Smart Task Router for Claude

The strong model thinks, cheap models do the typing, and real checks decide.

Most work doesn’t need the biggest Claude model on max effort. This skill makes Claude pick the cheapest model and effort that can do each part of a task. Every part is verified, and Claude moves to a stronger model only when a check fails.

What it does

Small tasks (quick path): Claude writes a tight spec, sends it to Haiku or Sonnet, runs the check itself, and moves one tier up only if the check fails.

Big projects (project path):

1. Recon: Haiku maps the codebase once into .router/CONTEXT.md.
2. Plan: Opus writes .router/PLAN.md with acceptance criteria, contracts first (API shapes, schema, signatures) and small tasks. Each task has a tier and a done-check. You approve the plan before anything is built.
3. Build: each task goes to the cheapest fitting agent with only the context it needs. Claude verifies every task and commits it as a checkpoint.
4. Re-plan, don’t brute-force: if a task fails twice on Opus, the plan for that part gets fixed instead.
5. Review: Opus reviews the diff against the acceptance criteria, and its findings come back as new tasks.

Progress is saved in .router/PROGRESS.md, so in a new session just say “continue the project”.

Install

Claude Code (recommended: includes the agents with effort settings)

/plugin marketplace add celiktech24-cell/smart-task-router
/plugin install smart-task-router@smart-task-router

Claude Code, manual install

git clone https://github.com/celiktech24-cell/smart-task-router
cp -r smart-task-router/skills/smart-task-router ~/.claude/skills/
cp smart-task-router/agents/*.md ~/.claude/agents/

Claude app (claude.ai, desktop, Cowork)

Download smart-task-router-skill.zip from the Releases page and upload it in the Skills section of Claude’s settings. The skill runs there too, but only Claude Code supports the agent files, so effort control is Claude Code only.

Use it

Just ask for the task:

Use smart-task-router: add a customer loyalty points system to this app.

Fix the failing checkout tests.

Continue the project.

At the end, Claude tells you the tier mix, e.g. 12 tasks: 5 E, 5 N, 2 H, 1 escalation.

Why low effort is often enough

Effort buys thinking time. A clear spec does that thinking up front, so with a good plan and contracts, most tasks run fine on a cheaper model at low effort. The plan is where the expensive thinking goes, and it is done once.

Customize

• Change the models or effort levels in agents/*.md.
• Change the tier rules in skills/smart-task-router/SKILL.md.
• Add .router/ to your project’s .gitignore if you don’t want to commit the plan files.

License

MIT