Handoff

Context Handoff Skill

Capture everything from the current session and prepare for seamless continuation in a new chat.

First-Time Setup

Before first use, create the memory directory and starter files:

mkdir -p ai/memory && \
  [ -f ai/memory/session-history.md ] || printf '# Session History\n\nCumulative record of session summaries. Append new entries at the bottom.\n\n---\n\n' > ai/memory/session-history.md && \
  [ -f ai/memory/learnings.md ] || printf '# Learnings\n\nAccumulated knowledge about user preferences, project patterns, and insights.\n\n---\n\n' > ai/memory/learnings.md && \
  [ -f ai/memory/decisions.md ] || printf '# Decisions\n\nRecord of key decisions made with rationale.\n\n---\n\n' > ai/memory/decisions.md

Run this once per project. Files persist across sessions.

Step 1: Gather Session Intelligence

Capture the following from this conversation:

Context Summary:

• What was the user trying to accomplish? (high-level goal)
• What specific task/project were we working on?
• What's the current state? (in progress, blocked, completed phase X)

Decisions Made:

• What key decisions were made during this session?
• What approaches did we choose (and why)?
• What did we explicitly decide NOT to do?

Learnings Captured:

• What did we learn about the user's preferences?
• What did we learn about the codebase/project?
• What patterns or standards were established?
• Any pain points identified?

Work Completed:

• What files were created/modified?
• What was accomplished?
• What's the current state of each item?

Work Remaining:

• What's left to do?
• What's the immediate next step?
• Any blockers or dependencies?

Important Context:

• User preferences discovered (interaction style, coding style, etc.)
• Project-specific knowledge gained
• Technical decisions and rationale
• Anything the next session MUST know

Step 2: Write to Memory Files

Append to these files with session intelligence:

ai/memory/session-history.md

## [DATE] - Session Summary

**Goal:** [what user was trying to accomplish]
**State:** [in progress / blocked / completed]
**Work Done:** [bullet list]
**Next Step:** [immediate next action]

---

ai/memory/learnings.md

## [DATE] - Learnings

- [User preference or project insight]
- [Pattern discovered]
- [Technical knowledge gained]

---

ai/memory/decisions.md

## [DATE] - Decisions

| Decision | Rationale | Alternatives Rejected |
|----------|-----------|----------------------|
| [choice] | [why] | [what we didn't do] |

---

Step 3: Generate Starter Prompt

Create a comprehensive prompt the user can paste into a new chat:

# Session Continuation - [DATE]

## Context
I'm continuing a previous session. Here's everything you need to know:

### Project/Goal
[What we're working on and why]

### Current State
[Where we are right now - what's done, what's in progress]

### Immediate Next Step
[The very next thing to do]

### Key Decisions Made
[Important decisions from previous sessions with brief rationale]

### User Preferences (CRITICAL - Follow These)
[Interaction style, quality expectations, workflow preferences]

### Memory Files to Reference
- `ai/memory/session-history.md` - Latest session state
- `ai/memory/learnings.md` - Accumulated learnings
- `ai/memory/decisions.md` - Decision history

### Important Context
[Anything else critical for continuity]

---

## Resume Instructions

Please read the memory files referenced above, then continue where we left off. The immediate next step is:

**[SPECIFIC NEXT ACTION]**

Treat this as a continuation - no need to re-explain context I've provided. Let's pick up where we left off!

Output Format

Provide:

1. Session Summary - Brief recap of what happened
2. Files Updated - List of memory files written
3. Starter Prompt - Complete prompt to paste in new chat
4. Quick Resume - One-liner for simple continuation

Usage

Invoke with /handoff or /handoff [optional notes about session focus].

The skill captures conversation context, writes to persistent memory files, and generates a starter prompt for seamless continuation.