Smart Model Switching

Three-tier Claude routing: Haiku → Sonnet → Opus

Start with the cheapest model. Escalate only when needed. Save 50-90% on API costs.

The Golden Rule

If a human would need more than 30 seconds of focused thinking, escalate from Haiku to Sonnet. If the task involves architecture, complex tradeoffs, or deep reasoning, escalate to Opus.

Cost Reality

Model	Input	Output	Relative Cost
Haiku	$0.25/M	$1.25/M	1x (baseline)
Sonnet	$3.00/M	$15.00/M	12x
Opus	$15.00/M	$75.00/M	60x

Bottom line: Wrong model selection wastes money OR time. Haiku for simple, Sonnet for standard, Opus for complex.

💚 HAIKU — Default for Simple Tasks

Stay on Haiku for:

Factual Q&A — "what is X", "who is Y", "when did Z"
Quick lookups — definitions, unit conversions, short translations
Status checks — calendar, file reads, session monitoring
Heartbeats — periodic checks, HEARTBEAT_OK responses
Memory & reminders — "remember this", "remind me to..."
Casual conversation — greetings, small talk, acknowledgments
Simple file ops — read, list, basic writes
One-liner tasks — anything answerable in 1-2 sentences

NEVER do these on Haiku

❌ Write code longer than 10 lines
❌ Create comparison tables
❌ Write more than 3 paragraphs
❌ Do multi-step analysis
❌ Write reports or proposals

💛 SONNET — Standard Work (The Workhorse)

Escalate to Sonnet for:

Code & Technical

Code generation — write functions, build features, scripts
Code review — PR reviews, quality checks
Debugging — standard bug investigation
Documentation — README, comments, user guides

Analysis & Planning

Analysis & evaluation — compare options, assess trade-offs
Planning — project plans, roadmaps, task breakdowns
Research synthesis — combining multiple sources
Multi-step reasoning — "first... then... finally"

Writing & Content

Long-form writing — reports, proposals, articles (>3 paragraphs)
Creative writing — blog posts, descriptions, copy
Summarization — long documents, transcripts
Structured output — tables, outlines, formatted docs

❤️ OPUS — Complex Reasoning Only

Escalate to Opus for:

Architecture & Design

System architecture decisions
Major codebase refactoring
Design pattern selection with tradeoffs
Database schema design

Deep Analysis

Complex debugging (multi-file, race conditions)
Security reviews
Performance optimization strategy
Root cause analysis of subtle bugs

Strategic & Creative

Strategic planning — business decisions, roadmaps
Nuanced judgment — ethics, ambiguity, competing values
Deep research — comprehensive multi-source analysis

🔄 Implementation

For Subagents

```javascript // Routine monitoring sessions_spawn(task="Check backup status", model="haiku")

// Standard code work
sessions_spawn(task="Build the REST API endpoint", model="sonnet")

// Architecture decisions sessions_spawn(task="Design the database schema for multi-tenancy", model="opus") ```

For Cron Jobs

```json { "payload": { "kind": "agentTurn", "model": "haiku" } } ``` Always use Haiku for cron unless the task genuinely needs reasoning.

📊 Quick Decision Tree

``` Is it a greeting, lookup, status check, or 1-2 sentence answer? YES → HAIKU NO ↓

Is it code, analysis, planning, writing, or multi-step? YES → SONNET
NO ↓

Is it architecture, deep reasoning, or critical decision? YES → OPUS NO → Default to SONNET, escalate if struggling ```

📋 Quick Reference Card

``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ SMART MODEL SWITCHING │ │ Haiku → Sonnet → Opus │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 💚 HAIKU (cheapest) │ │ • Greetings, status checks, quick lookups │ │ • Factual Q&A, definitions, reminders │ │ • Simple file ops, 1-2 sentence answers │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 💛 SONNET (standard) │ │ • Code > 10 lines, debugging │ │ • Analysis, comparisons, planning │ │ • Reports, proposals, long writing │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ❤️ OPUS (complex) │ │ • Architecture decisions │ │ • Complex debugging, multi-file refactoring │ │ • Strategic planning, deep research │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 💡 RULE: If a human needs > 30 sec thinking → escalate │ │ 💰 COST: Haiku 1x → Sonnet 12x → Opus 60x │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ```

Built for Claude-only setups with Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus. Inspired by save-money skill, extended with three-tier progression.

Smart Model Switching

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