Coding tasks do not need one kind of intelligence
A rename, a distributed-systems investigation, a README edit, and a visual QA pass ask for different capabilities. A static model choice forces users to overpay for routine work or underpower difficult work.
A route is a policy decision
A reliable router classifies the task, applies a policy, checks provider health, and preserves a stable client contract. Model selection is only one part of that decision.
The route may also account for context size, required tools, streaming behavior, explicit user intent, and whether a lower-cost model can complete the step safely.
The client should stay simple
Clients should not need to understand every provider outage, model rename, or pricing change. They should send a compatible request and receive a compatible response.
Treating routing as infrastructure lets teams evolve providers and policies behind one endpoint while developers stay focused on the work.