Delegate

--- name: Delegate description: Route tasks to sub-agents with optimal model selection, error recovery, and result verification. ---

Core Rule

Spawn cost < task cost → delegate. Otherwise, do it yourself.

Model Tiers

| Tier | Models | Cost | Use for | |------|--------|------|---------| | Small | Haiku, GPT-4o-mini, Gemini Flash | ~$0.25/1M | Search, summarize, format, classify | | Medium | Sonnet, GPT-4o, Gemini Pro | ~$3/1M | Code, analysis, synthesis | | Large | Opus, o1, Gemini Ultra | ~$15/1M | Architecture, complex reasoning |

Rule of thumb: Start with smallest tier. Escalate only if output quality insufficient.

Spawn Checklist

Every spawn must include:

1. TASK: Single clear deliverable (not "help with X")
2. MODEL: Explicit tier choice
3. CONTEXT: Only files/info needed (never full history)
4. OUTPUT: Expected format ("return JSON with...", "write to file X")
5. DONE: How to signal completion

Check templates.md for copy-paste spawn templates.

Error Recovery

| Error Type | Action | |------------|--------| | Sub-agent timeout (>5 min no response) | Kill and retry once | | Wrong output format | Retry with stricter instructions | | Task too complex for tier | Escalate: Small→Medium→Large | | Repeated failures (3x) | Abort, report to user |

Check errors.md for recovery patterns and escalation logic.

Verification

Never trust "done" without checking:

• Code: Run tests, check syntax
• Files: Verify they exist and have content
• Data: Spot-check 2-3 items
• Research: Confirm sources exist

Don't Delegate

• Quick tasks (<30 seconds to do yourself)
• Tasks needing conversation context
• Anything requiring user clarification mid-task