---
name: al-305-pair-a-fast-coding-model-with-a-smarter-advisor-in-claude
description: "Claude Code has an experimental advisor tool: your main model does the work and escalates hard decisions to a stronger model. Per Claude Code's docs you turn it on with the /advisor command, an advisorModel setting, or a launch flag such as claude --model sonnet --advisor opus; the advisor must rank at or above your main model, it runs on the Anthropic API only, and it may use extra tokens. Posts on X this week walked through the flow step by step, with Sonnet drafting a plan and Opus reviewing it before the plan locks. This entry gives you a prompt that makes the most of that pairing: plan first, get the advisor's review on risky choices, then build and test. Use when the user wants help with agent setup (coding) for a small business."
---

# Pair a fast coding model with a smarter 'advisor' in Claude Code: let Sonnet do the work and have Opus check the plan on hard decisions, so you get better results without paying top-model prices for every step

Claude Code has an experimental advisor tool: your main model does the work and escalates hard decisions to a stronger model. Per Claude Code's docs you turn it on with the /advisor command, an advisorModel setting, or a launch flag such as claude --model sonnet --advisor opus; the advisor must rank at or above your main model, it runs on the Anthropic API only, and it may use extra tokens. Posts on X this week walked through the flow step by step, with Sonnet drafting a plan and Opus reviewing it before the plan locks. This entry gives you a prompt that makes the most of that pairing: plan first, get the advisor's review on risky choices, then build and test.

## Inputs to collect first
Ask the user for anything below that they haven't already given you. Don't guess missing facts.

- THE CHANGE IN PLAIN WORDS
- LANGUAGE / FRAMEWORK, HOW TO RUN TESTS
- DATA MODEL CHANGE / AUTH / MIGRATION

## Instructions

Do the task below with the user's inputs in place of each [bracket].

I've started Claude Code with a cheaper main model and a stronger advisor (claude --model sonnet --advisor opus). Task: [DESCRIBE THE CHANGE IN PLAIN WORDS]. Project: [LANGUAGE / FRAMEWORK, HOW TO RUN TESTS]. Work like this: 1) Read the relevant code and write a short plan (files to change, approach, risks). 2) Before you lock the plan, consult the advisor on the riskiest decision, e.g. [DATA MODEL CHANGE / AUTH / MIGRATION], and tell me in one or two sentences what it recommended and whether you changed the plan. 3) Build it in small steps and run the tests after each step. 4) If tests fail twice in a row on the same problem, consult the advisor again instead of guessing. 5) Finish with: what changed, test results, and anything the advisor flagged that I should decide myself. Don't touch unrelated files and don't add new dependencies without asking.

## Safety checks (share these with the user)

- Check every figure, price and total against your own records before anything is sent, posted or booked. A person approves refunds, discounts, payments and price changes.
- Read and edit the draft before it reaches a customer or goes public. If you later automate this prompt, start with "draft and notify me", not "send automatically".
- Check names, dates, numbers and any claim against your own source material before you use the answer. AI can misread or invent details.
- Say clearly which parts need a person to review or approve before anything is sent, paid, posted or filed.

## About this skill

- Works with: Claude Code (advisor tool), Claude Sonnet, Claude Opus
- Based on this real-world example: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/advisor
- Free prompt from AgentPlaybook Real Estate: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/prompt/al-305-pair-a-fast-coding-model-with-a-smarter-advisor-in-claude-co/
- To install in an agent that supports Agent Skills, save this file as SKILL.md in a folder with the same name as `name` above (for example in your skills directory). Install steps for Claude.ai, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/skills/