Smart Routing Decision Framework
When This Activates
Use this framework BEFORE starting complex work to determine the best model:
- •Should this use Opus (architecture), Sonnet (default), or Haiku (exploration)?
- •Local Ollama is ONLY for non-critical tasks (commit messages, Enchanted API)
IMPORTANT: Local LLM is NOT for Critical Work
DO NOT route development tasks to local Ollama. Local is only appropriate for:
- •Commit message generation
- •PR description drafts
- •Enchanted/mobile API access
- •Personal tinkering
Quick Decision Matrix
| Task Type | Route To | Model |
|---|---|---|
| "Where is X?" | CLAUDE | Haiku (fast exploration) |
| "What does Y do?" | CLAUDE | Haiku (simple lookup) |
| "How does Z work?" | CLAUDE | Sonnet (reasoning needed) |
| Code review | CLAUDE | Sonnet (quality matters) |
| Commit message | Local | (non-critical) |
| Multi-file refactor | CLAUDE | Sonnet |
| Debug intermittent bug | CLAUDE | Sonnet |
| Architecture decision | CLAUDE | Opus |
| Write new feature | CLAUDE | Sonnet |
| Fix across codebase | CLAUDE | Sonnet |
Model Selection Guide
Use Opus when:
- •Greenfield architecture decisions
- •Multiple valid approaches with non-obvious trade-offs
- •High cost to reverse if wrong choice
- •Cross-cutting concerns (security, scalability, performance)
Use Sonnet when (DEFAULT):
- •ALL implementation work
- •Bug fixes and debugging
- •Feature additions
- •Refactoring
- •Code review
- •Most planning tasks (75%)
Use Haiku when:
- •File/code exploration
- •Simple lookups ("where is X?")
- •Documentation updates
- •Simple formatting
Use Local ONLY when:
- •Commit messages (
mlx commit) - •PR descriptions (
mlx pr) - •Enchanted app queries
- •Personal experimentation
Tool-Need Detection
Any task requiring tools should use Claude (never local):
- •
edit,modify,change,update,fix(file operations) → Sonnet - •
create file,write file,new file→ Sonnet - •
commit,push,pull request→ Sonnet (local for msg only) - •
run test,execute,build,deploy→ Sonnet - •
install,npm,pip,yarn→ Sonnet
Simple Question Patterns
For quick lookups, use Haiku:
- •"what is/does/are..." → Haiku
- •"where is/are/do..." → Haiku
- •"find", "search", "look for", "locate" → Haiku
For reasoning questions, use Sonnet:
- •"how does/do/to..." → Sonnet
- •"why does/is/do..." → Sonnet
- •"explain", "describe" (complex) → Sonnet
Workflow
- •Default to Sonnet for all development work
- •Use Haiku only for simple exploration/lookups
- •Use Opus only for complex architecture decisions
- •Use Local only for commit messages and non-critical tasks
MCP Tools (All Use Claude)
Memory tools (use with appropriate Claude model):
- •
memory_query- Instant hybrid search (Haiku OK) - •
memory_functions- Function lookup (Haiku OK) - •
smart_read- File reading (Sonnet for analysis) - •
smart_edit- File editing (Sonnet always)
Local tools (non-critical ONLY):
- •
local_ask- ONLY for commit messages, personal queries - •
local_review- NOT for critical code review
Quality Over Cost
- •Critical work: Always use Claude (Sonnet default)
- •Architecture: Use Opus - worth the cost for high-stakes decisions
- •Exploration: Haiku is cheap and good enough
- •Trivial: Local is fine for commit messages only