Three Patterns for Putting Small Language Models Into Production
kalyan_kpl · x · 2026-09-05
Engineer kalyankpl outlines three patterns for deploying small language models (SLMs) in real-world production, motivated by the fact that LLMs are powerful but too costly to handle every request while SLMs are efficient and comparable in quality.
- Option 1: Handoff — the small model owns the front door, answers what it can, and hands over via one explicit tool call so the frontier model picks up when things exceed its depth. The easiest pattern since it slots in front of an existing call.
- Option 2: Skill — the frontier model stays in the loop, planning and deciding, and calls the small model as a tool behind a strict output contract for narrow work.
- Option 3 is truncated in the post and not visible.
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