cost-tier-routinglisted

Use BEFORE doing direct file search, bulk reads, data import/export, or routine coding edits in the main conversation. Routes work to the cheapest model that can do it correctly — haiku for search/IO, sonnet for coding, opus for orchestration/architecture. Triggers when about to call Read on >2 files, Grep/Glob across the repo, batch CSV/JSON transforms, or any "where is X / list all Y / count Z" question. Also triggers when the orchestrator (you, on opus) is about to write straightforward code that a sonnet subagent could handle.
The-Artificer-of-Ciphers-LLC/skills-from-the-artificer · ★ 1 · Data & Documents · score 74

Install: claude install-skill The-Artificer-of-Ciphers-LLC/skills-from-the-artificer

# Cost-Tier Routing Opus tokens cost ~5x sonnet and ~25x haiku. Doing `Read` and `Grep` on opus is lighting money on fire. This skill is the discipline for routing every action to the cheapest model that can do it correctly. > **This skill requires three companion agents** — `haiku-scout`, `haiku-importer`, and `sonnet-coder` — installed in `~/.claude/agents/`. See this package's `README.md` for the two-step install. The skill is inert without the agents because the `model:` pin lives in the agent files, not here. ## The rule Before any of these actions in the main (opus) context, **dispatch to a subagent instead**: | Action | Route to | Why | |---|---|---| | `Read` more than 1–2 files in a row | `haiku-scout` | Bulk reads burn opus context | | `Grep` / `Glob` across the repo | `haiku-scout` | Mechanical lookup | | "Where is X defined?" / "What references Y?" | `haiku-scout` | Pure search | | Count LOC, list files, read a config | `haiku-scout` | Trivial IO | | Convert/parse/split/merge data files | `haiku-importer` | Mechanical transform | | Download + parse a fixture or seed file | `haiku-importer` | Mechanical IO | | Write code at a known location with a known design | `sonnet-coder` | Implementation, not design | | Refactor a function with clear constraints | `sonnet-coder` | Bounded edit | | Run tests / typecheck after an edit | `sonnet-coder` (bundle with the edit) | Don't bounce back to opus mid-task | Keep on opus (the orchestrator): - Architectural decisions, t