Pick Model

Classify the task, apply the escalators, then recommend the cheapest Claude tier that meets the quality requirement.

Mindset

• Right-size and do not default up. Keep to the cheapest tier that meets the quality bar. Escalating after a failed attempt costs one retry; an Opus habit costs every call.
• Judge reasoning demand, not volume. Pass a long document to a summariser at the same tier as a short one.
• Name tiers (fast, balanced, reasoning) before model names. Model names are retired and renamed; tier meaning lasts.
• Escalate with a stated reason. Always name the signal that moved the tier.

When to Use

• Use it when a user asks which model fits a task, before the work starts.
• Use it when an agent must assign a model to a sub-task without a human in the loop.
• Use it when a pipeline or batch job overspends on a frontier model for simple work.
• Use it when the cost against capability trade-off must be explicit, for example in production routing.

When Not to Use