Dispatch

/dispatch - Multi-Model CLI Orchestrator

Route tasks to the best CLI tool. Minimize Claude Code tokens by leveraging pre-authenticated local CLIs.

When To Use

User says:

• /dispatch [task] - Auto-select best CLI
• /dispatch gemini [task] - Explicit CLI selection
• /dispatch codex "Write a function" - Code generation
• "Use gemini for research"
• "Route to codex for this"

Available CLIs

How It Works

Three modes:

Mode 1: Explicit Dispatch

User specifies target CLI:

# Dispatch to codex
codex "Write a Python function that validates email addresses"

# Dispatch to gemini (0 tokens)
gemini --yolo "Research: best practices for API rate limiting"

# Dispatch to claude
claude -p "Design a microservices architecture for..." --output-format json

Mode 2: Auto-Select (Smart Routing)

Based on task keywords:

Mode 3: Multi-Step Plan Execution

Execute a plan with different tools per step:

/dispatch plan TODO.md  # Execute each step with appropriate CLI

CLI Invocation Patterns

Claude Code CLI

# Simple prompt
claude -p "prompt" --output-format json

# With working directory context
claude -p "prompt" --cwd /path/to/project

# Non-interactive (for automation)
claude -p "prompt" --dangerously-skip-permissions --output-format json

OpenAI Codex CLI

# Simple code generation (non-interactive)
codex exec "Write a Python function that..."

# With file context
codex exec --file src/main.py "Refactor this to use async"

# Interactive (for terminal use)
codex "Write a Python function that..."

Gemini CLI

# Simple query (interactive)
gemini "What are best practices for..."

# Non-interactive with auto-approve
gemini --yolo "Comprehensive research on..."

# With model override
gemini --model gemini-2.5-pro "Complex analysis..."

Qwen Code CLI (after installation)

# Non-interactive (one-shot)
qwen "Implement this feature"

# Interactive (for terminal use)
qwen -i "Implement this feature"

# With file context
qwen --file main.ts "Add error handling"

ZAI CLI (after installation)

# Install ZAI CLI
npm install -g @zai/cli

# Authenticate
zai auth login

# High-context execution (GLM 4.7, 128K tokens)
zai exec "Implement this large feature with full context"

# With model specification
zai --model glm-4.7 "Complex multi-file implementation"

# Check quota
zai quota

Output Location

All CLI outputs saved to:

~/github/oneshot/dispatch/<timestamp>-<cli>/
├── prompt.txt     # Original prompt sent
├── output.txt     # Raw CLI output
└── summary.md     # Key findings (if applicable)

Model Selection Logic

# Keyword-based routing
cli_router:
  codex:
    keywords: ["generate code", "write function", "implement", "refactor", "fix bug", "code review"]

  gemini:
    keywords: ["research", "explain", "summarize", "what is", "find out", "search for"]

  claude:
    keywords: ["plan", "design", "architect", "complex", "analyze trade-offs", "multi-step"]

  zai:
    keywords: ["execute", "implement", "high context", "large task", "multi-file"]
    model: "glm-4.7"
    context: "128K tokens - best for large implementation tasks"

  qwen:
    keywords: ["general task", "quick question", "simple"]
    fallback: true  # Use when others fail

Fallback Chain

If primary CLI fails:

1. Try fallback CLI from matrix
2. If all fail, return error with diagnostics
3. Never silently swallow errors

Integration with Beads

# Track multi-step dispatch as beads tasks
bd create "Dispatch: Research auth patterns" -l dispatch -d "gemini"
bd update <id> --status in_progress
# ... execute ...
bd close <id> --reason "Output: research.md"

Setup (One-Time)

Claude (already installed)

# Verify
claude --version

Codex (already installed)

# Verify
codex --version

# Authenticate if needed
codex auth login

Gemini (already installed)

# Verify
gemini --version

# Authenticate if needed
gemini auth login

Qwen Code (to be installed)

# Install via npm
npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code

# Verify (binary is named 'qwen')
qwen --version
# Output: 0.8.2

# Test
qwen "test"

Example Usage

User says: /dispatch "Research WebSocket best practices"

You do:

1. Detect "research" keyword → route to gemini
2. Run:

   mkdir -p ~/github/oneshot/dispatch/$(date +%s)-gemini
   gemini --yolo "Research WebSocket best practices for real-time applications.
   Focus on: connection handling, reconnection strategies, scalability, and security.
   Output format: Markdown with code examples." > output.txt
   

3. Read output.txt and summarize key findings

Why This Exists

• ✅ Minimize Claude Code token usage
• ✅ Leverage specialized CLIs (codex for code, gemini for research)
• ✅ Zero API keys needed (all pre-authenticated)
• ✅ Fallback options if one CLI fails

Trade-off: Less context awareness than Claude Code sub-agents, but significantly cheaper.

Anti-Patterns

• Dispatching trivial tasks (just answer directly)
• Using claude for simple research (use gemini, it's free)
• Using gemini for complex code (use codex)
• Not capturing output (always save to file)
• Ignoring CLI errors (always check exit codes)

Keywords

dispatch, route, delegate, multi-model, codex, gemini, qwen, cli, orchestrate