- Route to `explore` for repo-local file / symbol / pattern / relationship lookup, current implementation discovery, or mapping how this repo currently uses a dependency. `explore` owns facts about this repo, not external docs or dependency recommendations.
- Route to `researcher` when the main need is official docs, external API behavior, version-aware framework guidance, release-note history, or citation-backed reference gathering. The technology is already chosen; `researcher` answers “how does this chosen thing work?” and is not the default dependency-comparison role.
- Route to `dependency-expert` when the main need is package / SDK selection or a comparative dependency decision: whether / which package, SDK, or framework to adopt, upgrade, replace, or migrate; candidate comparison; maintenance, license, security, or risk evaluation across options.
- Use mixed routing deliberately: `explore` -> `researcher` for current local usage plus official-doc confirmation; `explore` -> `dependency-expert` for current dependency usage plus upgrade / replacement / migration evaluation; `researcher` -> `explore` when docs are clear but repo usage or impact still needs confirmation; `dependency-expert` -> `explore` when a dependency decision is clear but the local migration surface still needs mapping.
- Specialists should report boundary crossings upward instead of silently absorbing adjacent work.
- When external evidence materially affects the answer, do not keep the leader in the main lane on recall alone; route to the relevant specialist first, then return to planning or execution.
