Problem
The pre-flight confirmation now lets users pick model and effort interactively (#3 follow-up, landed on `ghcp-g1-streaming`), but the defaults are still Copilot's baselines for every handoff regardless of scope. A 1-stream trivial scaffold and a 4-stream intricate refactor both default to `claude-sonnet-4.5` + `medium`.
Why it matters
- Wasted spend on simple handoffs that don't need `medium` (let alone `high`).
- Under-powered runs on ambiguous refactors that would benefit from `high` but no one thought to flip it.
- The sibling `/codex` skill already has per-mode effort defaults (review: `high`, consult: `medium`) — ghcp-handoff's one-size-fits-all feels like a regression.
Approach
Two levels, increasing ambition. Implement incrementally:
Level A: default-by-scope (couple hours)
Heuristic based on collected inputs from guided mode:
| Streams |
Boundaries |
NOT-in-scope globs |
→ Default effort |
| 1 |
≤2 |
≤1 |
`low` |
| 2-3 |
≤5 |
≤3 |
`medium` (Copilot default — no flag) |
| 4+ |
— |
— |
`high` |
| any |
— |
judgment-heavy language detected in reasons |
`high` |
Model default stays `claude-sonnet-4.5` for all tiers. Pre-flight summary shows "Effort: medium (inferred from 2 streams)" so the reasoning is visible; user can still override via the loop.
Level B: auto-derive from task summary + deliverables (more work)
Scorer that reads the collected Q1 task summary, the per-stream deliverables, and the boundaries, and scores the handoff on dimensions like:
- Mechanical vs. judgment-heavy (keyword signals: "rename", "scaffold", "wire" vs. "design", "decide", "refactor")
- Scope breadth (file count estimates, cross-module references)
- Novelty (new tech stack entries vs. familiar)
Map the score to `low`/`medium`/`high`. Show the scoring rationale in the pre-flight summary so users understand the pick — and can fix it quickly when the heuristic gets it wrong.
Level A is probably 80% of the value; B is worth it only if A's heuristic turns out too coarse in practice.
Model selection
Less urgent. Copilot currently has three models (claude-sonnet-4.5 / claude-sonnet-4 / gpt-5) and the default is already the strongest. Revisit when:
- Copilot adds meaningful cheaper tiers (claude-haiku equivalent)
- BYOK makes per-task model selection meaningful (e.g., routing to an internal provider)
For now, scope-based model selection isn't high-leverage.
Review reference
Feature review conversation: "Do we have any method of choosing the copilot model and effort?" — fix #1 (interactive override) shipped on branch `ghcp-g1-streaming`; this issue tracks the smart-defaults follow-up.
Problem
The pre-flight confirmation now lets users pick model and effort interactively (#3 follow-up, landed on `ghcp-g1-streaming`), but the defaults are still Copilot's baselines for every handoff regardless of scope. A 1-stream trivial scaffold and a 4-stream intricate refactor both default to `claude-sonnet-4.5` + `medium`.
Why it matters
Approach
Two levels, increasing ambition. Implement incrementally:
Level A: default-by-scope (couple hours)
Heuristic based on collected inputs from guided mode:
Model default stays `claude-sonnet-4.5` for all tiers. Pre-flight summary shows "Effort: medium (inferred from 2 streams)" so the reasoning is visible; user can still override via the loop.
Level B: auto-derive from task summary + deliverables (more work)
Scorer that reads the collected Q1 task summary, the per-stream deliverables, and the boundaries, and scores the handoff on dimensions like:
Map the score to `low`/`medium`/`high`. Show the scoring rationale in the pre-flight summary so users understand the pick — and can fix it quickly when the heuristic gets it wrong.
Level A is probably 80% of the value; B is worth it only if A's heuristic turns out too coarse in practice.
Model selection
Less urgent. Copilot currently has three models (claude-sonnet-4.5 / claude-sonnet-4 / gpt-5) and the default is already the strongest. Revisit when:
For now, scope-based model selection isn't high-leverage.
Review reference
Feature review conversation: "Do we have any method of choosing the copilot model and effort?" — fix #1 (interactive override) shipped on branch `ghcp-g1-streaming`; this issue tracks the smart-defaults follow-up.