thinking-model-combination

1# Model Combination
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3**Core rule:** Combine only when each model answers a different named question. Cap at three, name the conflict rule before applying, then synthesize once.
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5## When to Use
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7- One model already applied (or clearly primary) still leaves a material blind spot that another mechanism covers.
8- Problem spans domains (e.g. risk + choice + system structure) and stakes justify multi-lens work.
9- You need independent checks, not confirmation of the same conclusion.
10- You can name a distinct role per model before running them.
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12## When NOT to Use
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14- A single catalog skill fully answers the unknown — apply that skill alone.
15- Routine, local, or fully reversible work where multi-lens cost exceeds upside.
16- You cannot state what unique question each extra model answers (checkbox / model soup).
17- Near-duplicate mechanisms (two diagnosis skills that ask the same causal question).
18- Time budget cannot support genuine synthesis — prefer one honest model over contradictory partials.
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20## Procedure
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221. **State the unknown and the gap.** Write the decision question. If one model already covers it, stop and use that model alone. Otherwise name the specific blind spot (e.g. "failure modes unexamined", "displaced alternative unknown").
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