Model Pilot

---

name: model-pilot description: "Match task complexity to the right model. Quick heuristic check before expensive tasks — recommends cheaper models when quality won't suffer. Fetches live pricing via web_fetch. Use when: (1) starting an expensive task, (2) 'can a cheaper model do this?', (3) 'is this the right model?', (4) comparing model costs. Homepage: https://clawhub.ai/skills/model-pilot"

---

Model Pilot v2.0

Install: clawhub install model-pilot

Stop overpaying for intelligence. Match every task to the cheapest model that delivers the quality you need.

Language

Detect from user's message language. Default: English.

When to Activate

User explicitly asks about model choice or cost

A task is starting that will be expensive (agent judgment — don't analyze trivial tasks)

User says "save tokens", "cheaper model", "right model?"

Do NOT activate for trivial tasks — formatting, greetings, simple lookups.

Quick Complexity Check

Before an expensive task, ask yourself:

1. What is the task? (classify)
2. What model is active?
3. Could a cheaper model handle this equally well?
4. If yes → recommend switch + estimated savings
5. If no → proceed, explain why

Tier Classification

| Tier | Tasks | Model | |------|-------|-------| | 🟢 Routine | Formatting, Q&A, reminders, greetings, file ops | Cheapest available | | 🟡 Intermediate | Email drafting, code review, data analysis, translations | Mid-tier | | 🔴 Complex | Architecture decisions, creative writing, debugging complex issues | Best available |

Signal: Task needs <1000 output tokens + no creativity = Tier 1.

Live Pricing

Fetch current pricing when user asks about costs:

web_fetch https://z.ai/pricing
web_search "openai gpt-4o pricing per token"

Do NOT hardcode prices — they change frequently. Always fetch live.

Cost Estimation

Quick formula:

Estimated cost = (input_tokens / 1M × input_price) + (output_tokens / 1M × output_price)

Show to user:

Model: GLM-5-Turbo
  Input: ~5K tokens
  Output: ~2K tokens
  Estimated cost: ~$0.002
  Could use: GLM-4 (~$0.001) — saves ~50%

Quick Commands

| User says | Action | |-----------|--------| | "right model?" | Quick complexity check | | "model cost" | Cost estimate for current task | | "compare models" | Live pricing comparison | | "cheaper option" | Find cheaper model for same task |

Guidelines for Agent

1. Don't waste tokens analyzing cheap tasks — check only for expensive ones 2. Use live pricing — never hardcode 3. Be honest about quality — if cheaper means worse, say so 4. Keep it quick — 5 seconds of thinking max 5. Match user language

What This Skill Does NOT Do

Does NOT switch models automatically — recommends only

Does NOT persist anything

Does NOT access credentials

Does NOT modify any files

More by TommoT2

cross-check — Auto-detect and verify assumptions in your responses

context-brief — Persistent context survival across sessions

setup-doctor — Diagnose and fix OpenClaw setup issues

Install the full suite:

clawhub install model-pilot cross-check context-brief setup-doctor