model-routing

To reduce cloud API costs for code generation, you can delegate token-heavy coding tasks to on-device local models using Ollama, saving 10-50x on API expenses while reserving cloud models for planning and review.

Yes, you can use local models for code generation while keeping cloud API for planning by routing token-heavy generation tasks to Ollama on-device, leveraging cloud models like Sonnet or Opus strictly for orchestration and review.

On-device code generation with Ollama minimizes API usage by executing token-heavy code generation locally on your device, which prevents expensive cloud API calls during extensive coding, planning, and review sessions.

Yes, you need Ollama installed to route code generation tasks locally, as it acts as the on-device execution engine that handles the token-heavy code generation to minimize your cloud API costs.

The best way to save on API costs during coding-heavy sessions is routing code generation to local models via Ollama, achieving 10-50x cost reduction while retaining cloud APIs only for high-level planning and review.

You should avoid using local models for code generation when your hardware cannot support on-device inference via Ollama, or when your workflow requires the advanced orchestration capabilities of cloud APIs for every task including generation.