Modes and Stop/Keep

Let OptiFlume switch for you, have it suggest and leave the switch to you, or turn switching off. And, if you like, a few seconds to stop each switch.

The three modes

Mode	What happens when a better-suited model exists
On: switch automatically (default)	OptiFlume switches the model before the prompt goes, says why in one line, and the prompt sends on the new model. Needs Pro or the trial. In Cursor it also needs Accessibility permission; without it, OptiFlume suggests instead.
Paused: suggest only	In Cursor, the prompt pauses and a note names the recommended model and why. Switch the model and send the prompt again, or start it with `~` or `!` to keep yours. Nothing is sent until you choose. In Claude Code and Codex, the line under your prompt names the better model and why, and the prompt goes ahead on yours.
Off	No switching and no suggestions: prompts go straight through with no notes. The session watchdog is off too. The Guardian keeps running, and on Pro the working-memory handoff continues. Only signing out turns everything off.

All three modes apply to every tool, in the VS Code panels and in the terminal. To turn OptiFlume off for Claude Code and Codex alone, run optiflume harness off (editors) or optiflume terminal off (terminal); see Claude Code and Codex.

Change the mode from Terminal:

optiflume auto-switch on       # switch automatically
optiflume auto-switch pause    # suggest only
optiflume auto-switch off      # no switching, no suggestions
optiflume auto-switch status   # current state and recent switches

optiflume configure asks the same question interactively, along with your cost-or-quality preference. optiflume status shows the mode in force (“on”, “paused: suggest only” or “off”), and the Settings reference covers editing the file by hand. Setting the mode for all your Macs from console settings is coming soon.

When suggest only is the better fit

You want to see every recommendation before anything changes, for example in your first days with OptiFlume.
You work in a project where you always want to choose. Set suggest only for that project alone with optiflume configure --project, or run optiflume auto-switch pause for every project.

On the free tier, in every tool, OptiFlume behaves differently from both: it never pauses a prompt, and names a better-suited model instead. See Free tier and Pro.

The Stop/Keep notice

By default an automatic switch sends your prompt on the new model straight away. Turn on the Stop/Keep notice and each switch waits a few seconds first, in Cursor and in the Claude Code and Codex panels: nothing is sent until you choose, and if you do not, the switch goes ahead when the time is up. In your editor, the right of the status bar shows “Switching to <model> in 3s” counting down, with ⏹ Stop and ↩ Keep <your model> to click; a short notification (“switching to <model> in 3s — Stop · Keep <your model>”) offers the same two links. Both go away by themselves when the time is up. From any terminal, optiflume stop and optiflume keep do the same (see below). With claude and codex in a terminal, switches are not held (the switch is done a fraction of a second after you press Return); start a prompt with ~ to keep your model.

Stop cancels the switch, keeps your previous model and does not send your prompt. In Cursor, send it however you like. In the Claude Code and Codex panels OptiFlume ends the turn itself, so the chat never waits for an answer. Codex keeps your prompt in its input: you see “Stopped. Your prompt was not sent; edit it and send it again.” (as a message that could not be sent). Claude Code’s panel empties its input when you send, so OptiFlume puts your prompt on the clipboard: you see “Stopped. Your prompt was not sent; it’s on your clipboard: paste it to edit and send it again.”
Keep <your model> puts your previous model back and sends the prompt on it straight away, in every tool.

Either way, the next prompt goes through on the model you chose. If you click after the prompt has already gone, OptiFlume says so; start the next prompt with ~ in Claude Code and Codex, or ! in Cursor, to use your own model.

To turn it on, run optiflume notice on (or answer yes in optiflume configure). To choose how long it waits, run optiflume notice seconds 8. Both write ~/.optiflume/config/routing-config.json, which you can also edit:

{
  "switch_notification": true,
  "switch_notification_seconds": 5
}

switch_notification_seconds is how many seconds a switch waits for your answer, the same in Cursor and in the Claude Code and Codex panels. The default is 5. A value below 3 is raised to 3, so there is always time to reach Stop or Keep; the longest is 60. optiflume notice status shows the current setting. Add the keys to the settings already in the file rather than replacing it. Turning the notice on from console settings is coming soon.

Stop or keep from Terminal

optiflume stop   # same as the Stop button
optiflume keep   # same as the Keep button

These act on a switch that is still waiting to send, in any window and any tool. With nothing pending they print “No switch is pending.” They are most useful with the Stop/Keep notice on, since that is when a switch waits.