How do I install the Handoff Invoke skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add danielsitek/handoff-invoke in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Handoff Invoke safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Handoff Invoke?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Handoff Invoke free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Handoff Invoke?

danielsitek (@danielsitek) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Handoff Invoke by danielsitek — Agent Skill

Name: Handoff Invoke
Author: danielsitek

Handoff Invoke

Load a previously saved handoff file from .handoffs/ and resume the parked task. Use this skill whenever the user wants to pick up, resume, open, reopen, continue, or "invoke" a handoff — phrases like "invoke handoff 3", "open handoff-0002", "let's pick up that handoff", "resume the handoff about the API rate limiting", "pokračuj s handoffem". Trigger even if the user only gives a number or a rough topic instead of an exact filename. This skill orients the user on what the handoff contains before any work starts — it does not delete the file. Also trigger when the user asks whether a parked task is still relevant or up to date.

danielsitek 8ddd7c3 3.3 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Handoff: Invoke

A handoff is a task the user parked earlier so they could stay focused on something else. Invoking one means: load it, give the user a solid orientation on what it is, and then continue together.

Step 1 — Resolve which handoff

Handoffs live in .handoffs/ in the project root, named handoff-NNNN.md.

If .handoffs/ does not exist or is empty, tell the user there are no saved handoffs yet and mention they can create one with handoff-create. Stop there.
If the user gave a number, open .handoffs/handoff-NNNN.md (zero-pad it).
If they gave a topic instead of a number, scan the <handoff-summary> and title of each file and match the most likely one. If two or more are plausible, briefly list the candidates and ask which one.
If the specific file does not exist, say so and list what is available.

Step 2 — Read it fully

Read the whole file: frontmatter, the <handoff-summary> block, and the Context, Task, and Conversation sections.

Step 3 — Orient the user

Don't just dump the file contents back. Give the user a genuine briefing so they can step back into this task with full context, even if they parked it long ago. Cover:

What it is — the title and a plain-language summary.
Why it was parked and when (created date).
Where things stood — the key context and any decisions already made.
What the task actually asks for — the concrete work to be done.
Anything to be aware of — open questions, constraints, missing info.

Security: Do not repeat secrets or values that look like credentials in chat — describe them structurally and let the user open the file directly.

Then check the current state of the project against the handoff. A handoff is a snapshot frozen in time — files may have changed, the task may be partly done already. Concretely:

Look up any file paths mentioned in the handoff's Context or Task sections and verify they still exist and have not changed significantly.
If the task references a branch, check whether it was merged or deleted.
If the task mentions a known in-progress state, look for evidence that some of the work was already done (e.g. the feature exists, the bug is gone).

If something no longer matches reality, point it out before asking how to proceed.

Step 4 — Ask how to proceed

End by handing the decision to the user. Depending on the situation they may want to discuss and refine the task further, start working on it now, or hand it to another agent for processing. Ask which they'd like — don't assume.

Invoking a handoff does not remove it. The file stays in .handoffs/ until the user explicitly closes it with handoff-close.

---name: handoff-invokedescription: Load a previously saved handoff file from .handoffs/ and resume the parked task. Use this skill whenever the user wants to pick up, resume, open, reopen, continue, or "invoke" a handoff — phrases like "invoke handoff 3", "open handoff-0002", "let's pick up that handoff", "resume the handoff about the API rate limiting", "pokračuj s handoffem". Trigger even if the user only gives a number or a rough topic instead of an exact filename. This skill orients the user on what the handoff contains before any work starts — it does not delete the file. Also trigger when the user asks whether a parked task is still relevant or up to date.---# Handoff: InvokeA handoff is a task the user parked earlier so they could stay focused onsomething else. Invoking one means: load it, give the user a solid orientationon what it is, and then continue together.## Step 1 — Resolve which handoffHandoffs live in `.handoffs/` in the project root, named `handoff-NNNN.md`.- If `.handoffs/` does not exist or is empty, tell the user there are no saved handoffs yet and mention they can create one with `handoff-create`. Stop there.- If the user gave a number, open `.handoffs/handoff-NNNN.md` (zero-pad it).- If they gave a topic instead of a number, scan the `<handoff-summary>` and `title` of each file and match the most likely one. If two or more are plausible, briefly list the candidates and ask which one.- If the specific file does not exist, say so and list what *is* available.## Step 2 — Read it fullyRead the whole file: frontmatter, the `<handoff-summary>` block, and the`Context`, `Task`, and `Conversation` sections.## Step 3 — Orient the userDon't just dump the file contents back. Give the user a genuine briefing sothey can step back into this task with full context, even if they parked itlong ago. Cover:- **What it is** — the title and a plain-language summary.- **Why it was parked** and when (`created` date).- **Where things stood** — the key context and any decisions already made.- **What the task actually asks for** — the concrete work to be done.- **Anything to be aware of** — open questions, constraints, missing info.> **Security:** Do not repeat secrets or values that look like credentials in> chat — describe them structurally and let the user open the file directly.Then check the current state of the project against the handoff. A handoff is asnapshot frozen in time — files may have changed, the task may be partly donealready. Concretely:- Look up any file paths mentioned in the handoff's `Context` or `Task` sections and verify they still exist and have not changed significantly.- If the task references a branch, check whether it was merged or deleted.- If the task mentions a known in-progress state, look for evidence that some of the work was already done (e.g. the feature exists, the bug is gone).If something no longer matches reality, point it out before asking how to proceed.## Step 4 — Ask how to proceedEnd by handing the decision to the user. Depending on the situation they maywant to discuss and refine the task further, start working on it now, or handit to another agent for processing. Ask which they'd like — don't assume.Invoking a handoff does **not** remove it. The file stays in `.handoffs/` untilthe user explicitly closes it with `handoff-close`.

Frequently asked questions