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Agent skill

Caveman Compress

by goern in goern/forgejo-mcp

Compress a memory file such as CLAUDE.md or a todo list into caveman format to save input tokens, keeping a readable backup.

GPL-3.0Auto-check: notesAgent Workflows

Install Caveman Compress

skills CLI
$ npx skills add goern/forgejo-mcp --skill caveman-compress -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install goern/forgejo-mcp caveman-compress --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/goern/forgejo-mcp.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/caveman-compress .claude/skills/caveman-compress && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
caveman-compress
GitHub stars
141
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~1.2k tokens
SKILL.md length
600 words
Files
10 (incl. scripts)
Skills in repo
15
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
GPL-3.0

At a glance

Compress a memory file such as CLAUDE.md or a todo list into caveman format to save input tokens, keeping a readable backup.

  • Works in 2 steps: The compression scripts live in scripts/… → From the directory containing this…
  • Tasks that involve Task management
  • SKILL.md covers Purpose, Trigger, Process and Compression Rules, plus 2 more sections
  • Runs Python scripts from its folder; calls npm, git and docker

What it does

Caveman Compress is an agent skill from goern/forgejo-mcp. Compress a memory file such as CLAUDE.md or a todo list into caveman format to save input tokens, keeping a readable backup. Trigger: /caveman-compress.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 10 other files, including scripts (for example `README.md`, `SECURITY.md` and `scripts/__init__.py`).

It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Task management and Agent instruction files. The repository describes itself as: MIRROR ONLY!! This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server provides tools and resources for interacting with the Forgejo (specifically Codeberg.org) REST API. The licence is GPL-3.0.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Task management
  • Tasks that involve Agent instruction files

Example prompts

  • “/caveman-compress”

Requirements

  • Python 3
  • Node.js
  • Docker

Workflow steps

2 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. The compression scripts live in scripts/ (adjacent to this SKILL.md). If the path is not immediately available, search for scripts/main.py…
  2. From the directory containing this SKILL.md, run

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 09749d9. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Ships 7 files in scripts/ (Python), which the agent can run.

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • npm
    • git
    • docker

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npm, git and docker, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Caveman Compress loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 42 tokens; SKILL.md has 600 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~42
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.2k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

  • NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:105
    py, .js, .ts, .json, .yaml, .yml, .toml, .env, .lock, .css, .html, .xml, .sql, .sh

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from goern/forgejo-mcp at commit 09749d9, republished under its GPL-3.0 licence (© goern). 600 words, ~1,172 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/caveman-compress/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 9 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
caveman-compress
description
Compress a memory file such as CLAUDE.md or a todo list into caveman format to save input tokens, keeping a readable backup. Trigger: /caveman-compress.

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, but NOT beside the source file — it lives in an out-of-tree data dir ($XDG_DATA_HOME/caveman-compress/backups/<parent-dir-name>/, or %LOCALAPPDATA%\caveman-compress\backups\<parent-dir-name>\ on Windows) so skill auto-loaders don't re-ingest it as a live file.

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>

  1. 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
  1. 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
Show full SKILL.md (184 more words)Show less

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 — in the out-of-tree backup data dir (see Purpose), not beside the source file
  • Never compress FILE.original.md (skip it)

© goern, GPL-3.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 9 other files (scripts) in .agents/skills/caveman-compress of goern/forgejo-mcp.

  • SKILL.md
  • README.md
  • SECURITY.md
  • scripts/__init__.py
  • scripts/__main__.py
  • scripts/benchmark.py
  • scripts/cli.py
  • scripts/compress.py
  • scripts/detect.py
  • scripts/validate.py

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 09749d9

Used in 1 other repository

We found 2 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in goern/forgejo-mcp, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Caveman Compress next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Caveman Compress compared with similar skills
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Caveman Compress this skillgoern/forgejo-mcp1411 repos~1.2kAutomated safety check: NotesGPL-3.0
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Writing For Agentsbestofjs/bestofjs3.1k18 repos~2.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Task Observerrebelytics/one-skill-to-rule-them-all3.2k1 repos~12kAutomated safety check: PassCC-BY-4.0

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Categories

Questions about Caveman Compress

What does Caveman Compress do?

Compress a memory file such as CLAUDE.md or a todo list into caveman format to save input tokens, keeping a readable backup. Caveman Compress is an agent skill from goern/forgejo-mcp.md or a todo list into caveman format to save input tokens, keeping a readable backup.

When should I use Caveman Compress?

Caveman Compress fits situations like: tasks that involve Task management; tasks that involve Agent instruction files.

How do I install Caveman Compress in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add goern/forgejo-mcp --skill caveman-compress -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/caveman-compress in goern/forgejo-mcp) into .claude/skills/caveman-compress in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Caveman Compress in Codex?

Run `npx skills add goern/forgejo-mcp --skill caveman-compress -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/caveman-compress in goern/forgejo-mcp) into .agents/skills/caveman-compress in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Caveman Compress in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add goern/forgejo-mcp --skill caveman-compress -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/caveman-compress, .gemini/skills/caveman-compress, .github/skills/caveman-compress and .opencode/skills/caveman-compress in your project.

What does Caveman Compress need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Caveman Compress needs Python for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (npm, git and docker). Our summary lists: Python 3; Node.js; Docker.

Does Caveman Compress access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npm, git and docker, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Caveman Compress safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (mentions a .env file), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Caveman Compress use?

Caveman Compress is published under the GPL-3.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Caveman Compress use?

About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Caveman Compress?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Caveman Compress: Using Agent Skills (addyosmani/agent-skills, 103k stars), Claude Reflect (BayramAnnakov/claude-reflect, 1.7k stars), Neat-Freak Knowledge Closeout (KKKKhazix/khazix-skills, 21k stars) and Writing For Agents (bestofjs/bestofjs, 3.1k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Caveman Compress?

goern (a GitHub user) maintains it in goern/forgejo-mcp, which has 141 GitHub stars. The repository holds 15 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 9, 2026.

Source: goern/forgejo-mcp on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.