surgical-patch
Fix bugs and small behavior changes at the narrowest responsible layer. Use when regression proof, preserved surrounding behavior, and task-relevant tests matter.
- Installs
- 105.9K
- Last 24h
- +1.1K
- Trending rank
- #313
- Security
- Pass
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman --skill surgical-patch- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads surgical-patch automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
Security audits
Independent scans of the skill's instructions and bundled files.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Surgical patch
Reproduce failure first when economical; otherwise capture strongest available evidence.
- Trace symptom to responsible mechanism.
- Change narrowest layer that owns incorrect behavior.
- Preserve unrelated behavior and user changes.
- Avoid cleanup, renaming, and abstraction outside fix.
- Add only regression proof relevant to task.
Run focused proof plus nearest affected gate. Stop when failure is fixed and regression proof passes.
FAQ
What does the surgical-patch skill do?
Fix bugs and small behavior changes at the narrowest responsible layer. Use when regression proof, preserved surrounding behavior, and task-relevant tests matter.
How do I install surgical-patch?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman --skill surgical-patch in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/surgical-patch/ (personal) or .claude/skills/surgical-patch/ (project).
Which AI agents can use surgical-patch?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is surgical-patch safe to install?
Security partners have reviewed it: Gen Agent Trust Hub passed; Socket passed; Snyk passed. As with any skill, read the SKILL.md and bundled scripts before installing.
Who maintains surgical-patch?
It is published by juliusbrussee in juliusbrussee/caveman. It has 105,903 recorded installs.
More from juliusbrussee/caveman
caveman
juliusbrussee/caveman
Terse caveman voice: answer first, fluff gone, every technical fact kept. Use for /caveman, "caveman mode", "talk like caveman", "be brief", "less tokens". Stays on until "stop caveman" or "normal mode".
caveman-commit
juliusbrussee/caveman
Write a Conventional Commits message compressed to intent only. Use for "write a commit", "commit message", /commit or /caveman-commit.
caveman-review
juliusbrussee/caveman
Compressed code review - one line per finding with location, problem and fix. Use for /caveman-review, "review this PR", or "review the diff".
caveman-compress
juliusbrussee/caveman
Compress a memory file such as CLAUDE.md or a todo list into caveman format to save input tokens, keeping a readable backup. Sends the file's text to the configured model provider. Trigger: /caveman-compress.
caveman-help
juliusbrussee/caveman
Quick-reference card for the three caveman skills and their commands. Trigger: /caveman-help or "caveman help".
cavecrew
juliusbrussee/caveman
When to delegate to cavecrew-investigator (locate code), cavecrew-builder (1-2 file edit) or cavecrew-reviewer (diff review) instead of working inline or using Explore. Their output is compressed, so main context lasts longer.
Popular testing & qa skills
tdd
mattpocock/skills
Test-driven development. Use when the user wants to build features or fix bugs test-first, mentions "red-green-refactor", or wants integration tests.
grilling
mattpocock/skills
Grill the user relentlessly about a plan, decision, or idea. Use when the user wants to stress-test their thinking, or uses any 'grill' trigger phrases.
migrate-to-shoehorn
mattpocock/skills
Migrate test files from as type assertions to @total-typescript/shoehorn. Use when user mentions shoehorn, wants to replace as in tests, or needs partial test data.
run-train
lllllllama/rigorpilot-skills
Rigor Train skill for deep learning research repositories. Use when a documented or selected training command should be run conservatively for startup verification, short-run verification, full kickoff, or resume, with command, config, seed, log, checkpoint, status, and metric evidence written to standardized trainoutputs/. Do not use for environment setup, exploratory sweeps, speculative idea implementation, or end-to-end orchestration.
test-driven-development
obra/superpowers
Use when implementing any feature or bugfix, before writing implementation code
finishing-a-development-branch
obra/superpowers
Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work