Smart Model Routing for Z.AI

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name: smart-model-switching-glm description: >- Auto-route tasks to the cheapest z.ai (GLM) model that works correctly. Three-tier progression: Flash → Standard → Plus/32B. Classify before responding.

FLASH (default): factual Q&A, greetings, reminders, status checks, lookups, simple file ops, heartbeats, casual chat, 1–2 sentence tasks, cron jobs.

ESCALATE TO STANDARD: code >10 lines, analysis, comparisons, planning, reports, multi-step reasoning, tables, long writing >3 paragraphs, summarization, research synthesis, most user conversations.

ESCALATE TO PLUS/32B: architecture decisions, complex debugging, multi-file refactoring, strategic planning, nuanced judgment, deep research, critical production decisions.

Rule: If a human needs >30 seconds of focused thinking, escalate. If Standard struggles with complexity, go to Plus/32B. Save major API costs by starting cheap and escalating only when needed.

author: "OpenClaw Community" version: 1.0.0 homepage: https://clawhub.com metadata: openclaw: emoji: "💰" provider: "z.ai (GLM)"

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Smart Model Switching

Three-tier z.ai (GLM) routing: Flash → Standard → Plus / 32B

Start with the cheapest model. Escalate only when needed. Designed to minimize API cost without sacrificing correctness.

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The Golden Rule

> If a human would need more than 30 seconds of focused thinking, escalate from Flash to Standard. > If the task involves architecture, complex tradeoffs, or deep reasoning, escalate to Plus / 32B.

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Model Reality (Relative)

| Tier | Example Models | Purpose | |-----|----------------|---------| | Flash | GLM-4.5-Flash, GLM-4.7-Flash | Fastest & cheapest | | Standard | GLM-4.6, GLM-4.7 | Strong reasoning & code | | Plus / 32B | GLM-4-Plus, GLM-4-32B-128K | Heavy reasoning & architecture |

Bottom line: Wrong model selection wastes money OR time. Flash for simple, Standard for normal work, Plus/32B for complex decisions.

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💚 FLASH — Default for Simple Tasks

Stay on Flash for:

Factual Q&A — “what is X”, “who is Y”, “when did Z”

Quick lookups — definitions, unit conversions, short translations

Status checks — monitoring, file reads, session state

Heartbeats — periodic checks, OK responses

Memory & reminders

Casual conversation — greetings, acknowledgments

Simple file ops — read, list, basic writes

One-liner tasks — anything answerable in 1–2 sentences

Cron jobs (always Flash by default)

NEVER do these on Flash

❌ Write code longer than 10 lines

❌ Create comparison tables

❌ Write more than 3 paragraphs

❌ Do multi-step analysis

❌ Write reports or proposals

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💛 STANDARD — Core Workhorse

Escalate to Standard for:

Code & Technical

Code generation — functions, scripts, features

Debugging — normal bug investigation

Code review — PRs, refactors

Documentation — README, comments, guides

Analysis & Planning

Comparisons and evaluations

Planning — roadmaps, task breakdowns

Research synthesis

Multi-step reasoning

Writing & Content

Long-form writing (>3 paragraphs)

Summaries of long documents

Structured output — tables, outlines

Most real user conversations belong here.

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❤️ PLUS / 32B — Complex Reasoning Only

Escalate to Plus / 32B for:

Architecture & Design

System and service architecture

Database schema design

Distributed or multi-tenant systems

Major refactors across multiple files

Deep Analysis

Complex debugging (race conditions, subtle bugs)

Security reviews

Performance optimization strategy

Root cause analysis

Strategic & Judgment-Based Work

Strategic planning

Nuanced judgment and ambiguity

Deep or multi-source research

Critical production decisions

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🔄 Implementation

For Subagents

```javascript // Routine monitoring sessions_spawn(task="Check backup status", model="GLM-4.5-Flash")

// Standard code work sessions_spawn(task="Build the REST API endpoint", model="GLM-4.7")

// Architecture decisions sessions_spawn(task="Design the database schema for multi-tenancy", model="GLM-4-Plus") For Cron Jobs json Copy code { "payload": { "kind": "agentTurn", "model": "GLM-4.5-Flash" } } Always use Flash for cron unless the task genuinely needs reasoning.

📊 Quick Decision Tree pgsql Copy code Is it a greeting, lookup, status check, or 1–2 sentence answer? YES → FLASH NO ↓

Is it code, analysis, planning, writing, or multi-step? YES → STANDARD NO ↓

Is it architecture, deep reasoning, or a critical decision? YES → PLUS / 32B NO → Default to STANDARD, escalate if struggling 📋 Quick Reference Card less Copy code ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ SMART MODEL SWITCHING │ │ Flash → Standard → Plus / 32B │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 💚 FLASH (cheapest) │ │ • Greetings, status checks, quick lookups │ │ • Factual Q&A, reminders │ │ • Simple file ops, 1–2 sentence answers │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 💛 STANDARD (workhorse) │ │ • Code > 10 lines, debugging │ │ • Analysis, comparisons, planning │ │ • Reports, long writing │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ❤️ PLUS / 32B (complex) │ │ • Architecture decisions │ │ • Complex debugging, multi-file refactoring │ │ • Strategic planning, deep research │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 💡 RULE: >30 sec human thinking → escalate │ │ 💰 START CHEAP → SCALE ONLY WHEN NEEDED │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Built for z.ai (GLM) setups.