manual_slop/conductor/archive/per_ticket_model_20260306/spec.md

Track Specification: Per-Ticket Model Override (per_ticket_model_20260306)

Overview

Allow user to manually select which model to use for a specific ticket, overriding the default tier model. Useful for forcing smarter model on hard tickets.

Current State Audit

Already Implemented (DO NOT re-implement)

Ticket Model (src/models.py)

• Ticket dataclass: Has assigned_to but no model_override
• status field: "todo" | "in_progress" | "completed" | "blocked"
• No model selection per ticket

Tier Usage (src/multi_agent_conductor.py)

• ConductorEngine.tier_usage: Has per-tier model assignment

  self.tier_usage = {
   "Tier 1": {"input": 0, "output": 0, "model": "gemini-3.1-pro-preview"},
   "Tier 2": {"input": 0, "output": 0, "model": "gemini-3-flash-preview"},
   "Tier 3": {"input": 0, "output": 0, "model": "gemini-2.5-flash-lite"},
   "Tier 4": {"input": 0, "output": 0, "model": "gemini-2.5-flash-lite"},
  }
  

Model Escalation (src/multi_agent_conductor.py)

• Already implemented in run(): Escalation based on retry_count

  models = ["gemini-2.5-flash-lite", "gemini-2.5-flash", "gemini-3.1-pro-preview"]
  model_idx = min(ticket.retry_count, len(models) - 1)
  model_name = models[model_idx]
  

Gaps to Fill (This Track's Scope)

• No model_override field on Ticket
• No UI for model selection per ticket
• No override indicator in GUI

Architectural Constraints

Validation

• Selected model MUST be valid and available
• Model list from cost_tracker.MODEL_PRICING or config

Clear Override

• Override MUST be visually distinct from default
• Reset option MUST return to tier default

Architecture Reference

Key Integration Points

File	Lines	Purpose
src/models.py	30-50	Ticket dataclass - add field
src/multi_agent_conductor.py	100-130	Model selection logic
src/gui_2.py	2650-2750	Ticket UI - add dropdown

Proposed Ticket Enhancement

@dataclass
class Ticket:
 # ... existing fields ...
 model_override: Optional[str] = None  # None = use tier default

Functional Requirements

FR1: Model Override Field

• Add model_override: Optional[str] = None to Ticket dataclass
• Persist in track state

FR2: Model Dropdown UI

• Dropdown in ticket node showing available models
• Options: None (default), gemini-2.5-flash-lite, gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-3.1-pro-preview, etc.
• Only show when ticket is "todo" status

FR3: Override Indicator

• Visual indicator when override is set (different color or icon)
• Show "Using: {model_name}" in ticket display

FR4: Execution Integration

• In ConductorEngine.run(), check ticket.model_override first
• If set, use override; otherwise use tier default

Non-Functional Requirements

Requirement	Constraint
UI Response	Dropdown updates immediately
Persistence	Override saved to state.toml

Testing Requirements

Unit Tests

• Test model_override field serialization
• Test override takes precedence at execution

Integration Tests

• Set override, run ticket, verify correct model used

Out of Scope

• Dynamic model list from API
• Cost estimation preview before execution

Acceptance Criteria

• model_override field added to Ticket
• Model dropdown works in UI
• Override saves to track state
• Visual indicator shows override active
• Reset option clears override
• Override used during execution
• 1-space indentation maintained