Aim Handoff

aim-handoff

MANDATE: Package tactical working memory into a standardized Engineering Handoff document, and optionally pass that baton into a fresh agent via tmux.

Relationship to other skills

Do not confuse precompact (when/why to write under token pressure) with this skill (what the handoff document must look like).

1. Core philosophy

1. UPDATE, do not decapitate. If HANDOFF.md / LD-CLAUDE_HANDOFF.md exists, update it. Preserve overarching context; consolidate completed work; expand future detail.
2. Wiki first. Long-term architecture and decisions belong in memory-wiki/ via aim-memory-wiki. The handoff is the relay baton, not a second wiki.
3. No guesses. Unknown → write UNKNOWN. Proven → path, SHA, issue #, command, count.
4. No forced architecture. Do not invent docs/ trees or roadmaps the Operator did not provide.

2. Gold-standard template (numbered sections)

Canonical shape: gold-standard Engineering Handoff with numbered sections 0–9 (LeadDeed-style LD-CLAUDE_HANDOFF.md when that project uses it; otherwise HANDOFF.md).

When instructed to prepare a handoff, generate or update a structured markdown file (e.g. HANDOFF.md or project-specific LD-CLAUDE_HANDOFF.md) with all of the following sections. Mission-specific titles may specialize (e.g. “MODULE-BY-MODULE ANALYSIS FOR #173”) but the numbers and roles must remain:

# [Project Name] — Engineering Handoff

> **Updated:** [Timestamp]
> **Updated by:** [Session / vessel id]
> **Priority Mission:** [One-line goal]
> **Operator:** [Name / email]

---

## 0. COMPLETED WORK (DO NOT REVISIT)
| Session | Work | Status |
|---------|------|--------|
| [id] | [brief] | ✅ RESOLVED |

*(Keep clean and consolidated. Point to wiki/issues for deep history — do not re-audit.)*

---

## 1. PROJECT IDENTITY
*(1–3 sentences: what the system is, prod vs local, monorepo root. Bullet key envs/URLs.)*

### Your Knowledge Base
*(Absolute paths to memory-wiki index + 3–5 critical pages/docs.)*

---

## 2. YOUR MISSION: [TITLE]
*(Overarching goal for the *incoming* session.)*

### Execution Queue (in order)
#### 1️⃣ [Task]
**Problem:** …
**Fix:** …
**Key files:** [absolute paths]

---

## 3. DETAILED ANALYSIS / BREAKDOWN
*(Mission-specific depth: module-by-module, system-by-system, or risk-ordered breakdown.
Expand freely; this is where complexity lives so §2 stays scannable.)*

---

## 4. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
*(Ordered approach, tiers, pass structure, tests expected. How to attack §2/§3 without thrash.)*

---

## 5. THE CRITICAL TRAPS & WARNINGS
> **⚠️ EPISTEMIC / OPERATIONAL WARNINGS**
*(Top landmines — e.g. Vercel vs local, wrong env files, destructive git habits.)*

---

## 6. KEY PATHS
*(5–15 absolute paths grouped by concern: infra, targets of the mission, config.)*

---

## 7. THE FULL PICTURE / WHAT COMES AFTER
*(Dependency graph or short roadmap after the priority mission. Parallel quick wins table OK.)*

---

## 8. OPERATOR PREFERENCES
*(Boundaries: do/don't, proof standards, multi-agent coordination, push discipline.)*

---

## 9. IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS
1. …
2. … *(Imperative, ordered, first command the incoming agent should run.)*

Section count note

The gold standard is sections 0–9 (ten numbered blocks), matching LD-CLAUDE_HANDOFF.md. Older drafts used a shorter 0–6 skeleton; prefer 0–9 for full coherence with LeadDeed handoffs. Do not drop §3–§4 or §7 when the mission is non-trivial.

3. Update rules (anti-bloat)

1. Move finished items into §0 with one-line status; strip stale “still open” prose.
2. Rewrite §2 / §9 for the next agent — more detail on the future than on the past.
3. Prefer editing the existing handoff path the project already uses.
4. After structural facts change, also run aim-memory-wiki so the wiki stays the long-term store.

4. Blackbox Ingestion (Mandatory Pre-Handoff)

Before executing the final Tmux baton pass or exiting, you MUST seal your current session's raw logs into the immutable blackbox vault using the Grok specific extraction hook:

1. Run: ./aim grok-blackbox --session-id <your-session-uuid>

⚠️ NON-FATAL KEY WARNING: The blackbox vault uses a headless key fallback. If it reports a missing keyring or a vault warning, DO NOT attempt to fix it or abort the handoff. It is non-fatal. Proceed with the handoff normally.

5. Tmux baton pass (optional)

Only if the Operator asks you to spawn the next agent:

1. CURRENT_SESSION=$(tmux display-message -p '#{session_name}')
2. New name: ${CURRENT_SESSION}- + 6 random alphanumerics
3. tmux new-session -d -s "$NEW" "grok" (or agy / opencode as appropriate)
4. Load handoff into buffer and paste (not long send-keys novels):
   • tmux set-buffer "$(cat /abs/path/HANDOFF.md)"
   • tmux paste-buffer -p -t "$NEW"
5. Submit:
   • Grok / OpenCode: tmux send-keys -t "$NEW" Enter only
   • AGY: Escape then Enter (separate calls)
6. Prefer aim-communicate / tmux_send.sh when messaging an existing peer session.
7. Report tmux attach -t <new> to Operator; witty goodbye optional.

6. Slash / triggers

Triggers: handoff, baton, reincarnation doc, HANDOFF.md, LD-CLAUDE_HANDOFF, session transfer.

Default filename preference: use the project’s existing handoff file if present; else HANDOFF.md at vessel/project root.