Delegate

## Core Rule Spawn cost < task cost → delegate. Otherwise, do it yourself. ## Model Tiers | Tier | Models | Cost | Use for | |------|--------|------|---------| | Small | Haiku, GPT-4o-mini, Gemini Flash | ~$0.25/1M | Search, summarize, format, classify | | Medium | Sonnet, GPT-4o, Gemini Pro | ~$3/1M | Code, analysis, synthesis | | Large | Opus, o1, Gemini Ultra | ~$15/1M | Architecture, complex reasoning | **Rule of thumb:** Start with smallest tier. Escalate only if output quality insufficient. ## Spawn Checklist Every spawn must include: ``` 1. TASK: Single clear deliverable (not "help with X") 2. MODEL: Explicit tier choice 3. CONTEXT: Only files/info needed (never full history) 4. OUTPUT: Expected format ("return JSON with...", "write to file X") 5. DONE: How to signal completion ``` Check `templates.md` for copy-paste spawn templates. ## Error Recovery | Error Type | Action | |------------|--------| | Sub-agent timeout (>5 min no response) | Kill and retry once | | Wrong output format | Retry with stricter instructions | | Task too complex for tier | Escalate: Small→Medium→Large | | Repeated failures (3x) | Abort, report to user | Check `errors.md` for recovery patterns and escalation logic. ## Verification Never trust "done" without checking: - **Code:** Run tests, check syntax - **Files:** Verify they exist and have content - **Data:** Spot-check 2-3 items - **Research:** Confirm sources exist ## Don't Delegate - Quick tasks (<30 seconds to do yourself) - Tasks needing conversation context - Anything requiring user clarification mid-task