local board · cascade router

Flip projects.
Pay the least for the job.

waterfall.sh is a modular coding interface that classifies each prompt and routes routine work to the cheapest capable OpenRouter model. The local board keeps project chats in one window while hard work stays with Claude or Grok.

one windowproject rail + active chats as tabs
cascaderoutine work falls to cheap models
your keysOpenRouter / Grok / Claude · 0% markup

Free developer workshop

Dated rankings of models, IDEs, agent skills, and MCP servers, plus developer-class starter packs. Every entry explains what it is for, why it made the cut, and when to leave it off.

Use Claude and Codex as a two-agent system

Start with the strongest model for ambiguity, hand implementation to the right coding agent, and use the other model as an independent reviewer. Pick a developer class to turn the current rankings into one approval-first setup prompt.

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Why people buy

waterfall.sh replaces the repeated “open a terminal, change folders, start another agent” routine with one local project board. Its cascade also keeps straightforward prompt work away from a more expensive model when a cheaper capable model can handle it.

Modular board

The waterfall.sh board ties each chat to its repository folder and keeps other active chats running as you switch projects. Ctrl+Tab moves between project tabs without rebuilding terminal context by hand.

Cascade

The waterfall.sh cascade classifies a prompt locally, sends a routine part to the cheapest capable live-priced OpenRouter model, and leaves only a hard remainder for Claude or Grok.

Least dollars

The waterfall.sh savings ledger records routed token use and estimated cost, so model-selection savings remain inspectable. Users pay model providers through their own keys, with no token markup from waterfall.sh.

How it falls

The waterfall.sh route is a real sequence of local classification and model calls. Each stage either narrows the prompt, uses a capable lower-cost candidate, or preserves the remainder for the model selected for difficult work.

01

Classify

The local waterfall.sh classifier scores the prompt without an API call, then chooses a free, split, or Claude route before any paid model receives the task.

02

Cascade

The waterfall.sh router sends routine work to the cheapest capable candidate in the live-priced OpenRouter catalog, rather than relying on a hardcoded model name or price.

03

Fall back

The waterfall.sh client tries the next ranked capable candidate when an earlier model is unavailable, rate-limited, errors after retries, or returns no usable content.

04

Surface

The waterfall.sh split route returns the difficult remainder for Claude or Grok with the lower-cost model output already included, instead of asking the expensive model to repeat routine work.

Works today, being wired up, pending

The waterfall.sh status below separates shipped behavior from incomplete work. The downloadable release and command-line tools are usable today; code signing, additional desktop packages, and stronger organic savings evidence remain unfinished.

Works today

  • Local zero-API classifier (classify / route --dry-run)
  • Cascade routing with the cheapest capable live-priced OpenRouter model
  • Automatic fallback across ranked candidate models
  • Model tiering (small / medium / large)
  • Coding policy tiers with independent review and inspectable promotion rules
  • Dated bang-for-buck leaderboard with JSON and CSV feeds
  • Savings ledger, statistics, and response cache
  • Hard per-call token cap (the Ringer)
  • Global nudge hook and hook-log audit trail
  • Usage-pace and quota estimate in the CLI and dashboard
  • Downloadable Windows desktop app (v0.1.0)
  • Desktop launchers for Claude, Codex, Grok, and OpenCode

Being wired up

  • Skill self-triggering remains near 0.1% real-route conversion on measured nudges
  • Code signing is not complete, so Windows SmartScreen warns on first launch
  • Native macOS and Linux desktop packages are not available yet

Pending code or evidence

  • A week or more of organic use for a meaningful before-and-after comparison
  • Enough Waterfall harness runs to replace every public snapshot prior
  • A general answer to long-thread reused-input compounding
The pending column is a roadmap, not a product guarantee.

Download and inspect

waterfall.sh runs on the user’s machine and the public website does not connect to a visitor’s localhost. Choose the command-line installer on Windows, macOS, or Linux; use the native Windows package; or inspect the public repository first.

Install the CLI

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/adamtpang/waterfall.sh/main/install.py | python3

The command-line installer works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It clones waterfall.sh into ~/.waterfall, installs the console commands, and merges the documented Claude Code hooks with a backup.

Install the Windows app

waterfall_0.1.0_x64-setup.exe

Download the v0.1.0 Windows release as an NSIS installer or MSI. The package is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen warns before first launch.

Read the code first

git clone https://github.com/adamtpang/waterfall.sh
cd waterfall.sh && pip install -e .

The public waterfall.sh repository contains the static site, router, tests, installers, and desktop sources. The local web board binds to 127.0.0.1 rather than a public interface.