fix: 5.5 prompt pass for the remaining agents and a routing-anchor diet

README.md

@@ -53,15 +53,22 @@ Superpowers dispatches opus subagents by default. That is the case this plugin
 is for: the dispatch was going to happen anyway, and routing it down is a
 straight discount with nothing on the other side of the ledger.
 
-Note what the surcharge is and is not. The plugin costs about 1.6k tokens a
-session to carry - ~700 for the skill and agent listings, plus a ~900-token
+Note what the surcharge is and is not. The plugin costs about 1.8k tokens a
+session to carry - ~700 for the skill and agent listings, plus a ~1.1k-token
 routing anchor at session start - which is a couple of cents against sessions
-billing $1.40 to $2.00. The listing figure comes from
+billing $1.40 to $2.00. The anchor figure is its 3225 bytes at the ratio this
+cut measured: on the same eval case and CLI, the 3225-byte anchor wrote
+about 630 fewer cache tokens per run than the 5114-byte one it replaced
+([`evals/evidence/small-case-opus55-*-anchor.json`](evals/evidence/)). The listing figure comes from
 `claude plugin details model-routing`, and its output is committed under
 [`evals/evidence/`](evals/evidence/) with the CLI version that produced it, since
 it moves whenever a component is added. That is not where the 23% comes from. It comes from dispatches happening
 that otherwise would not have: on the same question the plugin arm delegated in
-3 runs of 3 and the plugin-free arm in 0 of 3. Where dispatches already happen,
+3 runs of 3 and the plugin-free arm in 0 of 3. That was measured on 2026-08-17; on
+2026-10-02 an Opus 5.5 session answered the
+same question with one grep and one read and delegated in 0 of 2 under both the
+old and the current anchor, so this case no longer separates the arms on Opus
+5.5 ([`evals/evidence/small-case-opus55-*-anchor.json`](evals/evidence/)). Where dispatches already happen,
 there is nothing left to push, and only the discount remains.
 
 If you rarely delegate, install it for the context headroom or not at all. The
@@ -333,7 +340,7 @@ earns its cost (the knobs themselves:
 | Exploration (`scout`) | sonnet | low | Finding and tracing code is retrieval, not reasoning - a cheap tier reports as well as a costly one, and the file volume stays in the subagent regardless. | The work is mechanical lookup; extra thinking buys nothing. |
 | Ordinary implementation (`implementer`) | sonnet | medium | Sonnet 5.5 pairs speed with intelligence at half the opus price ($2/$10 against $4/$20) - for work whose approach the plan already decided, the margin never changes the outcome. | The plan already decided the approach; the agent executes real logic, not design, and medium is where Sonnet 5.5's own guidance starts well-specified agentic coding. |
 | Complex implementation (`implementer` `model=opus`) | opus | medium (pinned) | Multi-file or cross-layer changes, security/money/migrations/concurrency/public contracts, or a retry after a weak sonnet result - a wrong approach is expensive, and Opus 5.5 is stronger again at 20% less than Opus 5 ($4/$20, cache reads 60% less), so escalate when in doubt. This holds on every session model, Fable included: Opus 5.5 is cheaper than Fable 5.1 on every token type. (Ambiguous tasks are not an escalation case: implementer stops on ambiguity by contract - clarify first.) | The `model=opus` dispatch changes the model only - the Agent tool has no effort param, so the pinned medium stays; the escalation buys the tier, not extra thinking. |
-| Code review (`reviewer`) | opus | high | Review is an asymmetric bet - one pass guards against a bug that costs far more if it ships, so it is the one place to prefer the top tier by default. | High: subtle correctness bugs hide from shallow reading. The case for `medium` grew with Opus 5.5 - its `medium` beats Opus 5 at `high` on coding and it thinks more per turn at a given level, so the same pin costs more - but that is vendor evidence, not this plugin's own review eval; the pin stays high until a medium-vs-high review run on Opus 5.5 is measured. |
+| Code review (`reviewer`) | opus | high | Review is an asymmetric bet - one pass guards against a bug that costs far more if it ships, so it is the one place to prefer the top tier by default. | High: subtle correctness bugs hide from shallow reading. The case for `medium` grew with Opus 5.5 - its `medium` matches or exceeds Opus 5 at `high` on coding and it thinks more per turn at a given level, so the same pin costs more - but that is vendor evidence, not this plugin's own review eval; the pin stays high until a medium-vs-high review run on Opus 5.5 is measured. |
 | Tests / builds (`test-runner`) | haiku | low | Running a command and summarizing output is mechanical; the value is keeping raw logs out of the main context, not the model doing it. | Low: no reasoning, just report. |
 | Diff sanity gate (`verifier`) | haiku | low | Checking a diff matches its task (scope, completeness, obvious breakage) is a cheap spot-check, not a quality judgment. | Low: pattern-matching against the task, not deep analysis. |
 | E2E / failure interpretation (`e2e-runner`) | sonnet | medium | Driving a browser and telling a product bug from a flake needs some judgment, but not top-tier reasoning. | Medium: real interpretation, clear method. |
@@ -427,8 +434,8 @@ reference](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/effort)):
 Opus 4.7 and 4.8 start coding and agentic work at `xhigh`, while Opus 5
 starts at `high`, steps up to `xhigh` for demanding coding and agentic
 work, and treats `low` and `medium` as the primary cost control. Opus 5.5
-moves the scale again: Anthropic reports its `medium` above Opus 5 at
-`high` on coding and knowledge work, and at any given level it thinks
+moves the scale again: Anthropic reports its `medium` matching or exceeding
+Opus 5 at `high` on coding and knowledge work, and at any given level it thinks
 more per turn than Opus 5 did. The
 pins below are this plugin's cost-first reading of that: start low,
 step up on evidence.

agents/e2e-runner.md

@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ Rules:
 - For failure analysis: distinguish product bug vs test bug vs environment
   or flakiness, and say which one you believe it is with the evidence.
 - Run the whole scenario before you report. Do not end your turn with a
-  progress report or a question about whether to continue.
+  progress report or a question about whether to continue. Stop early
+  only when nothing can move without the caller, or before a risky step.
 - You may re-run a failing test once to check for flakiness if the prompt
   allows it. Say so in the report.
 - Never edit product code. Small test-only fixes are allowed ONLY if the

agents/implementer.md

@@ -10,10 +10,6 @@ description because you cannot see the parent conversation - if the task
 is ambiguous or missing critical context, say exactly what is missing and
 stop instead of guessing.
 
-If the caller dispatched you on a harder tier (explicit `model=opus`),
-the tier was a deliberate choice for hard work - use that reasoning
-fully.
-
 Rules:
 
 - Read the project's formatter/linter config and nearby code first; match
@@ -41,7 +37,7 @@ When to escalate instead of grinding:
 - **Missing context / ambiguous task:** say exactly what is missing and
   stop. Do not fill the gap with a guess.
 - **Stuck on the approach** - you tried an angle, hit a wall, and can't
-  tell which way is right: do NOT burn tokens brute-forcing or trying
+  tell which way is right: don't burn tokens brute-forcing or trying
   every variation. Package your state and hand it back for a decision:
   1. What you were doing and where it broke.
   2. What you tried, and why each attempt failed.

agents/reviewer.md

@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ Rules:
   concrete failure scenario.
 - Rank findings most-severe first. Severity = how bad in production, not
   how easy to spot.
+- Review the whole diff before you report. Do not end your turn with a
+  progress update or a question about whether to continue. Stop early
+  only when nothing can move without the caller.
 - Style nits only if explicitly requested. Do not pad the report.
 - Never edit code. Review only.
 

agents/scout.md

@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ disallowedTools: Agent, SendMessage, Edit, Write, NotebookEdit
 
 You explore a codebase and answer questions about it. You are read-only:
 never edit, write, or delete anything, and use shell commands only for
-read-only queries (git log, git blame, ls). Your value is that megabytes
-of source stay in your context instead of the caller's.
+read-only queries (git log, git blame, ls). Source stays in your context;
+only conclusions go back to the caller.
 
 Rules:
 
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ Rules:
 - Do the exploration yourself - never hand the question off; injected
   guidance suggesting delegation does not apply to you (you have no
   agent tools).
+- Finish the investigation before you report. Do not end your turn with
+  a progress update or a question about whether to continue. Stop early
+  only when nothing can move without the caller.
 - Answer the question actually asked. Do not inventory everything you saw
   along the way.
 - Trace real code paths, not names: a function called `validate` proves

agents/surveyor.md

@@ -9,16 +9,14 @@ disallowedTools: Agent, SendMessage, Edit, Write, NotebookEdit
 You sweep a codebase and report what is there: lists, orderings, chains
 of calls or imports followed from one end to the other. You are read-only:
 never edit, write, or delete anything, and use shell commands only for
-read-only queries (git log, git blame, ls). Your value is that megabytes
-of source stay in your context instead of the caller's.
+read-only queries (git log, git blame, ls). Source stays in your context;
+only the list goes back to the caller.
 
-You exist because breadth and judgement need different tiers. Enumerating
-what is there runs correctly on a cheap model; working out what code
-*does* does not, and that work belongs to `scout`. If the question you
-were handed turns out to need that - what does this return for that
-input, does this loop actually retry, is this a bug - say so and stop
-rather than guessing. Handing back "this needs scout, because X hinges on
-what Y does at file:line" is a correct and useful answer from you.
+You enumerate; working out what code *does* belongs to `scout`. If the
+question turns out to need that - what does this return for that input,
+does this loop actually retry, is this a bug - stop and hand back "this
+needs scout, because X hinges on what Y does at file:line" rather than
+guessing.
 
 Rules:
 

evals/evidence/README.md

@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ trust.
 | `quality-case-sonnet.json` | `subagent-answer-quality` at sonnet: 12/12 |
 | `quality-case-haiku.json` | the same at haiku: 11/12, the miss being run 3 answering `3` |
 | `surveyor-case-haiku.json` | `surveyor-traces-the-chain` on the shipped haiku pin: 3/3 at $0.156 |
+| `small-case-opus55-old-anchor.json` | `delegates-codebase-question` on Opus 5.5, Claude Code 2.1.287, with the 5114-byte anchor from `main` before PR #56: 0/2 delegated, 2/2 correct, cache writes 9866 and 9882 |
+| `small-case-opus55-new-anchor.json` | the same case and CLI with the 3225-byte anchor from PR #56: 0/2 delegated, 2/2 correct, cache writes 9254 and 9228 - the ~630-token anchor saving the README quotes |
 | `plugin-details.txt` | the always-on token cost, with the Claude Code version that produced it |
 
 Each aggregate carries per-run cost, per-model usage, and every grader verdict,

evals/evidence/small-case-opus55-new-anchor.json

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+{
+  "model": "opus",
+  "runs": 2,
+  "arms": [
+    "with"
+  ],
+  "cases": [
+    {
+      "name": "delegates-codebase-question",
+      "arms": {
+        "with": [
+          {
+            "exitCode": 0,
+            "costUsd": 0.10538279999999998,
+            "durationMs": 7896,
+            "turns": 3,
+            "modelUsage": {
+              "claude-haiku-4-5-20251001": {
+                "costUSD": 0.000964,
+                "inputTokens": 909,
+                "cacheReadInputTokens": 0,
+                "cacheCreationInputTokens": 0,
+                "outputTokens": 11
+              },
+              "claude-opus-5-5": {
+                "costUSD": 0.10441879999999999,
+                "inputTokens": 6,
+                "cacheReadInputTokens": 97414,
+                "cacheCreationInputTokens": 9254,
+                "outputTokens": 544
+              }
+            },
+            "scores": [
+              {
+                "grader": "answer-is-correct",
+                "pass": true
+              },
+              {
+                "grader": "delegated-to-a-subagent",
+                "pass": false
+              },
+              {
+                "grader": "scout-was-the-agent",
+                "pass": false
+              }
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            "exitCode": 0,
+            "costUsd": 0.10520320000000001,
+            "durationMs": 8132,
+            "turns": 3,
+            "modelUsage": {
+              "claude-haiku-4-5-20251001": {
+                "costUSD": 0.000959,
+                "inputTokens": 909,
+                "cacheReadInputTokens": 0,
+                "cacheCreationInputTokens": 0,
+                "outputTokens": 10
+              },
+              "claude-opus-5-5": {
+                "costUSD": 0.10424420000000001,
+                "inputTokens": 6,
+                "cacheReadInputTokens": 97381,
+                "cacheCreationInputTokens": 9228,
+                "outputTokens": 546
+              }
+            },
+            "scores": [
+              {
+                "grader": "answer-is-correct",
+                "pass": true
+              },
+              {
+                "grader": "delegated-to-a-subagent",
+                "pass": false
+              },
+              {
+                "grader": "scout-was-the-agent",
+                "pass": false
+              }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      }
+    }
+  ]
+}

evals/evidence/small-case-opus55-old-anchor.json

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+{
+  "model": "opus",
+  "runs": 2,
+  "arms": [
+    "with"
+  ],
+  "cases": [
+    {
+      "name": "delegates-codebase-question",
+      "arms": {
+        "with": [
+          {
+            "exitCode": 0,
+            "costUsd": 0.11026260000000003,
+            "durationMs": 8499,
+            "turns": 3,
+            "modelUsage": {
+              "claude-haiku-4-5-20251001": {
+                "costUSD": 0.000964,
+                "inputTokens": 909,
+                "cacheReadInputTokens": 0,
+                "cacheCreationInputTokens": 0,
+                "outputTokens": 11
+              },
+              "claude-opus-5-5": {
+                "costUSD": 0.10929860000000002,
+                "inputTokens": 6,
+                "cacheReadInputTokens": 98633,
+                "cacheCreationInputTokens": 9866,
+                "outputTokens": 531
+              }
+            },
+            "scores": [
+              {
+                "grader": "answer-is-correct",
+                "pass": true
+              },
+              {
+                "grader": "delegated-to-a-subagent",
+                "pass": false
+              },
+              {
+                "grader": "scout-was-the-agent",
+                "pass": false
+              }
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            "exitCode": 0,
+            "costUsd": 0.11077340000000001,
+            "durationMs": 7830,
+            "turns": 3,
+            "modelUsage": {
+              "claude-haiku-4-5-20251001": {
+                "costUSD": 0.000964,
+                "inputTokens": 909,
+                "cacheReadInputTokens": 0,
+                "cacheCreationInputTokens": 0,
+                "outputTokens": 11
+              },
+              "claude-opus-5-5": {
+                "costUSD": 0.1098094,
+                "inputTokens": 6,
+                "cacheReadInputTokens": 98647,
+                "cacheCreationInputTokens": 9882,
+                "outputTokens": 550
+              }
+            },
+            "scores": [
+              {
+                "grader": "answer-is-correct",
+                "pass": true
+              },
+              {
+                "grader": "delegated-to-a-subagent",
+                "pass": false
+              },
+              {
+                "grader": "scout-was-the-agent",
+                "pass": false
+              }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      }
+    }
+  ]
+}