cavecrew

Cavecrew = three subagent presets that emit caveman output. Same job as Anthropic defaults (Explore, edit-style agents, reviewer); difference is the tool-result they return is compressed, so main context shrinks per delegation.

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. Across 20 delegations in one session that's the difference between context exhaustion and finishing the task.

Output contracts

What main thread can rely on per agent:

cavecrew-investigator

<Header>:
- path:line — `symbol` — short note
totals: <counts>.

Or No match. Always file-path-first, line-number-attached, backticked symbols. Safe to grep with path:\d+.

cavecrew-builder

<path:line-range> — <change ≤10 words>.
verified: <re-read OK | mismatch @ path:line>.

Or one of: too-big. / needs-confirm. / ambiguous. / regressed. (terminal first token).

cavecrew-reviewer

path:line: <emoji> <severity>: <problem>. <fix>.
totals: N🔴 N🟡 N🔵 N❓

Or No issues. Findings sorted file → line ascending.

Chaining patterns

Locate → fix → verify (most common):

cavecrew-investigator returns site list.
Main thread picks 1-2 sites, hands paths to cavecrew-builder.
cavecrew-reviewer audits the diff.

Parallel scout (when investigation is broad): Spawn 2-3 cavecrew-investigator calls in one message (different angles: defs vs callers vs tests). Aggregate in main thread.

Single-shot edit (when site is already known): Skip investigator. Hand exact path:line to cavecrew-builder directly.

What NOT to do

Don't use cavecrew-builder when you don't already know the file. Spawn investigator first or main thread will eat tokens passing context.
Don't chain cavecrew-investigator → cavecrew-builder for a 5-file refactor. Builder will return too-big. and you'll have wasted a turn.
Don't ask cavecrew-reviewer for "general feedback" — it returns findings only, no architecture opinions. Use Code Reviewer for that.
Don't expect prose. Cavecrew output is structured, sometimes terse to the point of cryptic. If a human will read it directly, paraphrase.

Auto-clarity (inherited)

Subagents drop caveman → normal English for security warnings, irreversible-action confirmations, and any output where fragment ambiguity could be misread. Resume caveman after.

Output Report

After all main skill tasks complete, write a propose draft to the wiki.

Steps

1. Build the filename:

Format: DDMMYY-<ten>.md
DDMMYY = today (e.g., 020626 for 2 June 2026)
<ten> = 2–4 kebab-case words summarising what was done (e.g., landing-page-coteccons, brand-kit-fintech, ingest-auth-spec)

2. Write llmwiki/wiki/draft/cave/DDMMYY-<ten>.md:

# DDMMYY-<ten>
**Type:** draft
**Status:** proposed
**Tags:** <skill-name>, output-report
**Proposed:** YYYY-MM-DD

## What
<One sentence — what this skill invocation produced or decided>

## Output
<Key artefacts, files created/modified, or decisions made>

## Files
| File | Action |
|------|--------|
| `path/to/file` | created / modified |

## Notes
- Invoked via: `/<skill-name>` skill

## Origin
- **Draft:** `wiki/draft/cave/DDMMYY-<ten>.md`
- **Commit:** _(filled by verify-before-commit)_
- **Date promoted:** _(filled by verify-before-commit)_

3. Update wiki index & log:

llmwiki/wiki/index.md — append one row: | [DDMMYY-<ten>](draft/cave/DDMMYY-<ten>.md) | draft | YYYY-MM-DD |
llmwiki/wiki/log.md — append: ## YYYY-MM-DD — <skill-name> — <ten>

Skip only when the skill produces zero artefacts and zero decisions (e.g., a pure display mode like /caveman-stats).