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caveman-explore

juliusbrussee/caveman

Fast read-only repository explorer for code localization and orientation.

What is caveman-explore?

Caveman-explore is a lightweight code search tool that helps you quickly locate relevant files and code sections across a repository. Use it for cold-start exploration, finding code when direct search fails, or understanding broad cross-file patterns without loading full context.

  • Performs parallel file globbing, grep searches, and targeted reads to locate code quickly
  • Returns precise path:line citations only, keeping reads out of main context window
  • Optimizes for token efficiency by finishing fast and avoiding one-file-at-a-time probing
  • Handles broad cross-file localization and orientation tasks
  • Skips unnecessary work when exact file or symbol names are already known

How to install caveman-explore

npx skills add https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman --skill caveman-explore
Claude Code
Cursor
Windsurf
Cline

How to use caveman-explore

  1. 1.Install the skill using: npx skills add https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman --skill caveman-explore
  2. 2.Ask the agent a localization question about where code lives in your repository
  3. 3.The tool will issue parallel glob, grep, and read calls to find relevant locations
  4. 4.Review the returned path:line citations to identify files and line ranges of interest
  5. 5.Use the citations to guide your next steps or deeper investigation

Use cases

Good for
  • Orienting yourself in an unfamiliar codebase at the start of a task
  • Finding where a specific function or pattern is implemented across multiple files
  • Locating relevant code when a direct symbol search or grep failed
  • Understanding the structure and key locations in a large repository
  • Narrowing down which files to read in detail before diving into full context
Who it's for
  • Coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor) performing code exploration
  • Developers onboarding to unfamiliar codebases
  • Teams using agent-assisted development workflows

caveman-explore FAQ

When should I use caveman-explore vs. a direct search?

Use caveman-explore when you don't know the exact file or symbol name, need broad cross-file understanding, or a direct search failed. Skip it if you already know the exact location.

Why does it only return path:line citations?

Citations keep the tool's reads out of your main context window, preserving token budget for the solver agent to use on actual problem-solving.

Can it edit files or propose solutions?

No, caveman-explore is read-only. It only locates code; another agent handles editing and solving.

How does it optimize for speed?

It issues multiple tool calls in parallel (glob, grep, read) in the first turn rather than probing one file at a time, then stops as soon as it has enough citations.

What if it can't find anything relevant?

It will honestly report 'no relevant locations found' rather than guessing or inventing line ranges.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from juliusbrussee/caveman.


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.