Model Profiles

Per-agent model breakdown for quality, balanced, and budget profiles with token cost implications

Model profiles control which Claude model each GSD agent uses. Balance quality vs token spend based on project needs.

Quick Comparison

Profile	Planning	Execution	Verification	Best For
quality	Opus	Opus	Sonnet	Critical work, quota available
balanced (default)	Opus	Sonnet	Sonnet	Most projects, best value
budget	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	High-volume, less critical work

Setting Your Profile

During Project Init

/gsd:new-project

You’ll be asked to choose a profile during configuration.

Change Anytime

/gsd:set-profile quality
/gsd:set-profile balanced
/gsd:set-profile budget

Or via settings:

/gsd:settings

Per-Agent Breakdown

Quality Profile

Maximum quality. Opus for all decision-making, Sonnet for read-only verification.

Agent	Model	Role
gsd-planner	Opus	Creates task plans with XML structure
gsd-roadmapper	Opus	Designs phase breakdown and roadmap
gsd-executor	Opus	Implements code from plans
gsd-phase-researcher	Opus	Investigates domain/stack for phases
gsd-project-researcher	Opus	Deep research during project init
gsd-research-synthesizer	Sonnet	Combines research findings
gsd-debugger	Opus	Root cause analysis and fixes
gsd-codebase-mapper	Sonnet	Maps existing codebase structure
gsd-verifier	Sonnet	Verifies phase completion
gsd-plan-checker	Sonnet	Validates plans achieve goals
gsd-integration-checker	Sonnet	Checks cross-phase integration

Use when:

• Building production systems
• Complex architecture decisions
• Quota is available
• Quality is non-negotiable

Balanced Profile (Default)

Opus where it matters most (planning), Sonnet everywhere else.

Agent	Model	Role
gsd-planner	Opus	Creates task plans with XML structure
gsd-roadmapper	Sonnet	Designs phase breakdown and roadmap
gsd-executor	Sonnet	Implements code from plans
gsd-phase-researcher	Sonnet	Investigates domain/stack for phases
gsd-project-researcher	Sonnet	Deep research during project init
gsd-research-synthesizer	Sonnet	Combines research findings
gsd-debugger	Sonnet	Root cause analysis and fixes
gsd-codebase-mapper	Haiku	Maps existing codebase structure
gsd-verifier	Sonnet	Verifies phase completion
gsd-plan-checker	Sonnet	Validates plans achieve goals
gsd-integration-checker	Sonnet	Checks cross-phase integration

Use when:

• Most development work
• Good balance of quality and cost
• Default recommendation

Budget Profile

Minimum cost. Sonnet for code, Haiku for research and verification.

Agent	Model	Role
gsd-planner	Sonnet	Creates task plans with XML structure
gsd-roadmapper	Sonnet	Designs phase breakdown and roadmap
gsd-executor	Sonnet	Implements code from plans
gsd-phase-researcher	Haiku	Investigates domain/stack for phases
gsd-project-researcher	Haiku	Deep research during project init
gsd-research-synthesizer	Haiku	Combines research findings
gsd-debugger	Sonnet	Root cause analysis and fixes
gsd-codebase-mapper	Haiku	Maps existing codebase structure
gsd-verifier	Haiku	Verifies phase completion
gsd-plan-checker	Haiku	Validates plans achieve goals
gsd-integration-checker	Haiku	Checks cross-phase integration

Use when:

• Prototyping or exploration
• High-volume work
• Less critical phases
• Conserving quota

Profile Philosophy

Why Opus for Planning?

Planning is where architectural decisions happen. A good plan structure makes execution straightforward. Bad plans create cascading issues.

Opus excels at:

• Breaking down complex requirements
• Identifying dependencies
• Creating atomic, executable tasks
• Anticipating edge cases

Why Sonnet for Execution?

Sonnet follows structured plans extremely well. Given clear XML instructions, it produces consistent quality code.

Balanced profile philosophy:

• Opus plans the “what” and “why”
• Sonnet executes the “how”
• Quality stays high, cost stays reasonable

Why Haiku for Verification?

Verification is read-only analysis. Haiku is fast and capable for checking deliverables against requirements.

Budget profile trade-off:

• Lower cost across the board
• Acceptable quality for most work
• May need manual review on complex phases

Token Cost Implications

Relative Costs (Approximate)

Model	Input Cost	Output Cost	Speed
Opus	4x	4x	Slowest
Sonnet	1x	1x	Medium
Haiku	0.1x	0.1x	Fastest

Example Phase Execution

A typical phase with 3 plans:

Profile	Planning Cost	Execution Cost	Verification Cost	Total
Quality	4x (Opus)	12x (3× Opus)	1x (Sonnet)	~17x
Balanced	4x (Opus)	3x (3× Sonnet)	1x (Sonnet)	~8x
Budget	1x (Sonnet)	3x (3× Sonnet)	0.1x (Haiku)	~4x

Actual costs vary based on context size, research depth, and plan complexity.

Combining Profiles with Workflow Agents

Further optimize cost by disabling agents:

Maximum Speed (Budget Profile + No Agents)

{
  "model_profile": "budget",
  "workflow": {
    "research": false,
    "plan_check": false,
    "verifier": false
  }
}

Use for: Quick prototypes, familiar domains, iteration cycles.

Maximum Quality (Quality Profile + All Agents)

{
  "model_profile": "quality",
  "workflow": {
    "research": true,
    "plan_check": true,
    "verifier": true,
    "nyquist_validation": true
  }
}

Use for: Production systems, complex domains, critical phases.

Recommended Balanced (Default)

{
  "model_profile": "balanced",
  "workflow": {
    "research": true,
    "plan_check": true,
    "verifier": true,
    "nyquist_validation": true
  }
}

Use for: Most development work.

Model Selection Strategy

Choose profile based on:

Use Quality When:

• Building production systems
• Making critical architecture decisions
• Complex or unfamiliar domain
• Quota is available
• Quality > cost

Use Balanced When:

• Normal development work
• Good existing context (after map-codebase)
• Want good quality at reasonable cost
• Default for most projects

Use Budget When:

• Prototyping or exploration
• High-volume work (many phases)
• Simple or familiar domains
• Conserving quota
• Speed > quality

Dynamic Profile Switching

Switch profiles per phase:

# Critical foundation phase
/gsd:set-profile quality
/gsd:plan-phase 1
/gsd:execute-phase 1

# Simpler UI phase
/gsd:set-profile balanced
/gsd:plan-phase 2
/gsd:execute-phase 2

# Bulk content phase
/gsd:set-profile budget
/gsd:plan-phase 3
/gsd:execute-phase 3

Viewing Current Profile

Check active profile:

cat .planning/config.json | grep model_profile

Or via progress:

/gsd:progress

Shows current config including profile.

Related References

• Configuration Schema — Full config.json reference
• Workflow Agents — Control which agents spawn
• Commands — All GSD commands including /gsd:set-profile