Dictionary
Planner-Executor Pattern
Splitting agents into a planner LLM and a smaller executor LLM.
1 min readupdated 2026-07-04
/ quick answer
A large model plans the steps and delegates each step to a small, fast, cheap model. Cuts cost while keeping strategy quality — the workhorse pattern for production agents. Splitting agents into a planner LLM and a smaller executor LLM.
Splitting agents into a planner LLM and a smaller executor LLM. A large model plans the steps and delegates each step to a small, fast, cheap model. Cuts cost while keeping strategy quality — the workhorse pattern for production agents. In practice: Claude Sonnet plans; Haiku executes each tool call. This dictionary node is part of the Onexial knowledge graph and links to related concepts, workflows and tools below.
Definition
A large model plans the steps and delegates each step to a small, fast, cheap model. Cuts cost while keeping strategy quality — the workhorse pattern for production agents.
Example
Claude Sonnet plans; Haiku executes each tool call.
Related Tool Stacks
/ frequently asked
What is Planner-Executor Pattern?
A large model plans the steps and delegates each step to a small, fast, cheap model. Cuts cost while keeping strategy quality — the workhorse pattern for production agents.
What is an example of Planner-Executor Pattern?
Claude Sonnet plans; Haiku executes each tool call.
Why does Planner-Executor Pattern matter for AI and automation?
Splitting agents into a planner LLM and a smaller executor LLM. It connects to the workflows, prompts and tool stacks linked on this page, so you can move from definition to execution without leaving Onexial.
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