# Thinking Model Router

When unsure which thinking skill fits, map domain and problem type, then return NONE or...

- Repository: https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills (1690 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-08-07
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-model-router -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-model-router -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-model-router -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-model-router -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills`

## Description

When unsure which thinking skill fits, map domain and problem type, then return NONE or one primary skill by default (at most three complementary).

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Model Router

**Core rule:** Prefer NONE or one primary skill. Route by mechanism fit, not habit. Combine only when roles are distinct and necessary.

## When to Use

- The right thinking skill is unclear and you would otherwise guess or stack tools.
- Several catalog skills seem plausible and you need a single primary (or explicit NONE).
- High-stakes work where a wrong frame is costly and a quick domain×type match helps.

## When NOT to Use

- The match is already known or obvious ("where's the bottleneck?" → theory-of-constraints), invoke that skill directly; do not route for show.
- The task is routine implementation with no analytical unknown, reason directly (NONE).
- You are mid-execution of an agreed plan and only need the next concrete step.
- The ask is outside this catalog (pure coding syntax, tool ops with no judgment call), NONE.

## Invoking a Model (Skill IDs)

The router outputs bare slugs (e.g. `id: five-whys-plus`). Invoke a routed skill with the Skill tool using the exact ID `thinking-skills:thinking-<slug>`, never invent a slug not cited in Procedure. `NONE` means no invocation.

## Procedure

The rest: https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/blob/HEAD/skills/thinking-model-router/SKILL.md