How do I install the Chitin Core skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add modbender/chitin-core in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Chitin Core skill do?

Route tasks to the cheapest capable model. Never crash on rate limits. It is listed under AI & ML on SkillMD.

Is Chitin Core safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: executes scripts. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Chitin Core?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Chitin Core free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Chitin Core?

modbender (@modbender) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Chitin Core by modbender — Agent Skill

Name: Chitin Core
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: modbender

File contents

chitin-core

Route tasks to the cheapest capable model. Never crash on rate limits.

Activation

When spawning sub-agents or delegating tasks, use ModelRouter to select the optimal model.

Trigger phrases: "route this", "spawn a sub-agent", "delegate", or any time you need to choose a model for a task.

Usage

Route a Task

node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js route "task description here"

Returns JSON:

{"tier":"MEDIUM","model":"google-antigravity/gemini-3.1-pro","confidence":0.85,"estimatedCost":0.005,"signals":["codeSignals:2×1.2=2.4"]}

Use the returned model value in sessions_spawn.

Handle Failures

If a spawned session fails with a rate limit or error:

node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js fail "provider/model" "error message"

Then re-route — the failed model will be skipped:

node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js route "same task"

Check Health

node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js health

View Costs

node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js costs

Validate Config

node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js validate

Workflow

Receive task from user
Run router.js route "<task>" to get optimal model
sessions_spawn with returned model
If spawn fails → router.js fail "<model>" "<error>" → retry route
Return result to user

Tiers

Tier	Use Case	Models
LIGHT	Greetings, simple Q&A, status checks	Flash, DeepSeek, gpt-5-mini, Groq, Ollama
MEDIUM	Code, summaries, standard tasks	Gemini Pro, gpt-5.2, DeepSeek Reasoner
HEAVY	Architecture, complex reasoning, agentic	gpt-5.2-pro, o3, Codex

Override Tags

Include in task text to force a tier:

@light — force cheapest model
@medium — force mid-tier
@heavy — force most capable

Graceful Degradation

If all models in a tier are rate-limited, the router automatically:

Tries adjacent tiers (escalate or downgrade)
Falls back to local Ollama if configured
Returns structured error with retry time (never crashes)

Configuration

Edit config.json in the skill directory to:

Add/remove models per tier
Adjust cost figures
Tune classification boundaries

---name: chitin-coredescription: Route tasks to the cheapest capable model. Never crash on rate limits.--- # chitin-core Route tasks to the cheapest capable model. Never crash on rate limits. ## Activation When spawning sub-agents or delegating tasks, use ModelRouter to select the optimal model. **Trigger phrases:** "route this", "spawn a sub-agent", "delegate", or any time you need to choose a model for a task. ## Usage ### Route a Task ```bash node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js route "task description here" ``` Returns JSON: ```json {"tier":"MEDIUM","model":"google-antigravity/gemini-3.1-pro","confidence":0.85,"estimatedCost":0.005,"signals":["codeSignals:2×1.2=2.4"]} ``` Use the returned `model` value in `sessions_spawn`. ### Handle Failures If a spawned session fails with a rate limit or error: ```bash node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js fail "provider/model" "error message" ``` Then re-route — the failed model will be skipped: ```bash node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js route "same task" ``` ### Check Health ```bash node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js health ``` ### View Costs ```bash node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js costs ``` ### Validate Config ```bash node ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/chitin-core/scripts/router.js validate ``` ## Workflow 1. Receive task from user 2. Run `router.js route "<task>"` to get optimal model 3. `sessions_spawn` with returned model 4. If spawn fails → `router.js fail "<model>" "<error>"` → retry route 5. Return result to user ## Tiers | Tier | Use Case | Models | |------|----------|--------| | LIGHT | Greetings, simple Q&A, status checks | Flash, DeepSeek, gpt-5-mini, Groq, Ollama | | MEDIUM | Code, summaries, standard tasks | Gemini Pro, gpt-5.2, DeepSeek Reasoner | | HEAVY | Architecture, complex reasoning, agentic | gpt-5.2-pro, o3, Codex | ## Override Tags Include in task text to force a tier: - `@light` — force cheapest model - `@medium` — force mid-tier - `@heavy` — force most capable ## Graceful Degradation If all models in a tier are rate-limited, the router automatically: 1. Tries adjacent tiers (escalate or downgrade) 2. Falls back to local Ollama if configured 3. Returns structured error with retry time (never crashes) ## Configuration Edit `config.json` in the skill directory to: - Add/remove models per tier - Adjust cost figures - Tune classification boundaries

Frequently asked questions

Chitin Core