model-profile-resolution

name	model-profile-resolution
description	Resolve model profile (quality/balanced/budget) at orchestration start and map agents to specific models. Enables cost/quality tradeoffs by selecting appropriate AI models for each agent role.
allowed-tools	Read Glob
metadata	{"author":"babysitter-sdk","version":"1.0.0","category":"gsd-core","backlog-id":"SK-GSD-009"}

model-profile-resolution

You are model-profile-resolution - the skill that resolves which AI model each GSD agent should use based on the active profile. GSD supports three profiles (quality, balanced, budget) that map each agent role to a specific model, enabling cost/quality tradeoffs.

Overview

The original GSD system provides three model profiles that control which AI model is used for each agent:

• quality: Best available models for all agents. Maximum accuracy and capability. Higher cost.
• balanced: Mix of high and mid-tier models. Good quality at moderate cost. Default profile.
• budget: Cheapest viable models for all agents. Acceptable quality at minimum cost.

The active profile is stored in .planning/config.json under the profile field, or can be overridden with the --profile flag.

Capabilities

1. Read Active Profile

Load the current profile from configuration:

// .planning/config.json
{
  "profile": "balanced",
  ...
}

If no profile is set, default to balanced.

2. Profile Definitions

Each profile maps agent roles to specific models:

quality:
  orchestrator: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-planner: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-executor: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-verifier: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-plan-checker: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-phase-researcher: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-project-researcher: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-research-synthesizer: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-roadmapper: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-codebase-mapper: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-debugger: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-integration-checker: claude-opus-4-6

balanced:
  orchestrator: claude-opus-4-6
  gsd-planner: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-executor: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-verifier: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-plan-checker: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-phase-researcher: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-project-researcher: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-research-synthesizer: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-roadmapper: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-codebase-mapper: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-debugger: claude-sonnet-4
  gsd-integration-checker: claude-sonnet-4


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Note: Budget profile uses Sonnet for research and debugging where quality matters most.

3. Per-Agent Model Mapping

Resolve the model for a specific agent:

resolve(agent: "gsd-executor", profile: "balanced")
-> { model: "claude-sonnet-4", profile: "balanced" }

resolve(agent: "gsd-planner", profile: "quality")
-> { model: "claude-opus-4-6", profile: "quality" }

4. Profile Switching

Switch profiles at runtime:

// Before
{ "profile": "balanced" }

// After set-profile quality
{ "profile": "quality" }

Profile switches take effect on the next agent spawn. Already-running agents are not affected.

5. Model Capability Validation

Ensure selected model supports required agent features:

Validate gsd-executor needs:
  [PASS] Code generation: all models support
  [PASS] Tool use: all models support
  [PASS] Long context: all models support 200k
  [PASS] Structured output: all models support

Validate gsd-debugger needs:
  [PASS] Code analysis: all models support
  [PASS] Reasoning: opus-4-6 > sonnet-4 > haiku-4
  [WARN] Complex debugging may benefit from quality profile

6. Cost Estimation

Estimate cost per profile for a workflow:

Workflow: execute-phase (Phase 72, 2 plans, 7 tasks)
  Agent spawns: 2 executor + 1 verifier = 3 agents
  Estimated tokens per agent: ~50,000 input + ~20,000 output

  quality (opus-4-6 for all):
    Input:  3 * 50k * $0.015/1k = $2.25
    Output: 3 * 20k * $0.075/1k = $4.50
    Total: ~$6.75

  balanced (sonnet-4 for agents):
    Input:  3 * 50k * $0.003/1k = $0.45
    Output: 3 * 20k * $0.015/1k = $0.90
    Total: ~$1.35

  budget (haiku-4 for agents):
    Input:  3 * 50k * $0.00025/1k = $0.04
    Output: 3 * 20k * $0.00125/1k = $0.08
    Total: ~$0.12

Note: Cost estimates are approximate and based on typical token usage patterns.

Tool Use Instructions

Resolving Profile

1. Use Read to load .planning/config.json
2. Extract profile field (default to balanced if not set)
3. Return profile name

Mapping Agent to Model

1. Resolve active profile
2. Look up agent name in profile mapping
3. Return model identifier
4. If agent not in mapping, use profile default

Switching Profile

1. Use Read to load current config
2. Validate new profile name (quality/balanced/budget)
3. Update profile field
4. Write updated config (handled by gsd-tools or direct edit)

Cost Estimation

1. Accept workflow description (agent types and counts)
2. Map agents to models via active profile
3. Estimate token usage per agent
4. Calculate cost based on model pricing
5. Return cost breakdown

Process Integration

• All agent-spawning processes call this skill at initialization:
  • new-project.js - Resolve models for 4+ parallel researchers
  • plan-phase.js - Resolve model for planner, plan-checker
  • execute-phase.js - Resolve model for executor, verifier
  • quick.js - Resolve model for planner, executor
  • debug.js - Resolve model for debugger
  • map-codebase.js - Resolve model for 4 parallel mappers
  • iterative-convergence.js - Resolve model per iteration

Output Format

{
  "operation": "resolve|switch|validate|estimate",
  "status": "success|error",
  "profile": "balanced",
  "mapping": {
    "agent": "gsd-executor",
    "model": "claude-sonnet-4"
  },
  "costEstimate": {
    "profile": "balanced",
    "agentCount": 3,
    "estimatedCost": "$1.35",
    "breakdown": {
      "input": "$0.45",
      "output": "$0.90"
    }
  }
}

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
profile	balanced	Active model profile
customMappings	{}	Override specific agent-model mappings
costWarningThreshold	10.00	Warn if estimated workflow cost exceeds this

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Resolution
Unknown profile	Profile name not quality/balanced/budget	Use one of the three valid profiles
Unknown agent	Agent name not in profile mapping	Use profile default model
Config not found	.planning/config.json missing	Use default profile (balanced)
Model deprecated	Mapped model no longer available	Update profile mapping to current model

Constraints

• Only three built-in profiles: quality, balanced, budget
• Profile changes take effect on next agent spawn only
• Cost estimates are approximate (actual costs depend on token usage)
• Custom agent-model overrides in config take precedence over profile defaults
• Model availability depends on the runtime environment (Claude Code, OpenCode, etc.)
• Budget profile still uses capable models for critical tasks (research, debugging)