# cavecrew

> Claude/Codex skill by [@juliusbrussee](https://omgskills.com/library/juliusbrussee/index.md) · 95k stars · Updated 2026-07-26

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".

Tags: ai, anthropic, caveman, claude, claude-code, llm, meme, prompt-engineering, skill, tokens

## Install

```sh
git clone https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman /tmp/caveman && ln -s /tmp/caveman/skills/cavecrew ~/.claude/skills/cavecrew
```

## From README

When to use cavecrew vs alternatives | Task | Use | |---|---| | "Where is X defined / what calls Y / list uses of Z" | cavecrew-investigator | | Same but you also want suggestions/architecture commentary | Explore (vanilla) | | Surgical edit, ≤2 files, scope obvious | cavecrew-builder | | New feature / 3+ files / cross-cutting refactor | Main thread or feature-dev:code-architect | | Review diff, branch, or file for bugs | cavecrew-reviewer | | Deep code review with rationale + alternatives | Code Reviewer (vanilla) | | One-line answer you already know | Main thread, no subagent | 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. Why this exists (the real win) 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.

## Links

- HTML page: https://omgskills.com/skills/juliusbrussee/caveman/cavecrew/
- GitHub: https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman
- Author: [@juliusbrussee](https://omgskills.com/library/juliusbrussee/index.md)

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