Delegated reads
AutoMode's optional read gate: a full read of a large file stops once with a free outline and a cheap Haiku extract tool. How it works and stays safe.
Delegated reads ship off. Set "delegation": "on", or shadow to record what the gate would do. The change takes effect in the next session.
A large file read into a long Opus chat costs that file's tokens on every later request. The read gate offers a cheaper way to get what the model needs from it.
How it works
The first full read stops
A full read of a text file at or above delegationGateTokens stops once per file and task. The model gets a free outline of the file instead. Size comes from bytes, not lines, so a minified file counts.
The model picks a path
It can read the file again, and the second read always runs, so the exact text is always available. Or it can call mcp__automode__extract with a question.
Haiku extracts
extract asks Claude Code whether each path may be read, so your Read deny rules hold. It makes one Haiku call with no tools.
Code checks the evidence
A finding is kept only if its quote is in the file at or near the cited lines. A kept claim is still Haiku's reading, so the model must read those lines before it relies on them.
When the gate stands aside
- A file edited in the task.
- The
debug,reconsiderandreviewstages. - Any task with a risk rating.
The gate only saves money, so it fails open. Shadow mode registers no tool, because a tool definition changes the request.
What it costs and saves
At the shipped 5k-token gate, only 3 of 76 benchmark tasks ever hit a full read that large. Full reads in the audit's bloat list were about 1.6% of 30 days of spend. The canary runs test safety, not a saving. See bench/README.md.
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Route learning
How AutoMode learns per project: a kind of task that needed rescue starts on a stronger model next time. It only raises a route and stores no prompt text.
Cost calculator
Estimate your monthly Claude Code spend on Opus, Sonnet high or effortless, and what AutoMode would cost, from per-step costs measured on real sessions.