i-onlabs/claude-code-skills/escalation-reasoning

Escalation-Aware Reasoning

When This Skill Activates

• Stuck on a problem after 2+ attempts
• Architecture or design decisions needed
• Novel algorithms or complex logic
• Security-critical code review
• User explicitly asks to "think harder"

The 5-Tier Escalation System

Auto-Escalation Triggers

Escalate to Tier 2 (/think)

• First debugging attempt failed
• Code review needed
• Comparing implementation options

Escalate to Tier 3 (/megathink)

• Architecture decisions
• Database schema design
• API design trade-offs
• Multi-component interactions

Escalate to Tier 4 (/ultrathink)

• 2+ failed attempts at same problem
• Security-critical analysis
• Performance optimization
• Complex algorithm design

Escalate to Tier 5 (External)

• Truly blocked after tier 4
• Need second opinion
• Novel research-level problems
• Critical production issues

External Model Options (Tier 5)

Cost Awareness

DeepSeek is 97% cheaper than equivalent Claude reasoning.

Before escalating, ask:

1. Have I tried simpler approaches?
2. Is the cost justified by the problem?
3. Can I break this into smaller problems?

How to Escalate

# Tier 2
/think: [your question]
 
# Tier 3
/megathink: [your question]
 
# Tier 4
/ultrathink: [your question]
 
# Tier 5 - Use consult-llm tool
Consult o3 about: [your question]

Anti-Patterns

• Jumping to tier 4 for simple problems (wasteful)
• Not escalating after repeated failures (stubborn)
• Using external models for routine tasks (expensive)
• Skipping intermediate tiers (miss simpler solutions)