# Takomi Model Routing Policy

I want to set up a model-routing strategy for my coding agent sub-agents. Important reasoning-effort rule: Whenever I say GPT-5.4, I mean GPT-5.4 High. Whenever I say GPT-5.4 Mini, I mean GPT-5.4 Mini High. GPT-5.5 can be used at Low, Medium, or High depending on task difficulty. General rule of thumb: Use GPT-5.5 High or Medium for uncertain, expensive, risky, or high-judgment planning. Use GPT-5.5 Low when the task is already well understood but still benefits from senior-level intelligence. Use GPT-5.4 High for planning plus execution when the task is normal-to-serious but not deeply uncertain. Use GPT-5.5 Low for clean execution when the plan is already clear but correctness still matters. Use GPT-5.4 Mini High for fast execution when there is a detailed plan and the task is small, isolated, and explicit. Available models: GPT-5.5 Use this as the senior brain. Best for complex reasoning, architecture decisions, difficult debugging, regression detection, security review, large refactors, cross-file changes, unclear requirements, and tasks where missing context needs to be inferred. Use GPT-5.5 High for: - major architecture decisions - security-sensitive logic - hard debugging - regression hunting - cross-file refactors - unclear or vague tasks - final deep review Use GPT-5.5 Medium for: - serious planning - complex but bounded implementation - non-trivial debugging - design/product judgment - reviewing important code where the risk is moderate Use GPT-5.5 Low for: - execution after the plan is clear - targeted fixes - applying known patterns - straightforward implementation where the model still needs strong context awareness GPT-5.4 High Use this as the default serious workhorse. Best for normal coding, planning, UI logic, implementation, debugging, reviewing, and general execution. It is strong enough for most serious work without needing every tiny instruction spelled out. Use GPT-5.4 High when: - the task is clear enough to execute - the work needs solid reasoning but not senior-level uncertainty handling - the agent needs to plan and code in the same pass - the change is moderate in size - the codebase context is understandable - the risk of hidden regressions is not extreme GPT-5.4 Mini High Use this as the fast execution model. Best for small, clear, isolated tasks where the instructions are already detailed. Use GPT-5.4 Mini High for: - simple edits - boilerplate - formatting - small components - simple tests - docs cleanup - renaming - repetitive implementation - basic Tailwind/style changes - applying an already-written plan Do not use GPT-5.4 Mini High for: - vague tasks - deep debugging - major refactors - architecture decisions - hidden regression checks - security-sensitive changes - anything that requires strong judgment - anything where the model must infer too much missing context Role routing: Architect Use GPT-5.5 High for system design, database planning, API structure, security-sensitive decisions, major refactors, unclear project direction, or anything that could affect long-term maintainability. Use GPT-5.5 Medium for serious but bounded architecture planning. Use GPT-5.4 High for normal planning and straightforward architecture. Avoid GPT-5.4 Mini High for architecture. Coder Use GPT-5.4 High as the default coder. Use GPT-5.5 High when the code is complex, risky, deeply connected across files, or likely to cause regressions. Use GPT-5.5 Medium when the implementation is complex but the plan is mostly clear. Use GPT-5.5 Low when the plan is very clear but the task still needs strong contextual awareness. Use GPT-5.4 Mini High only for small, explicit, isolated coding tasks. Designer Use GPT-5.4 High by default for UI/UX layout, component structure, design systems, and frontend logic. Use GPT-5.5 Medium or High when the design problem needs deep product thinking, complex interaction logic, UX tradeoffs, or accessibility judgment. Use GPT-5.4 Mini High for simple style changes, spacing, copy updates, basic Tailwind edits, and clearly defined UI tweaks. Reviewer Use GPT-5.5 High for serious review: regressions, edge cases, security issues, architecture violations, broken assumptions, and deep correctness checks. Use GPT-5.5 Medium for important review where the scope is bounded. Use GPT-5.4 High for normal review. Use GPT-5.4 Mini High only for basic formatting checks, typo checks, or obvious surface-level issues. General model routing: Use GPT-5.5 when the task requires judgment. Use GPT-5.4 High when the task requires solid planning and execution. Use GPT-5.4 Mini High when the task requires speed and the instructions are precise. Escalation rule: Start with the cheapest capable model, but escalate immediately if the task becomes vague, risky, cross-file, architecture-heavy, debugging-heavy, security-sensitive, or regression-sensitive. Default setup: Architect: - GPT-5.5 High for serious planning - GPT-5.5 Medium for bounded complex planning - GPT-5.4 High for normal planning - Avoid GPT-5.4 Mini High Coder: - GPT-5.4 High by default - GPT-5.5 High for complex or risky work - GPT-5.5 Medium for complex but bounded implementation - GPT-5.5 Low for clear execution that still needs senior context - GPT-5.4 Mini High for simple explicit tasks Designer: - GPT-5.4 High by default - GPT-5.5 Medium/High for product-heavy or interaction-heavy design - GPT-5.4 Mini High for small styling tasks Reviewer: - GPT-5.5 High for final/deep review - GPT-5.5 Medium for important bounded review - GPT-5.4 High for normal review - GPT-5.4 Mini High for surface-level checks only Mental model: GPT-5.5 is the senior engineer/architect/reviewer. GPT-5.4 High is the reliable mid-to-senior workhorse. GPT-5.4 Mini High is the fast junior implementer. Treat GPT-5.4 Mini High like a fast junior implementer: excellent when the task is specific, dangerous when the task is vague. Treat GPT-5.4 High like the default serious builder. Treat GPT-5.5 like the senior brain whose reasoning effort should be adjusted based on risk: Low for clear execution, Medium for serious bounded work, High for uncertainty, architecture, debugging, and review.
