# Handoff Create > Save a task or topic from the current conversation into a numbered handoff file under .handoffs/ so it can be picked up later. Use this skill whenever the user explicitly asks to park, stash, set aside, snapshot, or "hand off" something from the conversation for later — phrases like "create a handoff", "save this as a handoff", "park this for later", "stash this task", "ulož to na pozdéji", or just "handoff" while mid-conversation. Do NOT trigger based on the content of another agent's output (e.g. a task list, recommendations, or a "Following steps" section). An explicit intent signal from the user is required — the mere presence of future-oriented content in a response is NOT sufficient. Supports two modes: a focused excerpt of the relevant part (default) and a verbatim dump of the last N messages. - Skill: `danielsitek/handoff-create` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add danielsitek/handoff-create` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/danielsitek/handoff-create/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: danielsitek (https://skillmd.com/u/danielsitek) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/danielsitek/handoff-create --- # Handoff: Create The user is usually in the middle of one task and has stumbled onto a *second* thing worth doing later. This skill captures that second thing into a file so they can keep going on the first task without losing context. The whole point is to be quick and non-disruptive. Save the handoff, confirm in one or two lines, and let the user return to what they were doing. Do **not** start solving the parked task — that is what `handoff-invoke` is for later. ## Where the file goes Handoffs live in a `.handoffs/` directory in the **root of the current project** (the working directory the user is operating in — in practice almost always a project repo). Create the directory if it does not exist. Files are named `handoff-NNNN.md` with a zero-padded 4-digit number. ## Step 1 — Pick the mode Two modes, decided from how the user phrased the request: - **relevant** (default) — Capture only the slice of the conversation tied to the thing being parked, rewritten as a clean task brief. Use this unless the user clearly asks for the whole conversation. - **full** — A verbatim transcript of the last N messages. Use this when the user says things like "save the whole conversation", "dump the last messages", "save the last 20 messages". Default N = 20; honor a different count if the user names one. If it is genuinely unclear in **relevant** mode *which* topic should be parked (the conversation covers several things), ask one short question — e.g. "Which part should I save into the handoff?" — then proceed. Don't over-ask. ## Step 2 — Compute the next number List `.handoffs/` to find the highest existing `handoff-NNNN` number, add 1, and zero-pad to 4 digits. An empty or missing directory starts at `handoff-0001.md`. Use `mkdir -p .handoffs` to create the directory if needed. > If computing via shell **in bash**: use `10#${n}` in arithmetic (`$(( 10#${n} + 1 ))`) > to avoid octal parsing errors on numbers with leading zeros like `08`, `09`. > In zsh and most other environments this is not needed. ## Step 3 — Write the file Always write the file content in **English**, even if the conversation happened in another language — translate as needed. This keeps handoffs portable and ready to pass to another agent. Before writing, redact any sensitive information (API keys, tokens, passwords, PII) — replace with a placeholder like `[REDACTED]` or describe structurally (e.g. "the API key for service X (see .env)"). Use this exact structure: ```markdown --- handoff: "0001" title: created: mode: relevant status: open # Note: status is always "open" in a live file. # A handoff is "closed" by deleting the file with handoff-close — there is no "closed" state. --- One concise paragraph: what this handoff is about, why it was parked, and what should happen when someone picks it up. This is the part that gets read by handoff-list, so make it self-contained and informative. ## Context Background needed to understand the task — decisions already made, constraints, relevant file paths, links, and anything discovered in the conversation that the future reader would otherwise miss. ## Task The concrete assignment: a clear, actionable description of what needs to be done when this handoff is resumed. Write it as a brief, not as a vague note. ## Conversation - In **relevant** mode: the relevant part of the conversation, rewritten as a readable brief — key requirements, the user's intent, important quotes. Keep it focused; drop everything unrelated to the parked topic. - In **full** mode: the last N messages verbatim, formatted as a dialogue (`**User:**` / `**Assistant:**`), trimming only obvious noise. Redaction rules above apply here too. ``` Set `mode:` to whichever mode was used. The `status` field is always `open` in any live file — closing a handoff means deleting it with `handoff-close`, not flipping a status value. ## Step 4 — Confirm briefly Tell the user the handoff number, the file path, and a one-line description of what it captured. Then stop — let them get back to their original task. Offer that they can later run `handoff-list`, `handoff-invoke`, or `handoff-close`. **Example confirmation:** > Saved as `.handoffs/handoff-0003.md` — "Add rate limiting to the public API". > Picking up where you left off whenever you're ready.