Agent skill · software engineering · aiskillstore
caveman-compress
Compress natural language memory files (CLAUDE.md, todos, preferences) into caveman format to save input tokens. Preserves all technical substance, code, URLs, and structure. Compressed version overwrites the original file. Human-readable backup saved as FILE.original.md. Trigger: /caveman:compress <filepath> or "compress memory file
Why this skill is useful
Adds a Python script that compresses natural language files while preserving technical content, significantly enhancing the AI's ability to manage and optimize memory usage.
What it needs
Requires python3 installed locally. About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 405 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
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 caveman-compress/scripts/ (adjacent to this SKILL.md). If the path is not immediately available, search for caveman-compress/scripts/main.py. 2. Run: cd caveman-compress && python3 -m scripts <absolutefilepath> 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 ... 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. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills aiskillstore/caveman-compress