NEVER escalate without investigation first. This is the Iron Law. Use when evaluating whether to escalate models, facing genuine complexity requiring deeper reasoning, novel patterns with no existing solutions, high-stakes decisions requiring capability investment. Do not use when thrashing without investigation - investigate root cause first. DO NOT use when: time pressure alone - urgency doesn't change task complexity. DO NOT use when: "just to be safe" - assess actual complexity instead.
Governates model escalation decisions by enforcing investigation before switching to higher-capability models for complex reasoning tasks.
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test-authority.mdtest-convenience.mdtest-false-complexity.mdtest-thrashing.mdModel escalation (haiku→sonnet→opus) trades speed/cost for reasoning capability. This trade-off must be justified.
Core principle: Escalation is for tasks that genuinely require deeper reasoning, not for "maybe a smarter model will figure it out."
NO ESCALATION WITHOUT INVESTIGATION FIRST
Verification: Run the command with --help flag to verify availability.
Escalation is never a shortcut. If you haven't understood why the current model is insufficient, escalation is premature.
Legitimate escalation triggers:
| Trigger | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Genuine complexity | Task inherently requires nuanced judgment | Security policy trade-offs |
| Reasoning depth | Multiple inference steps with uncertainty | Architecture decisions |
| Novel patterns | No existing patterns apply | First-of-kind implementation |
| High stakes | Error cost justifies capability investment | Production deployment |
| Ambiguity resolution | Multiple valid interpretations need weighing | Spec clarification |
Illegitimate escalation triggers:
| Anti-Pattern | Why It's Wrong | What to Do Instead |
|---|---|---|
| "Maybe smarter model will figure it out" | This is thrashing | Investigate root cause |
| Multiple failed attempts | Suggests wrong approach, not insufficient capability | Question your assumptions |
| Time pressure | Urgency doesn't change task complexity | Systematic investigation is faster |
| Uncertainty without investigation | You haven't tried to understand yet | Gather evidence first |
| "Just to be safe" | False safety - wastes resources | Assess actual complexity |
Before escalating, answer these questions:
If knowledge gap: Gather more information, don't escalate.
If not investigated: Complete investigation first.
If decomposable: Break down, don't escalate.
If not proportional: Don't escalate.
When escalation IS justified:
| Excuse | Reality |
|---|---|
| "This is complex" | Complex for whom? Have you tried? |
| "Better safe than sorry" | Safety theater wastes resources |
| "I tried and failed" | How many times? Did you investigate why? |
| "The user expects quality" | Quality comes from process, not model size |
| "Just this once" | Exceptions become habits |
| "Time is money" | Systematic approach is faster than thrashing |
Agents can declare escalation hints in frontmatter:
model: haiku
escalation:
to: sonnet # Suggested escalation target
hints: # Advisory triggers (orchestrator may override)
- security_sensitive # Touches auth, secrets, permissions
- ambiguous_input # Multiple valid interpretations
- novel_pattern # No existing patterns apply
- high_stakes # Error would be costly
Verification: Run the command with --help flag to verify availability.
Key points:
The orchestrator (typically Opus) makes final escalation decisions:
Can follow hints: When hint matches observed conditions Can override to escalate: When context demands it (even without hints) Can override to stay: When task is simpler than hints suggest Can escalate beyond hint: Go to opus even if hint says sonnet
The orchestrator's judgment, informed by conversation context, supersedes static hints.
If you catch yourself thinking:
ALL of these mean: STOP. Investigate first.
**Verification:** Run the command with `--help` flag to verify availability.
Agent starts task at assigned model
├── Task succeeds → Complete
└── Task struggles →
├── Investigate systematically
│ ├── Root cause found → Fix at current model
│ └── Genuine capability gap → Escalate with justification
└── Don't investigate → WRONG PATH
└── "Maybe escalate?" → NO. Investigate first.
Verification: Run the command with --help flag to verify availability.
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Task inherently requires nuanced reasoning | Escalate |
| Agent uncertain but hasn't investigated | Investigate first |
| Multiple attempts failed | Question approach, not model |
| Security/high-stakes decision | Escalate |
| "Maybe smarter model knows" | Never escalate on this basis |
| Hint fires, task is actually simple | Override, stay at current model |
| No hint fires, task is actually complex | Override, escalate |
MCP Tool Search (Claude Code 2.1.7+): Haiku models do not support MCP tool search. If a workflow uses many MCP tools (descriptions exceeding 10% of context), those tools load upfront on haiku instead of being deferred. This can consume significant context. Consider escalating to sonnet for MCP-heavy workflows or ensure haiku agents use only native tools (Read, Write, Bash, etc.).
Claude.ai MCP Connectors (Claude Code 2.1.46+): Users with claude.ai connectors configured may have additional MCP tools auto-loaded, increasing the total tool description footprint. This makes it more likely that haiku agents will exceed the 10% tool search threshold. When escalation decisions involve MCP-heavy workflows, factor in claude.ai connector tool count via /mcp.
Effort Controls as Escalation Alternative (Opus 4.6 / Claude Code 2.1.32+): Opus 4.6 introduces adaptive thinking with effort levels (low, medium, high, max). Before escalating between models, consider whether adjusting effort level on the current model would suffice:
| Instead of... | Consider... | When |
|---|---|---|
| Haiku → Sonnet | Stay on Haiku | Task is still deterministic, just needs more context |
| Sonnet → Opus | Opus@medium | Moderate reasoning, not deep architectural analysis |
| Opus@default → "maybe try again" | Opus@max | Genuine complexity that needs maximum reasoning depth |
Effort controls do NOT replace the escalation governance framework — they provide an additional axis. The Iron Law still applies: investigate before changing either model or effort level.
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