Karis CLI Architecture: Using Claude for Planning, Not Execution

A Reddit user shares their experience with Karis CLI's architecture, which separates LLM planning from code execution for more reliable automation.

Architecture Pattern

The system uses three distinct layers:

• Runtime layer: Pure code with no LLM involvement - your tools handle the actual work execution
• Orchestration layer: Uses an LLM (like Claude) for planning decisions - asks "given these tool results, what should we do next?"
• Task layer: Tracks state throughout the process

Key Design Principle

The architecture reflects the observation that LLMs excel at planning and summarizing but perform poorly as reliable executors. By separating these concerns:

• Claude does what it's good at: reasoning about what actions to take
• Your code does what it's good at: executing tasks reliably
• The separation makes it easier to swap models or update tools independently

Practical Experience

The user reports using this pattern for several months and describes it as "the most stable agent setup I've had." Their recommendation for developers building with Claude: think carefully about where to place the LLM boundary in your system architecture.