript and Python middleware wraps existing LLM SDK calls

Weaknesses

  • No HTML compressor yet; the benchmark HTML session used more tokens
  • CLI sends usage telemetry by default; opt out with `caveman telemetry off`
  • Proxy needs Node.js 22.13+
  • Skill rules add about 1,160 tokens; cost impact with caching not measured

What it needs

  • no GPU
  • Docker + Compose
  • Needs Node.js 22.13+, Python 3.11+ (middleware only)
  • Models: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Aider, Cursor

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