Configuring the smart router
How to set the model pool and, when you mix open-weight models, the cost-quality threshold.
The smart router only picks among models you put in its pool. Classification decides which request goes where. When that pool mixes cheaper open-weight models with stronger ones, a cost-quality threshold from 1 to 10 controls how often the smaller models are allowed to win. There is no code change involved.
Pick the pool first
The trade-off, if you want one, comes from the models you include, not from Kontinent. A frontier-only pool has no cost/quality dial to speak of. An open-weight plus frontier pool does.
Then set the threshold to match the workload:
| Workload | Suggested setting |
|---|---|
| High-volume, latency-sensitive (autocomplete, classification) | Low (1 to 3) |
| General chat and everyday assistant traffic | Middle (4 to 6) |
| Complex reasoning, long-context, or high-stakes output | High (7 to 10) |
A low setting leans on smaller and open-weight models wherever they suffice. A high setting favors quality and sends more traffic to top-tier models.
Combine with sovereignty and custom routers
The threshold controls how the classifier ranks models in your pool; it does not override a model's sovereignty tier or a custom router's method. You can set an aggressive threshold for cost while still requiring strict sovereignty, or layer a custom router on top for latency- or reliability-based selection. See Price & performance and Maximum availability.
Revisit it, don't set it once
Traffic mixes change. If you notice quality complaints on a subset of prompts, raise the threshold or take the weaker models out of the pool; if spend grows faster than traffic, lower it or add open-weight models. Because the setting takes effect immediately with no redeploy, it is cheap to experiment with.