| name | escalation-reasoning |
| description | Use when stuck on hard problems, need deeper reasoning, standard approaches fail, or facing architecture decisions. Implements 5-tier escalation from standard reasoning to external expert models. |
Escalation-Aware Reasoning
When This Skill Activates
- Stuck on a problem after 2+ attempts
- Architecture or design decisions needed
- Novel algorithms or complex logic
- Security-critical code review
- User explicitly asks to "think harder"
The 5-Tier Escalation System
| Tier | Method | Reasoning Depth | Best For |
|---|
| 1 | Standard | Default | Routine tasks, simple fixes |
| 2 | /think | 4K tokens | Debugging, code reviews |
| 3 | /megathink | 10K tokens | Architecture decisions |
| 4 | /ultrathink | 32K tokens | Hard problems, novel approaches |
| 5 | External | Expert models | True blockers, breakthroughs |
Auto-Escalation Triggers
Escalate to Tier 2 (/think)
- First debugging attempt failed
- Code review needed
- Comparing implementation options
Escalate to Tier 3 (/megathink)
- Architecture decisions
- Database schema design
- API design trade-offs
- Multi-component interactions
Escalate to Tier 4 (/ultrathink)
- 2+ failed attempts at same problem
- Security-critical analysis
- Performance optimization
- Complex algorithm design
Escalate to Tier 5 (External)
- Truly blocked after tier 4
- Need second opinion
- Novel research-level problems
- Critical production issues
External Model Options (Tier 5)
| Model | Strength | Cost | Best For |
|---|
| o3 | Reasoning | $$$$ | Hard math/logic |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | Context | $$$ | Large codebases |
| DeepSeek-R1 | Value | $ | Cost-effective reasoning |
| Codex | Code | $$ | Pure implementation |
Cost Awareness
DeepSeek is 97% cheaper than equivalent Claude reasoning.
Before escalating, ask:
- Have I tried simpler approaches?
- Is the cost justified by the problem?
- Can I break this into smaller problems?
How to Escalate
# Tier 2
/think: [your question]
# Tier 3
/megathink: [your question]
# Tier 4
/ultrathink: [your question]
# Tier 5 - Use consult-llm tool
Consult o3 about: [your question]
Anti-Patterns
- Jumping to tier 4 for simple problems (wasteful)
- Not escalating after repeated failures (stubborn)
- Using external models for routine tasks (expensive)
- Skipping intermediate tiers (miss simpler solutions)
