Model Escalation Skill

Tracks task outcomes and advises model upgrades when failures are detected. Advisory-only — the orchestrator makes the final decision (R010).

Escalation Path

haiku → sonnet → opus

Trigger Conditions

Condition	Action
2+ failures with same model for same agent type	Advise escalation
3+ consecutive failures across any agent type	Advise global escalation
Sustained success after escalation	Advise de-escalation

Thresholds

Parameter	Default	Description
failure_threshold	2	Failures before escalation advisory
consecutive_threshold	3	Consecutive failures for global advisory
cooldown_tasks	5	Successes before de-escalation advisory

Cost Guard

• Advisory includes estimated cost multiplier
• De-escalation suggested after sustained success at higher tier
• Cost tracked per session via PPID-scoped temp file

Architecture

PostToolUse (Task) → task-outcome-recorder.sh
  Records: agent_type, model, success/failure, error_summary
  Storage: /tmp/.claude-task-outcomes-$PPID (JSON lines, max 50)

PreToolUse (Task) → model-escalation-advisor.sh
  Reads outcomes → counts failures → advises escalation via stderr
  Advisory only — never blocks, never modifies tool input

Advisory Format

--- [Model Escalation Advisory] ---
  Agent type: {agent_type}
  Current model: {current_model}
  Recent failures: {count}/{threshold}
  ⚡ Recommended: Escalate to {next_model}
  Cost impact: {multiplier} per task
---