Assess whether to escalate models. Use when evaluating reasoning depth.
Model 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: