OpenAI, Companies Adopt Caveman Plugin to Cut AI Token Use 65%
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jul 5
OpenAI, Companies Adopt Caveman Plugin to Cut AI Token Use 65%
2 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jul 5
Summary
OpenAI and other companies are using the Caveman plugin to force AI assistants into terse replies, trimming token consumption by as much as 65%.
Julius Brussee, who created the tool in April for Claude Code, said it strips out pleasantries, hedging, transitions and other prose that drives up usage costs.
The shift comes as AI providers move from flat-rate subscriptions toward pay-per-use pricing, pushing corporate users to curb spending on expensive model output.
Rising operating costs are reshaping the industry more broadly, with major AI firms still struggling for profitability despite years of marketing chatbots as increasingly human-like.