Smart Model Switching skill for OpenClaw

What this skill does

Auto-route tasks to the cheapest Claude model that works correctly. Three-tier progression: Haiku → Sonnet → Opus. Classify before responding. HAIKU (default): factual Q&A, greetings, reminders, status checks, lookups, simple file ops, heartbeats, casual chat, 1-2 sentence tasks. ESCALATE TO SONNET: code >10 lines, analysis, comparisons, planning, reports, multi-step reasoning, tables, long writing >3 paragraphs, summarization, research synthesis, most user conversations. ESCALATE TO OPUS: 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 Sonnet struggles with complexity, go to Opus. Save 50-90% on API costs by starting cheap and escalating only when needed.

The Smart Model Switching skill is part of the Developer Tools category — developer tools that help your agent write, review, debug, and ship code. You can install it on its own or alongside other developer tools skills from the OpenClaw catalog.

How to install the Smart Model Switching skill

The easiest path is via the OpenClaw Easy desktop app — one click, no terminal required:

1. Download OpenClaw Easy for macOS or Windows (free, one-click installer, ~30 seconds).
2. Open the in-app Skills panel.
3. Search for smart-model-switching and click Install.
4. The skill activates automatically when an incoming message matches its description.

Install from the command line

If you already run the OpenClaw CLI, add the Smart Model Switching skill with a single command:

openclaw skills add smart-model-switching

This pulls smart-model-switching from ClawHub and installs it into ~/.openclaw/skills/smart-model-switching/. Restart the OpenClaw gateway afterwards so the new skill is discovered.

How to use the Smart Model Switching skill

Once installed, the Smart Model Switching skill activates on its own: when an incoming message on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Feishu or Line matches the skill's description, your OpenClaw agent loads it and runs the workflow. You can also trigger it explicitly by describing the task in chat. No extra configuration is required after install.

Manual install (advanced)

If you prefer manual installation:

1. Click the Download skill .zip button above to grab smart-model-switching-1.0.0.zip directly from our S3 mirror.
2. Unzip into ~/.openclaw/skills/smart-model-switching/ (create the directory if it does not exist).
3. Restart OpenClaw Easy (or the OpenClaw CLI gateway) so the new skill is discovered.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install Smart Model Switching?

Install Smart Model Switching in the OpenClaw Easy desktop app by opening the Skills panel, searching for smart-model-switching, and clicking Install. From a terminal you can run: openclaw skills add smart-model-switching. Either way the skill is placed in ~/.openclaw/skills/smart-model-switching/.

Is the Smart Model Switching skill free?

Yes. It is free to download and run through ClawHub, with no account or payment required. Each skill is published by its own author under its own licence — see its ClawHub page for the licence and source.

What does Smart Model Switching do?

Auto-route tasks to the cheapest Claude model that works correctly. Three-tier progression: Haiku → Sonnet → Opus. Classify before responding. HAIKU (default): factual Q&A, greetings, reminders, status checks, lookups, simple file ops, heartbeats, casual chat, 1-2 sentence tasks.

Related: more developer tools skills

If the Smart Model Switching skill looks useful, you may also want to check out other developer tools skills in the OpenClaw catalog:

• openclaw-slides ⬇ 6.9K
• jobber ⬇ 6.9K
• CFO / Chief Financial Officer ⬇ 6.9K
• eventbrite ⬇ 6.8K
• transcript ⬇ 6.8K

Skills in this catalog are community-contributed integrations published on ClawHub and distributed under their own open-source licences. Product and company names, and any third-party service a skill connects to, are trademarks of their respective owners; a listing here does not imply affiliation with, sponsorship by, or endorsement from them. This page does not distribute any third-party application. Rights holders can reach us at hello@openclaw-easy.com.

Browse the full OpenClaw skill catalog

This page covers just one skill. The OpenClaw skill hub has 10,000+ more — search, sort by downloads or stars, and install any of them in one click. There is also a curated awesome-openclaw-skills list grouped by use case.