Plain-AyI
← All projects
Add-ons for AI coding tools

Caveman

Makes AI coding assistants answer in short, plain sentences and read less, to cut what they cost to use.

Fast-risingResearch-backed

What it does

AI services charge by the "token", roughly a piece of a word. Caveman is an add-on for AI coding assistants such as Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI that tries to use fewer of them. Its best-known part makes the assistant answer in short, clipped sentences while leaving code, commands and error messages untouched.

Other parts shrink the logs, data files and web pages the assistant reads, pick a cheaper or stronger model for each request, and reuse scripts the assistant has already written. Its makers publish their own measurements of the savings and say your results will vary.

It runs on your own machine with your existing AI accounts. Only the automatic model-picking feature needs a (free) Caveman account.

Who it's for

Programmers who use AI coding assistants a lot and want to spend less on them.

Can I use it without coding?

With some setup. Installed with one terminal command (it needs Node.js). A skill-only version can be added to the Claude apps through their plug-ins menu. New to this? Start here.

Can I run it?

Cost
Free, but needs an AI accountThe software is free, but it uses an online AI service (like OpenAI or Anthropic), which usually charges for use.
Runs on
Mac, Windows, Linux
Computer
An ordinary computer is fine
API key
Not needed

Try it

  1. Install Node.js on your computer if you don't already have it.
  2. Press Enter to confirm, then use your coding assistant as usual.

Using Claude Code, Cursor or another AI coding assistant? Paste the prompt and it will walk you through the setup.New to this?

Before you install

  • Only download from the official GitHub page. Copies with similar names exist for many popular projects.
  • License (Apache-2.0): Permissive: free to use, change and share, including for business.
  • More on staying safe

Where people are talking about it