--- title: "sdl-mcp vs caveman" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/glitterkill-sdl-mcp-vs-juliusbrussee-caveman" tools: ["glitterkill-sdl-mcp", "juliusbrussee-caveman"] --- # sdl-mcp vs caveman *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick sdl-mcp if sDL-MCP is a policy-centered tool designed specifically to improve AI-driven coding tasks by managing contexts more efficiently through technologies such as semantic analysis and tree-sitter; pick caveman if caveman reduces token usage by 65% through minimalistic language for coding agents, supporting two sizes and primarily written in Go. [sdl-mcp](https://github.com/GlitterKill/sdl-mcp) reports 486 GitHub stars, 31 forks, and 0 open issues, last pushed Sep 16, 2026. [caveman](https://docs.caveman.so/docs/quickstart) has 106k stars, 6.2k forks, and 127 open issues, last pushed Sep 18, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [sdl-mcp's repository](https://github.com/GlitterKill/sdl-mcp) and [caveman's repository](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman). | | [sdl-mcp](/tools/glitterkill-sdl-mcp.md) | [caveman](/tools/juliusbrussee-caveman.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | A policy-centered context budget layer for coding agents that enhances code analysis and workflow efficiency. | Reduces token usage by 65% through minimalistic language for coding agents | | Stars | 486 | 106,401 | | Forks | 31 | 6,165 | | Open issues | 0 | 127 | | Language | TypeScript | Go | | Adopt for | SDL-MCP is a policy-centered tool designed specifically to improve AI-driven coding tasks by managing contexts more efficiently through technologies such as semantic analysis and tree-sitter. | Caveman reduces token usage by 65% through minimalistic language for coding agents, supporting two sizes and primarily written in Go. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Other | Caveman operates under a split license: MIT for the skill, Agent SDK, and initializer, and BSL-1.1 for the engine-linked runtime, which converts to Apache-2.0 by 2030 or four years after shipping. | | Categories | AI Agents, Evaluation & Observability, Model Training | AI Agents, Model Training | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [sdl-mcp](/tools/glitterkill-sdl-mcp.md) | [caveman](/tools/juliusbrussee-caveman.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 3d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 0 | 127 | | Stars delta | +35 (30d) | +8.0k (30d) | | Open issues delta | -1 (30d) | -358 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/glitterkill-sdl-mcp/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/juliusbrussee-caveman/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: sdl-mcp - **Adopt for:** SDL-MCP is a policy-centered tool designed specifically to improve AI-driven coding tasks by managing contexts more efficiently through technologies such as semantic analysis and tree-sitter. ## Decision facts: caveman - **Pricing:** freemium - The skill, Agent SDK, and initializer are free under MIT license. Hosting Caveman for third parties requires a commercial license. - **Requirements:** Min 1 GB RAM; Caveman is primarily written in Go and supports two sizes, allowing for flexible deployment. - **Adopt for:** Caveman reduces token usage by 65% through minimalistic language for coding agents, supporting two sizes and primarily written in Go. - **License detail:** Caveman operates under a split license: MIT for the skill, Agent SDK, and initializer, and BSL-1.1 for the engine-linked runtime, which converts to Apache-2.0 by 2030 or four years after shipping. ## Choose when ### Choose sdl-mcp if… - sdl-mcp is primarily TypeScript; caveman is Go. - Tags unique to sdl-mcp: agent-context, agent-tools, agentic-coding, agentic-engineering. - Also covers Evaluation & Observability. - sdl-mcp ships an MCP server manifest. - When working with sprawling or complex codebases where maintaining context across multiple files is crucial. ### Choose caveman if… - caveman is primarily Go; sdl-mcp is TypeScript. - Pricing: The skill, Agent SDK, and initializer are free under MIT license. Hosting Caveman for third parties requires a commercial license.. - Requirements: Min 1 GB RAM; Caveman is primarily written in Go and supports two sizes, allowing for flexible deployment.. - Tags unique to caveman: ai, anthropic, caveman, claude. - caveman ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - When you need to significantly reduce token usage in coding agents, as Caveman can cut usage by 65% through its simplified language style. ## When NOT to use sdl-mcp - In environments where TypeScript is not a preferred or supported language. - For tasks that do not benefit from context management layers, such as small-scale projects with straightforward workflows. - If your project requires real-time response times for every operation since SDL-MCP's focus on semantic analysis and context budgeting can introduce slight delays. ## When NOT to use caveman - If your project requires a fully OSI-approved open-source license, as Caveman's engine-linked runtime is BSL-1.1, which is not OSI-approved until a future date. - When you need a tool that does not involve a trademarked name and logo, as Caveman is trademarked and has specific guidelines for its use. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between sdl-mcp and caveman? sdl-mcp: A policy-centered context budget layer for coding agents that enhances code analysis and workflow efficiency.. caveman: Reduces token usage by 65% through minimalistic language for coding agents. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose sdl-mcp over caveman? Choose sdl-mcp over caveman when sdl-mcp is primarily TypeScript; caveman is Go; Tags unique to sdl-mcp: agent-context, agent-tools, agentic-coding, agentic-engineering; Also covers Evaluation & Observability; sdl-mcp ships an MCP server manifest; When working with sprawling or complex codebases where maintaining context across multiple files is crucial. ### When should I choose caveman over sdl-mcp? Choose caveman over sdl-mcp when caveman is primarily Go; sdl-mcp is TypeScript; Pricing: The skill, Agent SDK, and initializer are free under MIT license. Hosting Caveman for third parties requires a commercial license.; Requirements: Min 1 GB RAM; Caveman is primarily written in Go and supports two sizes, allowing for flexible deployment.; Tags unique to caveman: ai, anthropic, caveman, claude; caveman ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need to significantly reduce token usage in coding agents, as Caveman can cut usage by 65% through its simplified language style. ### When should I avoid sdl-mcp? In environments where TypeScript is not a preferred or supported language. For tasks that do not benefit from context management layers, such as small-scale projects with straightforward workflows. If your project requires real-time response times for every operation since SDL-MCP's focus on semantic analysis and context budgeting can introduce slight delays. ### When should I avoid caveman? If your project requires a fully OSI-approved open-source license, as Caveman's engine-linked runtime is BSL-1.1, which is not OSI-approved until a future date. When you need a tool that does not involve a trademarked name and logo, as Caveman is trademarked and has specific guidelines for its use. ### Is sdl-mcp or caveman more popular on GitHub? caveman has more GitHub stars (106,401 vs 486). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are sdl-mcp and caveman open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (sdl-mcp: Other, caveman: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to sdl-mcp or caveman? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [sdl-mcp alternatives](/tools/glitterkill-sdl-mcp/alternatives) and [caveman alternatives](/tools/juliusbrussee-caveman/alternatives) ([sdl-mcp markdown twin](/tools/glitterkill-sdl-mcp/alternatives.md), [caveman markdown twin](/tools/juliusbrussee-caveman/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/glitterkill-sdl-mcp-vs-juliusbrussee-caveman.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, sdl-mcp or caveman? sdl-mcp: Very active. caveman: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for sdl-mcp and caveman? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [sdl-mcp trust report](/tools/glitterkill-sdl-mcp/trust); [caveman trust report](/tools/juliusbrussee-caveman/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=glitterkill-sdl-mcp`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=glitterkill-sdl-mcp) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_