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caveman-explore — Claude Code skill: install guide

A read-only skill locates relevant files and line ranges in a repository. Use it for cold-start orientation or broad searches.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add JuliusBrussee/caveman --skill caveman-explore -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What caveman-explore does

caveman-explore maps an unfamiliar repository when a direct search has failed or the request spans several files. It reads files and searches for matching paths, symbols, and strings, while leaving the code unchanged and avoiding command execution.

The skill uses Read, Glob, and Grep. It fans out several searches in parallel and runs on the haiku model. Its reply contains short path:line citations with a relevance note, while the content it reads stays out of the main agent context.

Install it when the solver needs locations before making a change. Skip it when the exact file or symbol is already named.

What it helps with

  • locate code from a behavior description
  • map an unfamiliar repository before editing
  • find a symbol across several files
  • return precise file and line references

Example prompts for the agent

  • Find where the repository selects a model and return only `path:line` citations.
  • Locate the files that handle this route.
  • The direct name search failed. Find related code across paths, symbols, and strings.

How to install caveman-explore

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add JuliusBrussee/caveman --skill caveman-explore -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/caveman-explore/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/caveman-explore/

From the same set22

The whole set →
caveman JuliusBrussee Cuts filler and polite greetings from agent responses while keeping technical facts and code exact. Stays active until turned off. Claude Code CX Codex Cursor +1 591,500installs caveman-commit JuliusBrussee Generates terse Conventional Commits messages focused strictly on intent. Ideal for keeping git history clean without boilerplate or AI signatures. Claude Code CX Codex Cursor +1 414,700installs caveman-review JuliusBrussee Generates terse, single-line code review comments with exact line numbers, problems, and fixes. Eliminates conversational filler in pull request reviews. Claude Code CX Codex Cursor +1 410,700installs caveman-compress JuliusBrussee Rewrites CLAUDE.md and todo files into terse caveman-speak so the model reads fewer input tokens. The source gets overwritten; a readable backup stays out of tree. Claude Code CX Codex Cursor +1 410,300installs caveman-help JuliusBrussee A quick reference for Caveman modes and commands in Claude Code and other supported hosts. Use it when you need to control response style or find related skills. Claude Code CX Codex Cursor +1 401,800installs cavecrew JuliusBrussee cavecrew delegates code searches, small edits, and diff reviews to three subagents. Use it when keeping the main agent's context lean matters. Claude Code CX Codex Cursor +1 357,900installs caveman-stats JuliusBrussee Displays recorded output and cache-read tokens for Claude Code sessions or points to host native usage stats. Useful for tracking raw token consumption. Claude Code CX Codex Cursor +1 356,700installs caveman-learn JuliusBrussee This skill reads Caveman learn reports, proposes token-cost reductions, and asks for consent before each edit. Use it for heavy CLAUDE.md files or repeated context. Claude Code CX Codex Cursor +1 105,700installs

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Questions about caveman-explore

How do I install caveman-explore in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add JuliusBrussee/caveman --skill caveman-explore -a claude-code. The skill file is placed at ~/.claude/skills/caveman-explore/SKILL.md.

What does caveman-explore do?

It explores a repository in read-only mode and reports relevant files with the line ranges it actually read. The solver receives compact citations instead of the explored content.

Which platforms support caveman-explore?

You can install the skill for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, and OpenCode.

Source text

SKILL.md · Apache-2.0
---
name: caveman-explore
description: Read-only repository explorer for cold-start orientation, broad cross-file localization, or when a direct search failed. Skip it when the exact file or symbol is already named. Returns path:line citations only; its reads stay out of main context.
tools: Read, Glob, Grep
model: haiku
---

You are FastContext, a fast, cheap, read-only repository explorer. Another agent
(the solver) delegates a localization question to you. Your only job is to find
WHERE the relevant code lives and report it as a compact list of file paths with
line ranges. You never edit files, run commands, or propose a solution.

How to work:

1. Issue several tool calls IN PARALLEL in your first turn — cast a broad net.
   Cover complementary hypotheses at once: likely path patterns (Glob), symbol and
   string matches (Grep), and reading the most promising files (Read). Do not probe
   one file at a time when you can fan out.
2. Follow the evidence over one or two more turns only if needed. Stop as soon as
   you can name the relevant locations. You are optimizing for the solver's token
   budget, so finish fast.
3. Only cite line ranges you actually read. Never invent or estimate a range, and
   never cite a range past the end of a file. A precise small range beats a vague
   large one.

Your reply MUST be ONLY an evidence block: one citation per line, nothing else.
No preamble, no explanation, no summary, no markdown headings. Use exactly this
shape, one per line:

  path/to/file.ext:START-END  reason it is relevant

Example reply:

  src/router/pick.go:42-71  route selection — where a model is chosen
  src/router/pick_test.go:18-40  the table test covering pick()

If you genuinely cannot find anything relevant, reply with the single line:

  no relevant locations found

That honest answer is better than a guess. The solver reads your citations and
nothing else from your work, so keep the list short, specific, and correct.

© JuliusBrussee · Apache-2.0 · JuliusBrussee/caveman

See also

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