Repository Analysis

JuliusBrussee/caveman

🪨 why use many token when few token do trick — Claude Code skill that cuts 65% of tokens by talking like caveman

17.5 Moderate AI signal View on GitHub

Analysis Overview

This report presents the forensic synthetic code analysis of JuliusBrussee/caveman, a JavaScript project with 89,222 GitHub stars. SynthScan v2.0 examined 15,252 lines of code across 137 source files, recording 150 pattern matches distributed across 11 syntactic categories. The overall adjusted score of 17.5 places this repository in the Moderate AI signal band.

The scanner applied 160+ deterministic lexical heuristics, multi-line block detectors, abstract syntax tree depth profilers, and a cross-file Jaccard similarity matrix to construct a statistically normalised synthetic code estimate. All matches are individually weighted by severity coefficient and contextual multiplier before summation, and the resulting headline score is temporally discounted to account for the repository's development history relative to the commercial emergence of large language model coding tooling (November 2022 onward).

17.5
Adjusted Score
17.5
Raw Score
100%
Time Factor
2026-07-03
Last Push
89.2K
Stars
JavaScript
Language
15.3K
Lines of Code
137
Files
150
Pattern Hits
2026-07-14
Scan Date
0.00
HC Hit Rate

What These Metrics Mean

Adjusted Score
Primary synthetic code indicator. Raw score normalised per 1,000 lines of code and multiplied by the temporal discount factor. This is the definitive comparative metric — use it to rank repositories by AI authorship density.
Raw Score
The unmodified sum of all severity-weighted, context-multiplied pattern match scores before temporal discounting. Reflects the absolute signal strength independent of when the repository was last active.
Time Factor
The temporal discount multiplier (0–100%) applied to the raw score. Repositories last updated before ChatGPT's launch (Nov 2022) receive a 5% factor. Full signal is only assigned to repositories active in the post-adoption era (Jan 2024+).
Pattern Hits
Total count of individual pattern matches across all files and categories. A high hit count with a low score may indicate a very large codebase with isolated AI snippets; a low count with a high score indicates dense, concentrated AI signatures.
HC Hit Rate
High+Critical pattern hits per file, averaged across the repository. This orthogonal signal catches repositories where a few files are densely packed with high-severity AI tells — a strong indicator even when the normalised score appears moderate due to codebase size.
Lines of Code / Files
Total lines and files analysed. The scanner examines 94 file extensions. These denominators are used to normalise the score, enabling fair comparison between repositories of vastly different sizes.

Score History

This chart maps the temporal evolution of the adjusted synthetic code score across successive scan runs. An upward trajectory indicates ongoing incorporation of AI-generated code or expanding LLM-assisted scaffolding; a stable or declining trajectory may reflect active human refactoring, code removal, or the adoption of stricter authorship policies. The dashed secondary line (right axis) independently tracks total raw pattern hit count, which can diverge from the normalised score when codebase size changes significantly between scans.

Severity Breakdown

Classifies detected patterns by their diagnostic confidence and structural impact. CRITICAL patterns (coefficient 10) represent definitive synthetic signatures — hallucinated imports, explicit LLM attribution metadata — virtually never produced by human authors. HIGH (5) indicates strong structural tells such as cross-file repetition or cross-linguistic idioms. MEDIUM (2) covers recognisable conversational padding and AI-specific vocabulary. LOW (1) captures subtle indicators like tautological comments and generic boilerplate that require density to carry independent signal.

CRITICAL 0HIGH 0MEDIUM 56LOW 94

Directory Score Breakdown

This horizontal bar chart decomposes the repository's raw synthetic code score by top-level directory, allowing you to pinpoint precisely which modules or components carry the highest AI authorship density. Directories with disproportionately high scores relative to their size warrant targeted manual review: concentrated AI signatures often trace back to mass-generated configuration layers, auto-ported test suites, LLM-scaffolded boilerplate classes, or entire subsystems authored under heavy copilot assistance. Use this view to prioritise your human code-review effort.

Pattern Findings

The scanner identified 150 distinct pattern matches across 11 syntactic categories. Each entry below represents a discrete location in the source code where the engine recorded a statistically significant AI authorship indicator. Expand any category row to inspect the individual file paths, line numbers, code snippets, and the lexical context (CODE, COMMENT, or STRING) in which each match was detected.

Reading the findings table: The Severity column indicates the diagnostic confidence level (CRITICAL / HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW). The Context column identifies whether the match occurred inside executable code, an inline comment, or a string literal — comment-context matches receive a ×1.5 weight because LLMs systematically over-annotate. The ⚡ bolt icon marks clustered matches: three or more patterns within a 10-line window, each receiving an additional ×1.5 density multiplier as dense clusters constitute far stronger evidence of synthetic authorship than isolated hits.

Decorative Section Separators53 hits · 162 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMbin/install.js55// ── Argv ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js157// ── Color helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js167// ── Env guards ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js191// ── Provider matrix ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js263// ── Detection ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js373// ── Repo root resolution ───────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js386// ── Run helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js451// ── Per-provider installers ────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js595// ── hermes native install ──────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js652// ── opencode native install ───────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js881// ── OpenClaw native install ───────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js912// ── Hooks installer ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1030// ── MCP shrink wiring ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1067// ── Init writers (per-repo rule files) ────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1095// ── HTTPS download via stdlib ─────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1121// ── Integrity verification for downloaded hooks (#262) ─────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1121// ── Integrity verification for downloaded hooks (#262) ─────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1150// ── Uninstall ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1328// ── Interactive prompt (TTY-only) ─────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1346// ── --list ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1364// ── Help ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/install.js1415// ── Main ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/openclaw.js44// ── Frontmatter helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/openclaw.js81// ── Bootstrap snippet load ────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/openclaw.js118// ── SOUL.md marker-block append/strip ─────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/openclaw.js200// ── Public API ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js25// ── stripJsonComments ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js63// ── stripTrailingCommas ────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js94// ── readSettings ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js115// ── writeSettings ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js125// ── validateHookFields ────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js155// ── Idempotency probe ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js165// ── addCommandHook ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js181// ── Managed hook scripts ──────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js220// ── removeCavemanHooks ────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js245// ── rewriteLegacyManagedHookCommands ──────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js273// ── pruneOrphanedManagedHooks ─────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMbin/lib/settings.js343// ── claudeConfigDir ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_caveman_stats.js463// ── Output-reduction share (never a "usage"/"budget" claim) ────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_caveman_stats.js535// ── Mid-session mode-change attribution (#601) ─────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_caveman_stats.js535// ── Mid-session mode-change attribution (#601) ─────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_mcp_shrink.js183// ── Packaging (#597) ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_mcp_shrink.js183// ── Packaging (#597) ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_mode_tracker.py57 # ── #598: deactivation word orders ──────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_mode_tracker.py96 # ── #598: activation guards ─────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_mode_tracker.py135 # ── slash commands ──────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_mode_tracker.py146 # ── #599: one-shot independent modes ────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_cavecrew_model_overrides.js30// ── patchFrontmatterModel ──────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_cavecrew_model_overrides.js155// ── resolvePluginRoot ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_cavecrew_model_overrides.js165// ── applyOverrides ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/test_cavecrew_model_overrides.js283// ── Summary ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMsrc/hooks/caveman-stats.js147// ── Per-mode attribution (#601) ─────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
MEDIUMsrc/hooks/caveman-stats.js147// ── Per-mode attribution (#601) ─────────────────────────────────────────────COMMENT
Hyper-Verbose Identifiers45 hits · 52 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWbin/lib/settings.js251function rewriteLegacyManagedHookCommands(settings, absoluteNode) {CODE
LOWbin/lib/settings.js290function pruneOrphanedManagedHooks(settings, configDir) {CODE
LOWtests/verify_repo.py104def verify_skill_frontmatter_upload_compatibility() -> None:CODE
LOWtests/verify_repo.py157def verify_manifests_and_syntax() -> None:CODE
LOWtests/test_detect.py68 def test_known_names_case_insensitive(self):STRING
LOWtests/test_detect.py74 def test_cmakelists_txt_not_compressible_despite_txt_extension(self):STRING
LOWtests/test_detect.py80 def test_shebang_script_is_code(self):STRING
LOWtests/test_detect.py86 def test_extensionless_prose_still_compressible(self):STRING
LOWtests/test_detect.py92 def test_markdown_still_compressible(self):STRING
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py59 def test_turn_caveman_mode_off_deactivates(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py65 def test_turn_caveman_off_deactivates(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py70 def test_turn_off_caveman_deactivates(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py75 def test_stop_caveman_multiline_deactivates(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py81 def test_normal_mode_command_deactivates(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py86 def test_back_to_normal_mode_deactivates(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py91 def test_vim_normal_mode_does_not_deactivate(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py98 def test_enable_caveman_with_stop_elsewhere_activates(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py105 def test_question_does_not_activate(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py111 def test_scoped_brevity_does_not_activate(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py115 def test_unscoped_brevity_activates(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py119 def test_activate_caveman_still_works(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py123 def test_turn_on_caveman_mode_still_works(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py127 def test_talk_like_caveman_still_works(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py131 def test_bare_caveman_mode_still_works(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py137 def test_slash_caveman_level_switch(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py148 def test_commit_restores_prior_level_on_next_prompt(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py156 def test_commit_with_no_prior_mode_deactivates_after(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py163 def test_chained_independent_modes_keep_original_prev(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py171 def test_namespaced_commit_and_review_recognized(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py180 def test_no_reinforcement_during_independent_turn(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_mode_tracker.py185 def test_deactivation_clears_saved_prev(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_hooks.py30 def test_install_upgrades_old_two_file_install(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_hooks.py48 def test_install_reconfigures_missing_statusline(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_hooks.py92 def test_uninstall_preserves_custom_statusline(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_hooks.py141 def test_activate_does_not_nudge_when_custom_statusline_exists(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_hooks.py165 def test_activate_emits_skill_md_not_fallback_from_repo_layout(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_hooks.py178 def test_activate_finds_skill_beside_config_dir_hooks(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_hooks.py198 def test_activate_prefers_claude_plugin_root(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_compress_safety.py40 def test_empty_compressed_output_does_not_touch_disk(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_compress_safety.py50 def test_whitespace_only_compressed_output_does_not_touch_disk(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_compress_safety.py60 def test_identical_compressed_output_does_not_touch_disk(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_compress_safety.py70 def test_real_compression_writes_backup_and_target(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_validate_inline.py18 def test_fenced_blocks_excluded(self):CODE
LOWtests/test_validate_inline.py75 def test_validate_inline_codes_wired(self):STRING
LOWsrc/mcp-servers/caveman-shrink/compress.js116function compressDescriptionsInPlace(obj, fieldNames) {CODE
Over-Commented Block20 hits · 20 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWinstall.sh1#!/usr/bin/env bashCOMMENT
LOWbin/install.js1#!/usr/bin/env nodeCOMMENT
LOWbin/lib/openclaw.js1// caveman → OpenClaw install / uninstall helper.COMMENT
LOWbin/lib/opencode-agent.js1'use strict';COMMENT
LOWbin/lib/settings.js1// caveman — JSONC-tolerant settings.json read/write + defensive hook validation.COMMENT
LOWbin/lib/settings.js281// …caveman-activate.js` (issue #471). rewriteLegacyManagedHookCommands can'tCOMMENT
LOWsrc/tools/caveman-init.js1#!/usr/bin/env nodeCOMMENT
LOWsrc/plugins/opencode/plugin.js1// caveman — opencode pluginCOMMENT
LOWsrc/plugins/opencode/plugin.js21// activation, and per-turn reinforcement.COMMENT
LOWsrc/plugins/opencode/plugin.js41import path from 'node:path';COMMENT
LOWsrc/hooks/caveman-mode-tracker.js41 /\bturn\s+off\s+(the\s+)?caveman\b/.test(prompt) ||COMMENT
LOWsrc/hooks/caveman-mode-tracker.js161 }COMMENT
LOWsrc/hooks/cavecrew-model-overrides.js1#!/usr/bin/env nodeCOMMENT
LOWsrc/hooks/caveman-stats.js1#!/usr/bin/env nodeCOMMENT
LOWsrc/hooks/caveman-statusline.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWsrc/hooks/caveman-config.js1#!/usr/bin/env nodeCOMMENT
LOWsrc/hooks/caveman-config.js101 if (repoMode) return repoMode;COMMENT
LOWsrc/hooks/caveman-config.js121// while still refusing attacker-planted symlinks pointing to dirs owned byCOMMENT
LOWsrc/mcp-servers/caveman-shrink/index.js1#!/usr/bin/env nodeCOMMENT
LOWsrc/mcp-servers/caveman-shrink/compress.js1// caveman-shrink — pure-Node prose compressor for MCP tool descriptionsCOMMENT
Excessive Try-Catch Wrapping6 hits · 7 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWevals/llm_run.py60 except Exception:CODE
MEDIUMevals/llm_run.py54def claude_version() -> str:CODE
LOWplugins/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/cli.py19 except Exception:CODE
LOWplugins/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/cli.py79 except Exception as e:CODE
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/cli.py19 except Exception:CODE
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/cli.py79 except Exception as e:CODE
Unused Imports6 hits · 6 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWevals/measure.py17CODE
LOWevals/plot.py12CODE
LOWevals/llm_run.py27CODE
LOWtests/verify_repo.py4CODE
LOWtests/verify_repo.py211CODE
LOWtests/verify_repo.py213CODE
Modern AI Meta-Vocabulary2 hits · 6 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMsrc/hooks/caveman-stats.js289// limit usage — input + cache tokens dominate agentic sessions, count againstCOMMENT
MEDIUMsrc/hooks/caveman-stats.js412 // on the line above, and input + cache tokens (which dominate agenticCOMMENT
Redundant / Tautological Comments5 hits · 6 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWplugins/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/cli.py55 # Check if compressibleCOMMENT
LOW…ns/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py261 # Check if backup already exists to prevent accidental overwritingSTRING
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/cli.py55 # Check if compressibleCOMMENT
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py261 # Check if backup already exists to prevent accidental overwritingSTRING
LOWsrc/hooks/install.sh48# Check if already installed (unless --force). Older installs only had two hookCOMMENT
Deep Nesting3 hits · 3 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOW…gins/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/detect.py56CODE
LOWtests/verify_repo.py70CODE
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/detect.py56CODE
Modern Structural Boilerplate2 hits · 2 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOW…ns/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/__init__.py7__all__ = ["cli", "compress", "detect", "validate"]CODE
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/__init__.py7__all__ = ["cli", "compress", "detect", "validate"]CODE
Verbosity Indicators4 hits · 2 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOW…ns/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py279 # Step 1: Compress (body only, frontmatter excluded)STRING
LOW…ns/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py315 # Step 2: Validate + RetrySTRING
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py279 # Step 1: Compress (body only, frontmatter excluded)STRING
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py315 # Step 2: Validate + RetrySTRING
Structural Annotation Overuse4 hits · 2 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOW…ns/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py279 # Step 1: Compress (body only, frontmatter excluded)STRING
LOW…ns/caveman/skills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py315 # Step 2: Validate + RetrySTRING
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py279 # Step 1: Compress (body only, frontmatter excluded)STRING
LOWskills/caveman-compress/scripts/compress.py315 # Step 2: Validate + RetrySTRING