How do I install the Handoff skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add dashed/handoff 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 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?

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 free to use?

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

Who published Handoff?

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

Handoff by dashed — Agent Skill

Name: Handoff
Author: dashed

Handoff

Compact the current conversation into a handoff document for another agent to pick up. Use when ending a session with unfinished work, transferring context to a fresh agent or a new session, approaching context limits, or when the user says "handoff", "write a handoff doc", or "continue this in another session".

dashed 44de565 2 files · 4.6 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Write a handoff document summarising the current conversation so a fresh agent can continue the work. Save to the temporary directory of the user's OS by default - not the current workspace. Name it handoff-<project>-<YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM>.md so multiple handoffs coexist and sort chronologically. If the user passes --workspace (or asks for the document in the workspace), save it to the workspace root instead (same filename); add a handoff-*.md line to .git/info/exclude (not .gitignore — that would dirty the repo) so it stays invisible to git status, and do not commit it unless asked.

If the user passes --tracked (or asks for the handoff to be visible to git, committed, or shared through the repo), save it to the workspace root and make git see it: remove any handoff-*.md line from .git/info/exclude (a leftover from a previous --workspace run would otherwise hide the file and make git add refuse without -f), then stage the file with git add. Offer to commit — and push, since committing the handoff is how it travels to another machine — but do not commit without the user's go-ahead. Tailor the next-session starter to the transfer, e.g. git pull && claude "Read ./handoff-myrepo-2026-06-11-1430.md and continue".

Structure the document using references/handoff-template.md. Scale sections to the work and omit empty ones — but always capture decisions-with-rationale and dead ends tried when they exist: those are the two things a fresh agent cannot recover from artifacts.

Anchor the document to verifiable state: timestamp, branch, commit SHA, dirty files, and the exact commands to re-verify the baseline (tests, build, running services) with their expected results. The repo may move between sessions — anchors make staleness detectable instead of silently misleading.

Include a "suggested skills" section in the document, which suggests skills that the agent should invoke.

Do not duplicate content already captured in other artifacts (PRDs, plans, ADRs, issues, commits, diffs). Reference them by path or URL instead.

Redact any sensitive information, such as API keys, passwords, or personally identifiable information.

If the user passed arguments, treat them as a description of what the next session will focus on and tailor the doc accordingly.

When finished, tell the user the full path of the document and give a ready-to-paste starter for the next session, e.g. claude "Read /tmp/handoff-myrepo-2026-06-11-1430.md and continue".

When NOT to use this

If the next session is on the same machine and the conversation is resumable, suggest claude --resume/--continue instead — a handoff doc earns its keep for cross-machine moves, post-compaction recovery, or agent-to-agent transfer. Durable facts (user preferences, environment quirks) belong in memory, not the handoff; carry only task state here.

---name: handoffdescription: Compact the current conversation into a handoff document for another agent to pick up. Use when ending a session with unfinished work, transferring context to a fresh agent or a new session, approaching context limits, or when the user says "handoff", "write a handoff doc", or "continue this in another session".---Write a handoff document summarising the current conversation so a fresh agent can continue the work. Save to the temporary directory of the user's OS by default - not the current workspace. Name it `handoff-<project>-<YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM>.md` so multiple handoffs coexist and sort chronologically. If the user passes `--workspace` (or asks for the document in the workspace), save it to the workspace root instead (same filename); add a `handoff-*.md` line to `.git/info/exclude` (not `.gitignore` — that would dirty the repo) so it stays invisible to `git status`, and do not commit it unless asked.If the user passes `--tracked` (or asks for the handoff to be visible to git, committed, or shared through the repo), save it to the workspace root and make git see it: remove any `handoff-*.md` line from `.git/info/exclude` (a leftover from a previous `--workspace` run would otherwise hide the file and make `git add` refuse without `-f`), then stage the file with `git add`. Offer to commit — and push, since committing the handoff is how it travels to another machine — but do not commit without the user's go-ahead. Tailor the next-session starter to the transfer, e.g. `git pull && claude "Read ./handoff-myrepo-2026-06-11-1430.md and continue"`.Structure the document using [references/handoff-template.md](references/handoff-template.md). Scale sections to the work and omit empty ones — but always capture decisions-with-rationale and dead ends tried when they exist: those are the two things a fresh agent cannot recover from artifacts.Anchor the document to verifiable state: timestamp, branch, commit SHA, dirty files, and the exact commands to re-verify the baseline (tests, build, running services) with their expected results. The repo may move between sessions — anchors make staleness detectable instead of silently misleading.Include a "suggested skills" section in the document, which suggests skills that the agent should invoke.Do not duplicate content already captured in other artifacts (PRDs, plans, ADRs, issues, commits, diffs). Reference them by path or URL instead.Redact any sensitive information, such as API keys, passwords, or personally identifiable information.If the user passed arguments, treat them as a description of what the next session will focus on and tailor the doc accordingly.When finished, tell the user the full path of the document and give a ready-to-paste starter for the next session, e.g. `claude "Read /tmp/handoff-myrepo-2026-06-11-1430.md and continue"`.## When NOT to use thisIf the next session is on the same machine and the conversation is resumable, suggest `claude --resume`/`--continue` instead — a handoff doc earns its keep for cross-machine moves, post-compaction recovery, or agent-to-agent transfer. Durable facts (user preferences, environment quirks) belong in memory, not the handoff; carry only task state here.

Frequently asked questions