cavecrew
byjuliusbrussee· 57 skills
Decision guide for delegating to caveman-style subagents. Tells the main thread WHEN to spawn cavecrew-investigator (locate code), cavecrew-builder (1-2 file edit), or cavecrew-reviewer (diff review) instead of doing the work inline or using vanilla Explore. Subagent output is caveman-compressed so the tool-result injected back into main context is ~60% smaller — main context lasts longer across long sessions. Trigger: "delegate to subagent", "use cavecrew", "spawn investigator/builder/reviewer", "save context", "compressed agent output".
How to install cavecrew?
juliusbrussee/caveman/cavecrew
$npx -y skills add juliusbrussee/caveman --skill cavecrewInstalls into the current project.
›Prefer a prompt? Paste this to your agent
Run `npx skills use "https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman" --skill "juliusbrussee/caveman/cavecrew"` and follow the generated skill instructions now. Read its complete output, redirecting it to a temporary file first if necessary. Resolve relative paths from the supporting-files directory it provides.
Use the skills in "https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman" that are relevant to the current task. Run `npx skills add "https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman"` and select the relevant skills, then follow their instructions.
SKILL.md
| 1 | Cavecrew = three subagent presets that emit caveman output. Same job as Anthropic defaults (`Explore`, edit-style agents, reviewer); difference is the tool-result they return is compressed, so main context shrinks per delegation. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | ## When to use cavecrew vs alternatives |
| 4 | |
| 5 | | Task | Use | |
| 6 | |---|---| |
| 7 | | "Where is X defined / what calls Y / list uses of Z" | `cavecrew-investigator` | |
| 8 | | Same but you also want suggestions/architecture commentary | `Explore` (vanilla) | |
| 9 | | Surgical edit, ≤2 files, scope obvious | `cavecrew-builder` | |
| 10 | | New feature / 3+ files / cross-cutting refactor | Main thread or `feature-dev:code-architect` | |
| 11 | | Review diff, branch, or file for bugs | `cavecrew-reviewer` | |
| 12 | | Deep code review with rationale + alternatives | `Code Reviewer` (vanilla) | |
| 13 | | One-line answer you already know | Main thread, no subagent | |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Rule of thumb: **if you'd want the subagent's output in 1/3 the tokens, pick cavecrew. If you'd want prose, pick vanilla.** |
| 16 | |
| 17 | ## Why this exists (the real win) |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Subagent tool results get injected into main context verbatim. A vanilla `Explore` that returns 2k tokens of prose costs 2k tokens of main-context budget every time. The same finding from `cavecrew-investigator` returns ~700 tokens. Across 20 delegations in one session that's the difference between context exhaustion and finishing the task. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | ## Output contracts |
| 22 | |
| 23 | What main thread can rely on per agent: |
| 24 | |
| 25 | **`cavecrew-investigator`** |
| 26 | ``` |
| 27 | <Header>: |
| 28 | - path:line — `symbol` — short note |
| 29 | totals: <counts>. |
| 30 | ``` |
| 31 | Or `No match.` Always file-path-first, line-number-attached, backticked symbols. Safe to grep with `path:\d+`. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | **`cavecrew-builder`** |
| 34 | ``` |
| 35 | <path:line-range> — <change ≤10 words>. |
| 36 | verified: <re-read OK | mismatch @ path:line>. |
| 37 | ``` |
| 38 | Or one of: `too-big.` / `needs-confirm.` / `ambiguous.` / `regressed.` (terminal first token). |
| 39 | |
| 40 | **`cavecrew-reviewer`** |
| 41 | ``` |
| 42 | path:line: <emoji> <severity>: <problem>. <fix>. |
| 43 | totals: N🔴 N🟡 N🔵 N❓ |
| 44 | ``` |
| 45 | Or `No issues.` Findings sorted file → line ascending. |
| 46 | |
| 47 | ## Chaining patterns |
| 48 | |
| 49 | **Locate → fix → verify** (most common): |
| 50 | 1. `cavecrew-investigator` returns site list. |
| 51 | 2. Main thread picks 1-2 sites, hands paths to `cavecrew-builder`. |
| 52 | 3. `cavecrew-reviewer` audits the diff. |
| 53 | |
| 54 | **Parallel scout** (when investigation is broad): |
| 55 | Spawn 2-3 `cavecrew-investigator` calls in one message (different angles: defs vs callers vs tests). Aggregate in main thread. |
| 56 | |
| 57 | **Single-shot edit** (when site is already known): |
| 58 | Skip investigator. Hand exact path:line to `cavecrew-builder` directly. |
| 59 | |
| 60 | ## What NOT to do |
| 61 | |
| 62 | - Don't use `cavecrew-builder` when you don't already know the file. Spawn investigator first or main thread will eat tokens passing context. |
| 63 | - Don't chain `cavecrew-investigator → cavecrew-builder` for a 5-file refactor. Builder will return `too-big.` and you'll have wasted a turn. |
| 64 | - Don't ask `cavecrew-reviewer` for "general feedback" — it returns findings only, no architecture opinions. Use `Code Reviewer` for that. |
| 65 | - Don't expect prose. Cavecrew output is structured, sometimes terse to the point of cryptic. If a human will read it directly, paraphrase. |
| 66 | |
| 67 | ## Auto-clarity (inherited) |
| 68 | |
| 69 | Subagents drop caveman → normal English for security warnings, irreversible-action confirmations, and any output where fragment ambiguity could be misread. Resume caveman after. |
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