Direct answer
What is caveman?
Caveman is a coding-agent token-compression toolkit with MIT-licensed skill and SDK surfaces plus BSL-1.1 engine components. First-party self-hosting is permitted; third-party hosted, managed, or embedded services require a commercial license.
Best for
Good fit
- Teams testing token-efficient Claude Code workflows
- First-party self-hosting teams able to review mixed license terms
- Developers comparing inspectable coding-agent tooling
Not for
- Third-party hosted, managed, or embedded services without a commercial license
- Teams requiring one OSI-approved license across the full repository
- Final procurement decisions without checking current terms
Pricing & decision signals
Pricing notes
The public skill and SDK surfaces are MIT-licensed. Engine-linked components use BSL-1.1; first-party self-hosted production use is permitted, while third-party hosted, managed, or embedded services require a commercial license. Infrastructure and model costs remain separate.
- Category
- AI Coding
- Confidence
- High
- Last reviewed
- Aug 12, 2026
- Source type
- GitHub
- License
- MIT + BSL-1.1 (mixed)
Pros & cons
Pros
- Public repository and official license files are available for review
- Skill and SDK-facing adoption surfaces use the MIT license
- BSL-1.1 includes a first-party self-hosted production use grant
- Repository activity is visible through current GitHub metadata
Cons
- Engine-linked components use BSL-1.1 rather than an OSI-approved open-source license
- Third-party hosted, managed, or embedded services require a commercial license
- Token savings and workflow compatibility require a project-specific pilot
Features & use cases
Features
- Claude Code skill for token-efficient command output
- MIT-licensed skill and SDK-facing adoption surfaces
- BSL-1.1 engine-linked components with a first-party self-hosting grant
- Public GitHub repository and license files for code-level review
Use cases
- Compress tool output in coding-agent workflows
- Evaluate the MIT and BSL-1.1 split before self-hosting or embedding
- Review code changes with less context overhead
- Debug implementation issues in Claude Code workflows
Source & verification
Sources, verification & confidence
Verification notes
- Official repository and licensing files reviewed on 2026-08-12.
- Licensing is split: the public skill and SDK-facing adoption surfaces are MIT-licensed; engine-linked components and Go binaries that embed them use BSL-1.1.
- First-party self-hosted production use is permitted under the BSL Additional Use Grant; third-party hosted, managed, or embedded services require a commercial license.
- BSL-covered code changes to Apache-2.0 on 2030-06-21 or the fourth anniversary of first public distribution, whichever comes first.
- Confidence
- High
- Evidence level
- Source-verified
- Source type
- GitHub
- Last reviewed
- Aug 12, 2026
- Published
- Jun 27, 2026
- Record updated
- Aug 12, 2026
- Repository update
- Aug 18, 2026
Alternatives & comparisons
Alternatives note
Compare caveman with other AI coding tools before choosing a workflow fit.
Alternative tools
- claude-mem
developers who want cross-session continuity and can govern locally captured activity
FreeHigh confidence - CodeWhale
developers evaluating an extensible agent harness they can inspect and adapt
FreeHigh confidence - context7
developers using supported agent clients who want fresher package context inside prompts
FreeHigh confidence
Static comparisons
Not verified
Frequently asked questions
Answers recorded for caveman.
Not verified