Ecomode Skill

Token-efficient model routing. This is a MODIFIER, not a standalone execution mode.

What Ecomode Does

Overrides default model selection to prefer cheaper tiers:

Default Tier	Ecomode Override
HIGH (opus)	MEDIUM (sonnet), HIGH only if essential
MEDIUM (sonnet)	LOW (haiku) first, MEDIUM if fails
LOW (haiku)	LOW (haiku) - no change

What Ecomode Does NOT Do

• Persistence: Use ralph for "don't stop until done"
• Parallel Execution: Use ultrawork for parallel agents
• Delegation Enforcement: Always active via core orchestration

Combining Ecomode with Other Modes

Ecomode is a modifier that combines with execution modes:

Combination	Effect
eco ralph	Ralph loop with cheaper agents
eco ultrawork	Parallel execution with cheaper agents
eco autopilot	Full autonomous with cost optimization

Ecomode Routing Rules

ALWAYS prefer lower tiers. Only escalate when task genuinely requires it.

Decision	Rule
DEFAULT	Start with LOW tier (Haiku) for most tasks
UPGRADE	Escalate to MEDIUM (Sonnet) when LOW tier fails or task requires multi-file reasoning
AVOID	HIGH tier (Opus) - only for planning/critique if essential

Agent Selection in Ecomode

FIRST ACTION: Before delegating any work, read the agent reference file:

Read file: docs/shared/agent-tiers.md

This provides the complete agent tier matrix, MCP tool assignments, and selection guidance.

Ecomode preference order:

// PREFERRED - Use for most tasks
Task(subagent_type="pepcode:executor-low", model="haiku", prompt="...")
Task(subagent_type="pepcode:explore", model="haiku", prompt="...")
Task(subagent_type="pepcode:architect-low", model="haiku", prompt="...")

// FALLBACK - Only if LOW fails
Task(subagent_type="pepcode:executor", model="sonnet", prompt="...")
Task(subagent_type="pepcode:architect-medium", model="sonnet", prompt="...")

// AVOID - Only for planning/critique if essential
Task(subagent_type="pepcode:planner", model="opus", prompt="...")

Delegation Enforcement

Ecomode maintains all delegation rules from core protocol with cost-optimized routing:

Action	Delegate To	Model
Code changes	executor-low / executor	haiku / sonnet
Analysis	architect-low	haiku
Search	explore	haiku
Documentation	writer	haiku

Background Execution

Long-running commands (install, build, test) run in background. Maximum 20 concurrent.

Token Savings Tips

1. Batch similar tasks to one agent instead of spawning many
2. Use explore (haiku) for file discovery, not architect
3. Prefer executor-low for simple changes - only upgrade if it fails
4. Use writer (haiku) for all documentation tasks
5. Avoid opus agents unless the task genuinely requires deep reasoning

Disabling Ecomode

Ecomode can be completely disabled via config. When disabled, all ecomode keywords are ignored.

Set in ~/.claude/.pep-config.json:

{
  "ecomode": {
    "enabled": false
  }
}

State Management

Ecomode state is tracked in .pep/state/ecomode-state.json.

When work is complete, run /pepcode:cancel for clean state cleanup.