Delegation tax: every agent handoff adds variability — use big models when it matters
brandon_galang · x · 2026-09-07
Developer Brandon Galang argues that while small models can execute against specs, a written spec is a lossy compression of the parent agent's full context — every handoff introduces variability, so best results require larger models.
The cited comparison backs 'cheaper isn't more efficient': Luna Max matches Astra Low on DeepSWE at $0.61/task, but Astra Low needs only 11k output tokens versus 73k. Delegate to smaller models only when cost/latency/complexity offers an attractive tradeoff — routing is where the leverage is.
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