Agent Configuration and Infrastructure: Two-Tier Strategy for SpecKit+
Overview
This document outlines the two-tier strategy for implementing multi-agent coding systems with SpecKit+, designed to provide accessible AI-powered development for students while offering production-grade capabilities for professionals. It answers the critical question: Which Coding Agents should I use for planning and coding with SpecKit+.
Tier 1: Development & Learning (Free)
Target Users
- Students and learners
- Open-source contributors
- Hobbyists and researchers
- Developers exploring AI-assisted development
Agent Configuration
Planning Agent: Gemini 2.5 Pro
- Cost: Free tier
- Quota: 1,000 requests/day
- Capabilities:
- Architect prompt generation
- Technical planning and design
- Task breakdown and prioritization
- Specification refinement
- Architecture decision documentation
- Gemini 3 Pro: Expected in the next few months
Coding Agent: Qwen 3 Coder
- Cost: Free tier
- Quota: 2,000 requests/day
- Capabilities:
- Code implementation from specifications
- Test generation (unit, integration)
- Code refactoring
- Documentation generation
- Bug fixing and optimization
Infrastructure
DigitalOcean Kubernetes (DOKS)
Pay only for nodes, LB, disks; smallest nodes start about $12/mo per node. Good docs + generous bandwidth.
https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/kubernetes
If you get a $200 credit when you opened an account. When will my card be charged?
Your card will be charged only after you have utilized the free credits. For example, if you received a $200 credit for 60 days, then that $200 credit is automatically applied to your account. If you spend $25 in that timeframe, then your card will not be charged. If you spend $300, then the $200 credit would be fully utilized and your card will be charged only $100. Since the credit is valid for 60 days, you won't be able to use any remaining credit after 60 days.
Alibaba Cloud Container Service for K8
A fully-managed service compatible with Kubernetes to help users focus on their applications rather than managing container infrastructure
https://www.alibabacloud.com/en/product/kubernetes/pricing?_p_lc=1
Tier 2: Production Systems (Paid)
Target Users
- Professional developers
- Startups and enterprises
- Consultancies and agencies
- Mission-critical applications
Agent Configuration
Planning Agent Options
Option A: OpenAI GPT-5
- Cost: ~$20-100/developer/month
- Strengths:
- Superior reasoning for complex architectures
- Advanced multi-step planning
- Sophisticated dependency analysis
- Risk assessment capabilities
- Best For: Complex enterprise systems, regulated industries
Option B: Claude 4.5
- Cost: ~$20-100/developer/month
- Strengths:
- Excellent context retention
- Nuanced architectural decisions
- Strong safety considerations
- Detailed documentation generation
- Best For: Large codebases, safety-critical systems
Coding Agent Options
Primary: Claude 4.5 Coder
- Cost: ~$20-100/developer/month
- Capabilities:
- High-quality code generation
- Sophisticated refactoring
- Comprehensive test coverage
- Production-ready implementations
- Security-aware coding
Alternative: Specialized Models
- Domain-specific models for specialized languages
- Fine-tuned models for company patterns
- Custom models for proprietary frameworks
Infrastructure
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/kubernetes-service
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/kubernetes-service/
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account?icid=azurefreeaccount
Use Cases
Enterprise Applications
- Mission-critical business systems
- Large-scale microservices architectures
- Real-time processing systems
- Customer-facing production applications
Regulated Industries
- Financial services (compliance requirements)
- Healthcare (HIPAA compliance)
- Government systems (security clearances)
- Aerospace and defense
High-Scale Systems
- Platforms serving millions of users
- Real-time data processing pipelines
- Global distributed applications
- High-throughput transaction systems
Performance Characteristics
Throughput
- Planning: Unlimited (pay per use)
- Coding: Unlimited (pay per use)
- Parallel Execution: 100+ agents simultaneously
- Response Time: Sub-second for most operations
Quality Metrics
- First-Pass Success Rate: 85-95%
- Test Coverage: 80-95%
- Code Quality Score: 90+ (by industry standards)
- Security Compliance: Enterprise-grade
Cost Optimization
Intelligent Routing
- Route simple tasks to cheaper models
- Use premium models for complex logic
- Cache and reuse common patterns
- Batch similar requests
Usage Monitoring
- Real-time cost tracking
- Budget alerts and limits
- Per-project cost allocation
- ROI analysis and reporting
Tier Selection Decision Matrix
| Factor | Tier 1 (Free) | Tier 2 (Paid) |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | $0/month | $40-200/developer/month |
| Scale | Single developer | Teams of any size |
| Complexity | Simple to moderate | Any complexity |
| Production Use | Not recommended | Fully supported |
| SLA | Best effort | Enterprise SLA |
| Support | Community | Professional |
| Compliance | Basic | Full compliance |
| Performance | Good | Excellent |
Migration Path: Tier 1 to Tier 2
Seamless Upgrade Process
- Code Compatibility: All Tier 1 code works in Tier 2
- Configuration Update: Switch agent endpoints in config
- Infrastructure Scale: Deploy to Kubernetes cluster
- Enhanced Monitoring: Add production observability
- No Rewrite Required: Same specifications and patterns
When to Upgrade
Technical Indicators:
- Hitting daily request limits regularly
- Need for higher quality outputs
- Requirements for faster processing
- Multiple team members collaborating
Business Indicators:
- Moving from prototype to production
- Customer-facing deployment
- Revenue generation from application
- Compliance requirements
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Tier 1 ROI
- Investment: $0
- Learning Value: Priceless
- Portfolio Projects: 10-20 complete applications
- Skill Development: Industry-ready AI-assisted development
Tier 2 ROI
- Investment: $40-200/developer/month
- Time Savings: 20-30 hours/week
- Velocity Increase: 2-3× feature delivery
- Quality Improvement: 50% fewer bugs
- Payback Period: < 1 month
Conclusion
The two-tier strategy ensures that SpecKit+ is accessible to everyone while providing the power needed for production systems. Students can learn and build without financial barriers, while professionals get enterprise-grade capabilities with clear ROI.
Start with Tier 1 to learn and prototype.
Scale to Tier 2 when you need production power.
Same methodology, different scale.