Smart Model Switching

Three-tier z.ai (GLM) routing: Flash → Standard → Plus / 32B

Start with the cheapest model. Escalate only when needed. Designed to minimize API cost without sacrificing correctness.

The Golden Rule

If a human would need more than 30 seconds of focused thinking, escalate from Flash to Standard.
If the task involves architecture, complex tradeoffs, or deep reasoning, escalate to Plus / 32B.

Model Reality (Relative)

Bottom line: Wrong model selection wastes money OR time. Flash for simple, Standard for normal work, Plus/32B for complex decisions.

💚 FLASH — Default for Simple Tasks

Stay on Flash for: - Factual Q&A — “what is X”, “who is Y”, “when did Z” - Quick lookups — definitions, unit conversions, short translations - Status checks — monitoring, file reads, session state - Heartbeats — periodic checks, OK responses - Memory & reminders - Casual conversation — greetings, acknowledgments - Simple file ops — read, list, basic writes - One-liner tasks — anything answerable in 1–2 sentences - Cron jobs (always Flash by default)

NEVER do these on Flash

• ❌ Write code longer than 10 lines
• ❌ Create comparison tables
• ❌ Write more than 3 paragraphs
• ❌ Do multi-step analysis
• ❌ Write reports or proposals

💛 STANDARD — Core Workhorse

Escalate to Standard for:

Code & Technical

• Code generation — functions, scripts, features
• Debugging — normal bug investigation
• Code review — PRs, refactors
• Documentation — README, comments, guides

Analysis & Planning

• Comparisons and evaluations
• Planning — roadmaps, task breakdowns
• Research synthesis
• Multi-step reasoning

Writing & Content

• Long-form writing (>3 paragraphs)
• Summaries of long documents
• Structured output — tables, outlines

Most real user conversations belong here.

❤️ PLUS / 32B — Complex Reasoning Only

Escalate to Plus / 32B for:

Architecture & Design

• System and service architecture
• Database schema design
• Distributed or multi-tenant systems
• Major refactors across multiple files

Deep Analysis

• Complex debugging (race conditions, subtle bugs)
• Security reviews
• Performance optimization strategy
• Root cause analysis

Strategic & Judgment-Based Work

• Strategic planning
• Nuanced judgment and ambiguity
• Deep or multi-source research
• Critical production decisions

🔄 Implementation

For Subagents

```javascript // Routine monitoring sessions_spawn(task="Check backup status", model="GLM-4.5-Flash")

// Standard code work sessions_spawn(task="Build the REST API endpoint", model="GLM-4.7")

// Architecture decisions sessions_spawn(task="Design the database schema for multi-tenancy", model="GLM-4-Plus") For Cron Jobs json Copy code { "payload": { "kind": "agentTurn", "model": "GLM-4.5-Flash" } } Always use Flash for cron unless the task genuinely needs reasoning.

📊 Quick Decision Tree pgsql Copy code Is it a greeting, lookup, status check, or 1–2 sentence answer? YES → FLASH NO ↓

Is it code, analysis, planning, writing, or multi-step? YES → STANDARD NO ↓

Is it architecture, deep reasoning, or a critical decision? YES → PLUS / 32B NO → Default to STANDARD, escalate if struggling 📋 Quick Reference Card less Copy code ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ SMART MODEL SWITCHING │ │ Flash → Standard → Plus / 32B │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 💚 FLASH (cheapest) │ │ • Greetings, status checks, quick lookups │ │ • Factual Q&A, reminders │ │ • Simple file ops, 1–2 sentence answers │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 💛 STANDARD (workhorse) │ │ • Code > 10 lines, debugging │ │ • Analysis, comparisons, planning │ │ • Reports, long writing │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ❤️ PLUS / 32B (complex) │ │ • Architecture decisions │ │ • Complex debugging, multi-file refactoring │ │ • Strategic planning, deep research │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 💡 RULE: >30 sec human thinking → escalate │ │ 💰 START CHEAP → SCALE ONLY WHEN NEEDED │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Built for z.ai (GLM) setups.