<quick_start> Find the right agent:
- Identify your task type (debug, review, build, explore, etc.)
- Look up the primary agent in the matrix below
- If primary fails, use the fallback
- Match model tier to task complexity </quick_start>
<success_criteria>
- Task routed to the correct primary agent on first attempt
- Fallback agent identified if primary is unavailable or insufficient
- Model tier matched to task complexity (Haiku for search, Sonnet for code, Opus for architecture)
- Zero-cost tools (TaskCreate, TeamCreate) used for progress tracking instead of API calls
- Agent selection justified by the matrix rather than ad-hoc guessing </success_criteria>
Core Capability Matrix
Development Tasks
| Task Type | Primary Agent | Fallback | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debug complex issue | debug-like-expert skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Hypothesis-driven |
| Quick bug fix | general-purpose | — | sonnet | Simple fixes |
| Code review | code-reviewer | feature-dev:code-reviewer | haiku | Pattern matching |
| Architecture design | Plan agent | code-architect | opus | Complex reasoning |
| Feature implementation | general-purpose | feature-dev agents | sonnet | Code generation |
| Refactoring | code-simplifier | general-purpose | sonnet | Preserve behavior |
| Security audit | security skill | general-purpose | sonnet | OWASP patterns |
| Write tests | testing skill | general-purpose | sonnet | TDD workflow |
| API design | api-design skill | general-purpose | sonnet | REST/GraphQL |
| API testing | api-testing skill | general-purpose | haiku | Postman/Bruno |
Exploration & Research
| Task Type | Primary Agent | Fallback | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Find files by pattern | Glob tool (direct) | Explore agent | — | Fastest |
| Search code content | Grep tool (direct) | Explore agent | — | Fastest |
| Understand codebase area | Explore agent | general-purpose | haiku | Thorough search |
| Deep code analysis | code-explorer | Explore agent | sonnet | Traces execution |
| Research framework/tool | research skill | WebSearch | sonnet | Structured eval |
| Market research | research skill | WebSearch | sonnet | Company profiles |
Infrastructure & Deployment
| Task Type | Primary Agent | Fallback | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docker setup | docker-compose skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Local dev |
| GPU deployment | runpod-deployment skill | general-purpose | sonnet | RunPod |
| Database migration | supabase-sql skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Supabase |
| Stripe integration | stripe-stack skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Payments |
| Voice AI pipeline | voice-ai skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Deepgram+Cartesia |
| LangGraph agents | langgraph-agents skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Multi-agent |
| Fast inference | groq-inference skill | general-purpose | sonnet | GROQ API |
| Chinese LLMs | openrouter skill | general-purpose | sonnet | DeepSeek/Qwen |
| LLM fine-tuning | unsloth-training skill | general-purpose | sonnet | GRPO/SFT |
Business & GTM
| Task Type | Primary Agent | Fallback | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTM strategy | gtm-pricing skill | general-purpose | sonnet | ICP, positioning |
| Sales outreach | sales-revenue skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Cold email |
| CRM integration | crm-integration skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Close/HubSpot |
| Content marketing | content-marketing skill | general-purpose | sonnet | B2B content |
| Data analysis | data-analysis skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Dashboards |
| Trading signals | trading-signals skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Technical analysis |
| Business model | business-model-canvas skill | general-purpose | sonnet | 9-block canvas |
| Market differentiation | blue-ocean-strategy skill | general-purpose | sonnet | ERRC framework |
Workflow & Coordination
| Task Type | Primary Agent | Fallback | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Session start/end | workflow-orchestrator skill | — | sonnet | Daily lifecycle |
| Parallel worktree dev | agent-teams skill | worktree-manager skill | sonnet | Full isolation |
| In-session parallel | subagent-teams skill | sequential execution | haiku-sonnet | Task tool |
| Progress tracking | TaskCreate/TaskUpdate | TodoWrite | — | Native UI spinners |
| Team coordination | TeamCreate + SendMessage | subagent-teams skill | haiku-sonnet | Shared task list |
| Git workflow | git-workflow skill | general-purpose | haiku | Commits, PRs |
| Skill authoring | extension-authoring skill | general-purpose | sonnet | Skills, hooks |
| Project planning | planning-prompts skill | Plan agent | sonnet | Meta-prompts |
| Cost tracking | cost-metering skill | manual tracking | haiku | Budget status |
Decision Flowchart
START: What do I need to do?
│
├── Search/Find something?
│ ├── Know the file pattern? → Glob (direct)
│ ├── Know the code pattern? → Grep (direct)
│ └── Need to understand area? → Explore agent (haiku)
│
├── Write/Change code?
│ ├── Simple fix? → general-purpose (sonnet)
│ ├── New feature? → Check if a skill matches → skill or general-purpose (sonnet)
│ ├── Architecture? → Plan agent (opus)
│ └── Parallel build? → subagent-teams or agent-teams
│
├── Review/Validate?
│ ├── Code review? → code-reviewer (haiku)
│ ├── Security? → security skill (sonnet)
│ └── Tests? → testing skill (sonnet)
│
├── Research/Learn?
│ ├── Codebase? → Explore agent (haiku)
│ ├── Framework? → research skill (sonnet)
│ └── Market? → research skill (sonnet)
│
└── Business/GTM?
└── Check Business section of matrix aboveModel Tier Guide
| Tier | Model | Cost/1M In | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast | Haiku 4.5 | $1.00 | Search, classify, review, simple tasks |
| Standard | Sonnet 4.6 | $3.00 | Code generation, reasoning, most tasks |
| Premium | Opus 4.6 | $5.00 | Architecture, complex decisions, planning |
| Free | TaskCreate | $0 | Progress tracking (local UI, not an API call) |
Default to Sonnet unless:
- Task is search/classify → use Haiku (5x cheaper)
- Task requires deep reasoning → use Opus (5x more capable)
- Task is progress tracking → use TaskCreate with
activeFormfor live spinners (zero cost)
Cross-references: subagent-teams for in-session parallel agents, agent-teams for worktree-isolated parallel agents.
Deep dive: See reference/matrix-table.md, reference/selection-flowchart.md
Emit Outcome Sidecar
As the final step, write to ~/.claude/skill-analytics/last-outcome-agent-capability-matrix.json:
{"ts":"[UTC ISO8601]","skill":"agent-capability-matrix","version":"1.0.0","variant":"default",
"status":"[success|partial|error]","runtime_ms":[estimated ms from start],
"metrics":{"tasks_routed":[n],"agents_matched":[n],"fallbacks_used":[n]},
"error":null,"session_id":"[YYYY-MM-DD]"}Use status "partial" if some stages failed but results were produced. Use "error" only if no output was generated.