When to use Maestria

Maestria trades extra delegation for structure. It is not a universal speed or quality upgrade. A specialist can improve focus and review quality, but each delegation also adds model work, context transfer, and latency.

Use this page before choosing full orchestration.

Quick decision

Situation	Recommended path	Reason
One or two known files, obvious change	Direct or native agent	The full pipeline adds coordination without much new information.
Small bug in unfamiliar code	`adventurer` or `diagnose` first	Get the missing context without starting a full pipeline.
UI tweak, copy change, or interactive iteration	Direct or `blitz`	Short feedback loops matter more than formal handoffs.
Multi-file feature in an unfamiliar codebase	Orchestrator or `fein`	Reconnaissance and staged review can prevent expensive rework.
Security, migration, or other high-risk change	Full pipeline with review	Independent review and explicit assumptions are worth the overhead.
Research or feasibility question	`sonar`	Stop after recon and design instead of creating implementation work.
Strong, expensive, or slow model	Direct execution or one specialist plus review	Multiple fresh sessions can multiply cost and waiting time.
Cheap, fast model that benefits from narrow contexts	Full pipeline can be a good trade	Delegation overhead is lower, and focused roles may improve results.

Route the turn

Use these four classes as the default decision guide. They describe current choices, not an automatic router.

Turn class	Route now	Escalate when
Explanation or discovery	Direct execution for an explanation; `adventurer`, `architect`, `diagnose`, or `sonar` for focused discovery	The answer depends on several modules, an unclear design, or a consequential decision.
Tiny edit	Direct execution, or `blitz` where the platform supports it	The edit touches behavior, generated files, security-sensitive code, or an unfamiliar area.
Ordinary code change	Direct implementation plus one focused specialist or reviewer; use `builder` when a separate implementation handoff helps	The change spans packages, has unclear requirements, or needs independent design and review.
Complex or high-risk change	Full pipeline when explicitly selected or justified: recon, design, implementation, and review	Add a second review or more planning only when the task exposes new risk.

Three ways to work

Direct execution

Use the platform’s normal agent for a task you can scope clearly. This is usually the best path for a small change, a familiar codebase, or rapid iteration.

Specialist delegation

Use one specialist when you need one kind of help:

adventurer to map unfamiliar code
architect to compare approaches
diagnose to trace a failure
reviewer to check a diff before commit
writer to produce documentation

You can combine the result with direct implementation instead of delegating every stage.

Full orchestration

Use the orchestrator when the task benefits from several independent stages. Good candidates include cross-module features, risky changes, unfamiliar systems, and work that needs a durable handoff between people or sessions.

Model economics

Model capability and model price both matter. The same workflow can be reasonable on a low-cost model and wasteful on a metered frontier model.

Every delegated stage can add:

A separate model turn
Prompt and context tokens
Waiting time before the next dependent stage
More work when review finds an issue

Cache pricing and context inheritance also vary by provider and platform. Do not assume that a cached or fresh context is free.

If you are unsure, start with direct execution or one specialist. Escalate to the full pipeline when the task reveals real uncertainty or risk.

Platform differences

Maestria shares a methodology across platforms, not identical runtime behavior. OpenCode, Pi, OMP, Kimi Code, Cursor, and Hermes differ in:

How specialists are dispatched
Whether the orchestrator is a separate agent or the main session
Which tools are enforced at runtime
Whether parent context is inherited by subagents
How modes, compaction, and long-running work behave

Platform	Runtime detail	Practical guidance
OpenCode	The orchestrator is a separate agent. Specialists and tool permissions are registered through the plugin.	Use direct agents for small work. Choose `@orchestrator` when several stages add value.
Pi and OMP	The main session includes the orchestrator guidance. Mode activation and dispatch tools differ by platform.	Use a mode-free session for normal work, a single specialist for focused help, and `/fein` when full delegation is worth the cost. Read the Pi and OMP reference.
Kimi Code	The orchestrator skill is loaded into the main session and seven roles map onto three native subagent profiles.	Direct execution is not a separate Maestria mode. Use one `Agent` call for focused help, or let the orchestrator route full multi-stage work. Reviewer boundaries require separate permission configuration.
Hermes	The default mode is `fein`, which describes the full pipeline.	Use `/blitz` for small tasks. Use the default full mode when the work is complex or risky.
Cursor	The orchestrator skill delegates through Cursor Task agents, with Cursor-specific runtime permissions.	Use `/fein` when the full pipeline is worth the cost; otherwise use a direct agent or one specialist.

Hermes’s default fein behavior does not mean every direct task receives an automatic maker/checker pair. Kimi’s reviewer constraints are advisory unless a review-only permission/session setup is used. Pi and OMP inherit context and dispatch work through distinct paths. OpenCode provides the strongest tool-level maker/checker enforcement among the platforms documented here.

Read the platform-specific guide before assuming that a workflow transfers unchanged.

Examples

Request	Good starting point
“Add a JSDoc comment to this function”	Direct execution
“Find where authentication tokens are refreshed”	`adventurer`
“Trace this intermittent login failure”	`diagnose`, then implement directly or use `builder`
“Migrate the auth system across several packages”	Full pipeline or `fein`
“Review these changed files for security issues”	`reviewer`, or a review mode supported by the platform