baekenough/reasoning-sandwich

Reasoning Sandwich Pattern

Purpose

A model allocation pattern that wraps implementation actions with stronger-model reasoning phases. The "sandwich" structure ensures complex tasks get proper analysis before and verification after the core action.

Pattern

[Pre-reasoning] → stronger model (opus)
  ├── Analyze requirements
  ├── Identify edge cases
  └── Define success criteria

[Action] → balanced model (sonnet)
  ├── Implement solution
  ├── Generate code/content
  └── Execute plan

[Post-verification] → balanced or lighter model (sonnet/haiku)
  ├── Verify against criteria
  ├── Check for regressions
  └── Validate completeness

Model Allocation Table

| Phase | Recommended Model | Rationale | |-------|------------------|-----------| | Pre-reasoning (analyze/plan) | opus | Complex architectural reasoning, edge case detection | | Action (implement/generate) | sonnet | Optimized for code generation, balanced cost | | Post-verification (review/test) | sonnet or haiku | Structural verification, checklist validation |

When to Apply

| Scenario | Apply Sandwich? | Reason | |----------|----------------|--------| | New feature implementation | Yes | Needs analysis → code → verification | | Bug fix with clear root cause | No | Direct action sufficient | | Architecture decision | Yes | Heavy pre-reasoning, lighter action | | Batch file edits | No | Mechanical action, no reasoning needed | | Security-sensitive changes | Yes | Extra verification phase critical |

Integration

This pattern is used by:

• structured-dev-cycle — stages map to sandwich phases
• evaluator-optimizer — generator/evaluator model selection guidance
• deep-plan — research (pre) → plan (action) → verify (post)

Anti-patterns

| Anti-pattern | Problem | Fix | |-------------|---------|-----| | Opus for everything | Wasteful, slow | Reserve opus for reasoning-heavy phases | | Haiku for planning | Insufficient depth | Use opus for complex analysis | | Skipping verification | False completion risk | Always include post-verification phase |