Multi-AI Orchestration Skill
Use this skill for spawner selection, cost optimization, and HeadlessSpawner patterns. MUST coordinate multiple AI models efficiently.
Trigger keywords: spawner, multi-ai, headless, codex, gemini, copilot, model selection, cost optimization, parallel agents
CRITICAL: Cost-First Routing (IMPERATIVE)
Claude Code is EXPENSIVE and has usage limits. You MUST use FREE/CHEAP AIs first.
COST HIERARCHY (lowest to highest): 1. Gemini 2.0-Flash: FREE (2M tokens/min) ← USE FIRST 2. Codex (GPT-4): $ (cheap, code-specialized) 3. Copilot: $ (cheap, GitHub integration) 4. Claude Haiku: $$ (fallback ONLY) 5. Claude Sonnet: $$$ (coordination only) 6. Claude Opus: $$$$ (strategic decisions only)
PRE-DELEGATION CHECKLIST (MUST EXECUTE)
BEFORE delegating ANY task, you MUST ask these questions IN ORDER:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 1. Can Gemini do this? (exploration, research, batch) │ │ → YES = MUST use spawn_gemini (FREE) │ │ → NO = Continue to step 2 │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 2. Is this code work? (implementation, fixes, tests) │ │ → YES = MUST use spawn_codex (cheap, specialized) │ │ → NO = Continue to step 3 │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 3. Is this git/GitHub? (commits, PRs, issues) │ │ → YES = MUST use spawn_copilot (GitHub integration) │ │ → NO = Continue to step 4 │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 4. Does this require deep reasoning? │ │ → YES = Use Claude Opus (expensive, but needed) │ │ → NO = Continue to step 5 │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 5. Is this multi-agent coordination? │ │ → YES = Use Claude Sonnet (mid-tier) │ │ → NO = Use Gemini (FREE) or Haiku (fallback) │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
WRONG vs CORRECT Delegation
❌ WRONG (NEVER use Haiku for everything): - Implementation → Haiku # WRONG: MUST use Codex - Git commits → Haiku # WRONG: MUST use Copilot - Code generation → Haiku # WRONG: MUST use Codex - Research → Haiku # WRONG: MUST use Gemini (FREE!) - File analysis → Haiku # WRONG: MUST use Gemini (FREE!) ✅ CORRECT (ALWAYS use cost-first routing): - Implementation → spawn_codex # MUST use: Cheap, code-specialized - Git commits → spawn_copilot # MUST use: Cheap, GitHub integration - Research → spawn_gemini # MUST use: FREE, high context - File analysis → spawn_gemini # MUST use: FREE, multimodal - Strategic planning → Opus # Use when needed: Expensive, but needed - Haiku → FALLBACK ONLY # ONLY when others fail
Task-to-AI Routing Table (IMPERATIVE)
| Task Type | MUST Use | Fallback | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploration, research, codebase analysis | spawn_gemini | Haiku | FREE, 2M tokens/min, high context |
| Code generation, implementation | spawn_codex | Sonnet | Code-specialized, sandbox isolation |
| Bug fixes, refactoring | spawn_codex | Haiku | Edit tracking, workspace-write |
| Git operations, commits, PRs | spawn_copilot | Haiku | GitHub integration, tool permissions |
| File operations, batch processing | spawn_gemini | Haiku | FREE, fast, multimodal |
| Image/screenshot analysis | spawn_gemini | - | Vision API, multimodal |
| Testing, validation | spawn_codex | Haiku | Can execute tests in sandbox |
| Strategic planning, architecture | Opus | Sonnet | Deep reasoning required |
| Multi-agent coordination | Sonnet | - | Complex coordination |
| Last resort fallback | Haiku | - | When Gemini/Codex/Copilot fail |
Cost Awareness (CRITICAL)
MONTHLY USAGE IMPACT: Claude Code (Sonnet/Opus): $$$$ - Limited usage quota - Exhausts quickly with heavy use - RESERVE for strategic work only Gemini 2.0-Flash: FREE - 2M tokens per minute (rate limited) - 1M token context window - Multimodal (images, PDFs, audio) - Use FIRST for exploration Codex (GPT-4): $ - Cheap for code work - Sandbox isolation - Worth premium for specialization Copilot: $ - Cheap for GitHub work - Tool permission controls - Native GitHub integration
Cost Optimization Impact
BEFORE (using Haiku everywhere): - 10 implementations × Haiku = $$$$ - 5 git commits × Haiku = $$$ - 20 file searches × Haiku = $$$$$ AFTER (cost-first routing): - 10 implementations × Codex = $$ - 5 git commits × Copilot = $ - 20 file searches × Gemini = FREE SAVINGS: 80-90% reduction in Claude Code usage
Spawner Selection Matrix
Priority order (first match wins, cost-first):
| Priority | Use Case | Spawner | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exploration, research, batch ops | spawn_gemini | FREE |
| 2 | Code generation, bug fixes | spawn_codex | $ |
| 3 | Git/GitHub workflows, PRs | spawn_copilot | $ |
| 4 | Image/multimodal analysis | spawn_gemini | FREE |
| 5 | Complex reasoning, architecture | spawn_claude | $$$$ |
| 6 | Fallback when others fail | Task(haiku) | $$ |
Decision Aid
- •"Is this exploratory?" → MUST use
spawn_gemini(FREE) - •"Is this about code?" → MUST use
spawn_codex(cheap) - •"Does this involve git?" → MUST use
spawn_copilot(cheap) - •"Do I need vision?" → MUST use
spawn_gemini(FREE) - •"Is deep reasoning critical?" → Use
spawn_claude(expensive) - •"Everything else" → ALWAYS use
spawn_geminiFIRST, then Haiku fallback
Task() vs spawn_*() Decision
Use spawn_*() (PRIMARY):
- •Work can run in isolation (most cases)
- •MUST optimize cost (Gemini FREE)
- •Specialized tool needed (Codex sandbox, Copilot GitHub)
Use Task(haiku) (FALLBACK ONLY):
- •Work depends on conversation context
- •Cache hits matter (same conversation)
- •AND spawn_*() has failed or is unavailable
Integration Patterns
Pattern 1: Cost-First Exploration
# ALWAYS start with Gemini for exploration
result = spawn_gemini("Search codebase for all auth patterns")
if not result.success:
# Fallback to Haiku ONLY if Gemini fails
Task(prompt="Search codebase for auth patterns", subagent_type="haiku")
Pattern 2: Code Implementation
# Use Codex for code work (not Haiku!)
result = spawn_codex(
prompt="Implement OAuth authentication",
sandbox="workspace-write"
)
if not result.success:
Task(prompt="Implement OAuth", subagent_type="sonnet") # Fallback
Pattern 3: Git Workflow
# Use Copilot for git (not Haiku!)
result = spawn_copilot(
prompt="Commit changes and create PR",
allow_tools=["shell(git)", "github(*)"]
)
Pattern 4: Multi-Provider (Cost-Optimized)
# Research with FREE Gemini
research = spawn_gemini("Analyze current auth implementation")
# Code with cheap Codex
code = spawn_codex("Implement OAuth based on research")
# Git with cheap Copilot
pr = spawn_copilot("Create PR for OAuth implementation")
# Reserve Claude for strategic decisions ONLY
# architecture = spawn_claude("Design long-term auth strategy")
Cost Optimization Rules (IMPERATIVE)
- •ANY exploratory work → MUST use
spawn_gemini(FREE) - •ANY code work → MUST use
spawn_codex(cheap, specialized) - •ANY git/GitHub work → MUST use
spawn_copilot(cheap, integrated) - •Complex reasoning → MAY use
spawn_claude(expensive) - •Haiku → ONLY as fallback when above fail
Violating these rules wastes Claude Code quota unnecessarily.
Verification After Spawning
After Gemini/Codex generates code, ALWAYS verify quality:
# MUST run quality verification script ./scripts/test-quality.sh src/path/to/file.py # Returns: exit code 0 (pass) or 1 (fail) # Runs: ruff check, ruff format, mypy, pytest
If verification fails, MUST iterate with the same spawner (NEVER Claude).
For detailed API documentation: → See REFERENCE.md For real-world examples: → See EXAMPLES.md