Big Model Smell
Find where complexity, context, automation, or model capability exceeds the actual job, then simplify without losing the required outcome.
Job contract
- Owns: simplification of one supplied artifact, workflow, prompt, system, or plan.
- Does not own: retrospective analysis across recent sessions (
operator-audit).
- Finished deliverable: complexity diagnosis, smallest viable design, migration steps, and verification criteria.
Smells to inspect
- One giant prompt trying to perform unrelated jobs.
- A frontier model used for deterministic extraction or formatting.
- Too many agents, tools, files, approval steps, or moving parts.
- Context loaded “just in case” rather than for a decision.
- An automation that costs more to maintain than the task costs to do.
- A document or system no operator can confidently change.
Workflow
- State the outcome and non-negotiable constraints.
- Map every component to the outcome it supports.
- Mark components as essential, useful, unproven, duplicate, or decorative.
- Identify the cheapest adequate level for each step: rule, template, small model, large model, human judgment, or automation.
- Design the smallest version that preserves safety and quality.
- Give a reversible migration order and a test that proves nothing important was lost.
Output
# Complexity Review
## Required Outcome
[What must remain true]
## Big-Model Smells
[Evidence and cost of each]
## Keep, Simplify, Remove, Test
[Decision table]
## Smaller Working Design
[New flow]
## Safe Migration
[Reversible sequence]
## Verification
[Tests and stop conditions]
Guardrails
- Do not simplify away approval, privacy, security, accessibility, or recovery controls.
- Do not assume a cheaper model is adequate; define a representative test.
- Never modify or delete the original artifact without explicit approval.
1---2name: big-model-smell3description: Simplify an oversized prompt, plan, workflow, document, system, or build when its complexity, context, automation, or model cost is not earning its keep.4---56# Big Model Smell78Find where complexity, context, automation, or model capability exceeds the actual job, then simplify without losing the required outcome.910## Job contract1112- Owns: simplification of one supplied artifact, workflow, prompt, system, or plan.13- Does not own: retrospective analysis across recent sessions (`operator-audit`).14- Finished deliverable: complexity diagnosis, smallest viable design, migration steps, and verification criteria.1516## Smells to inspect1718- One giant prompt trying to perform unrelated jobs.19- A frontier model used for deterministic extraction or formatting.20- Too many agents, tools, files, approval steps, or moving parts.21- Context loaded “just in case” rather than for a decision.22- An automation that costs more to maintain than the task costs to do.23- A document or system no operator can confidently change.2425## Workflow26271. State the outcome and non-negotiable constraints.282. Map every component to the outcome it supports.293. Mark components as essential, useful, unproven, duplicate, or decorative.304. Identify the cheapest adequate level for each step: rule, template, small model, large model, human judgment, or automation.315. Design the smallest version that preserves safety and quality.326. Give a reversible migration order and a test that proves nothing important was lost.3334## Output3536```markdown37# Complexity Review3839## Required Outcome40[What must remain true]4142## Big-Model Smells43[Evidence and cost of each]4445## Keep, Simplify, Remove, Test46[Decision table]4748## Smaller Working Design49[New flow]5051## Safe Migration52[Reversible sequence]5354## Verification55[Tests and stop conditions]56```5758## Guardrails5960- Do not simplify away approval, privacy, security, accessibility, or recovery controls.61- Do not assume a cheaper model is adequate; define a representative test.62- Never modify or delete the original artifact without explicit approval.
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