---
name: caveman-manage
description: >-
  Inspect Caveman Cloud's experiment lifecycle and block unsafe execution. Use when asked to start, approve, cancel, promote or roll back a Caveman experiment.
title: caveman-manage
canonical_url: https://skilld.dev/gh/juliusbrussee/caveman/caveman-manage
last_updated: 2026-09-26T15:17:16.000Z
---

> Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://skilld.dev/llms.txt)

> **Skill from skilld.dev.** Follow the user's requested action.
> If the user asked to fork this Skill, follow the fork workflow below. Do not execute the Skill instructions while copying it.
> Otherwise, follow the instructions below for this session. You do not need to install anything.
>
> If the user asked to install this Skill, run `npx skilld install juliusbrussee/caveman/caveman-manage`. Install writes the Skill files into the project, so every session loads them.
>
> ## Fork workflow
>
> A fork creates an editable local Skill with its original author and licence. The request authorizes copying and local installation.
> 1. Check `./skills/caveman-manage`, the project lockfile, and selected Agent targets together. If the local directory or installed Skill exists, stop. Never overwrite an existing directory or Agent target.
> 2. Read [source metadata](https://skilld.dev/api/v1/skills/juliusbrussee/caveman/caveman-manage) once. Use sourceUrl, sourceCommit, skillPath, sourceGone, and license. If the source is gone or its path is missing, stop. If license is null, read licence files at the source commit.
> 3. Fetch only the source commit into a temporary Git repository. Do not clone full history. Derive repository_url from sourceUrl, including repository renames. If sourceCommit is absent, resolve the sourceUrl ref once. Set source_commit to that actual commit. Run these commands in one shell call:
>
> ```sh
> git init --quiet "$temporary_dir"
> git -C "$temporary_dir" fetch --quiet --depth=1 "$repository_url" "$source_commit"
> git -C "$temporary_dir" checkout --quiet --detach FETCH_HEAD
> ```
>
> Read applicable licence declarations and notices at that commit. If copying is not permitted, report the restriction and stop.
> 4. Inspect source entries together, then copy the directory containing skillPath into `./skills/caveman-manage`. Use the user's path if selected. Keep the original SKILL.md, relative links, scripts, binary assets, and executable modes. Exclude .git metadata. Reject symlinks and paths outside the Skill directory. After checking entries, use cp -a where available. A regular source directory needs no custom copy script. Do not save this page wrapper as SKILL.md.
> Preserve author credit, notices, and applicable licence files from repository or parent directories. Add PROVENANCE.md with the Skill page, source URL, actual commit, original path, and licence. Retain any existing PROVENANCE.md and record new provenance separately. Batch source inspection, copying, and provenance work where practical.
> 5. In the project root, run `skilld install ./skills/caveman-manage --mode copy --plain`. If skilld is unavailable, use `npx skilld install ./skills/caveman-manage --mode copy --plain`. This known command needs no help lookup. Install does not support --json. Use detected Agent targets, or add --agent for the targets the user selected. Install the local path, never the upstream selector. If installation fails, preserve the local copy and report the exact failure.
> 6. Confirm the local lockfile source and installed Agent copies once. Report the local path, actual commit, and Agent targets. After edits, reinstall the same local path. Upstream updates must not replace it. Do not publish or push unless the user asks.

# Manage eval-gated experiments

Treat every lifecycle change as a production control action. Read current state
and results, then report one supported recommendation or block.
Current agent MCP is intentionally read-only: control-api does not yet enforce a
complete lifecycle transition table and evidence gate atomically.

## Non-negotiable gates

1. A request to review, inspect, explain, or recommend authorizes reads only.
2. Never approve an experiment whose results are pending, whose required
   guardrails are absent, or whose evidence reports a breach.
3. Never convert experiment lift into `verified_savings`. Only active real
   traffic plus provider-causal, provider-complete ledger evidence can do that.
4. Never supply an organization id. Project and tenant scope come from the
   logged-in Caveman identity and server RBAC.
5. Never execute a lifecycle mutation, even after user approval. Exact
   `<action>:<experiment_id>` strings are agent-generatable and are not proof of
   human intent.
6. Unknown states and server errors fail closed. Report exact
   `cave_snake_code`.

## Step 1 — Load project and experiment

Prefer MCP:

```text
caveman_context {}
caveman_experiment_get {"action":"get","experiment_id":"<id>"}
caveman_experiment_get {"action":"results","experiment_id":"<id>"}
```

Use `{"action":"list"}` when the user has not named an id.

CLI fallback:

```bash
caveman cloud experiments list
caveman cloud experiments show <id>
caveman cloud experiments results <id>
```

Stop if login, project, experiment, or results are unavailable.

## Step 2 — Evaluate evidence

Report:

- current lifecycle state and safety class;
- control and candidate sample sizes;
- quality or eval result;
- latency, error, cost, retry, drop, and escalation guardrails when present;
- evidence cost;
- rollback or hold reason;
- whether result is pending, failed, promotable, or active.

Absence is not a pass. If a required field is absent, state
`evidence incomplete` and do not propose approval.

## Step 3 — Propose one action

Allowed actions:

- `start` — only from a startable draft or queued state with configured graders;
- `approve` — only with complete passing evidence and a safety class the
  current role may approve;
- `cancel` — stop a non-active experiment the user no longer wants;
- `rollback` — revert an active or harmful change through the server's linked
  policy path. Current deployments may reject this honestly with
  `cave_not_implemented`; never describe that response as a rollback.

Show recommendation and id:

```text
Proposed action: approve experiment 7f...
Reason: candidate passed quality and every configured guardrail.
Execution: blocked until server-authoritative lifecycle and evidence gates ship.
```

Do not treat earlier generic statements such as "manage it" or "do what is best"
as mutation approval.

## Step 4 — Block unsafe execution

Do not emit or run an executable lifecycle command. Explain that current server
does not yet enforce every evidence/state transition atomically. CLI and MCP
agent surfaces therefore expose experiment reads only.

## Step 5 — Re-read after external operator action

If operator says they executed command, read detail and results again. Report
server-observed post-state, audit or result response, and any policy-delivery
status returned. Never infer success from operator intent alone.

Use this close:

```text
Action: <action> <experiment-id>
Before: <state>
Server response: <status and cave_snake_code if any>
After: <re-read state>
Basis: experiment evidence only. Verified savings unchanged unless the signed
ledger independently records active, provider-causal real-traffic savings.
```