Which model for which task, so the bill does not ruin you? Do not ask Fable 5 for a casserole recipe
There are two knobs, and usually only one gets turned: the model is the ceiling of ability, and the effort level is how thoroughly it works. Slava's own blind test and the independent FrontierCode measurement say the same thing: the line of the model matters more than the effort inside it, and max costs four times what medium does without adding accuracy. Where the model and effort pair is set, and why it belongs in one file. And a fallback for helper agents when an expensive model runs out of limit: a hook catches the refusal and moves the role to a fallback model. The recording of the masterclass and the working kit of files that goes with it.
The walkthrough is for subscribers
The write-up above is free and stays free. The recorded walkthrough is what a subscription adds to it.
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Fallback pair kit, 10 files
- how-to-repeat.md The instruction: five steps, about ten minutes. Start here. 7 KB
- fallback-hook.sh The guard after a helper call: it catches a refusal on the rate limit, switches the role to the fallback pair and has Claude tell you. 6 KB
- fallback.py The switch: it moves a role to the fallback pair, brings the main pair back and shows which pair is on now. 5 KB
- roles-sync.py It copies the model and effort pair from roles.conf into the headers of both helpers. The rest of their text stays as it is. 7 KB
- roles.conf The one place where the pairs are written. The architect has a fallback pair, the reviewer does not. 2 KB
- agent-architect.md The architect: it decides how to do the work and returns the steps. Main model fable, fallback opus. 1 KB
- agent-reviewer.md The reviewer: it checks the work against the order and lists the differences. Runs on opus, no fallback pair. 1 KB
- settings.json The piece of settings: the pair for the conversation itself and the guard on helper calls. 1 KB
- check.py Eighteen test cases. It changes nothing in your system. 13 KB
- rule-for-claude.md Lines for your own rules file, so the agent tells you about the switch and does not call the helper again on its own. 1 KB
The files themselves are for subscribers. The list above is the whole of it: that is everything in the set.
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