Handoff

Handoff

Editorially compress session context into a small markdown checkpoint an agent can load in a new turn. Raw transcripts live under Cursor project folders; handoffs are curated, short, and decision-dense.

SCRIPTS refers to the scripts/ directory next to this file. HANDOFFS_ROOT is ~/.agents/handoffs/.

This skill is not the content-wireframe "Handoff" (approved copy → implementer). It is session/task continuity across chats or agents.

Choose mode

If ambiguous, ask once which mode they want.

Create

Phase 0 — Eligibility

Skip creating a handoff (tell the user why) if all are true:

• The task is fully done with nothing left to continue
• There are no decisions, partial state, or open questions worth preserving
• A PR/commit message or one sentence is enough (ship may be better)

Phase 1 — Gather inputs

Collect signal in this order. Do not paste tool dumps or transcript chunks into the handoff file.

1. User goal and latest instructions
2. Next session focus — if the user passed slash/command arguments or stated what the next chat is for, treat that as the primary lens for Next steps and Suggested skills
3. Run $SCRIPTS/workspace-id.sh and parse JSON (workspace_path, workspace_id, git_head)
4. If git repo: git status -sb, git diff --stat (and branch name)
5. Files the user @ mentioned or the agent edited this session
6. Explicit decisions and reversals from the conversation
7. Open questions, blockers, and failed approaches (do not redo)
8. Existing artifacts — scan for PRDs, specs, plans, ADRs, issues, open PRs, and large on-disk docs. Note paths only; do not copy their contents into the handoff (see deduplication below)
9. Session activity — condensed outcomes from tool use this session (files written, commands run and key results, PRs opened, tests pass/fail counts). Outcomes only; no raw stdout or play-by-play

Phase 2 — Write

Timestamps and filename: Do not invent times. Run bash before writing:

date +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z    # created_at in frontmatter
date +%Y-%m-%d                  # date in frontmatter
date +%H:%M                     # time in frontmatter

Slug: from user input, next session focus, or 3–5 words from the goal (kebab-case). Sanitize for filenames — omit : / \ # ^ [ ] | and spaces.

Fidelity: Set frontmatter fidelity:

• full — handoff built from complete session context in the current turn
• partial-reconstruction — earliest chat context was compacted or missing; some sections are reconstructed from inference, not verbatim memory

If partial-reconstruction, add this block immediately after the # Handoff: heading (before TL;DR):

> **Context warning:** Portions of this handoff were reconstructed from
> compacted or missing session context. Treat **Assumptions** and uncited claims
> as unverified until confirmed in the repo or artifacts.

Never present reconstructed content as verified fact — move uncertain items to Assumptions.

Deduplication: Do not duplicate content already captured in workspace artifacts (PRDs, specs, plans, ADRs, issues, commit messages, or large diffs). Reference by path or URL; at most one line summarizing why that artifact matters. Never paste plan bodies, issue threads, or diff hunks into the handoff.

Paths: Use the real timestamp from date in the filename:

$HANDOFFS_ROOT/<workspace_id>/<YYYY-MM-DD>T<HHMMSS>-<slug>.md
$HANDOFFS_ROOT/<workspace_id>/latest.md   # copy of the same content

Example: 2026-06-02T143022-ship-handoff.md

Create $HANDOFFS_ROOT/<workspace_id>/ if missing.

Budget: ≤120 lines (~2,500 words). Cut exploration narrative first, then session activity detail, then artifact detail. Never cut TL;DR, Next steps, or Do not redo.

Redaction (before write): Remove API keys, tokens, .env values, passwords, and personally identifiable information. Use [REDACTED]. When unsure, omit the line.

Use this template:

---
handoff_version: 2
title: Short Title
date: 2026-06-02
time: "14:30"
created_at: 2026-06-02T14:30:22-0400
workspace_path: /absolute/path/to/project
workspace_id: agent-resources-a3f9c2e1b4d0
git_head: abc123def456789...
fidelity: full
source: cursor-chat
tags: [handoff, topic-one, topic-two]
supersedes: null
---

# Handoff: [short title]

## TL;DR

[3–4 sentences max: what this session was about, what was decided or produced,
and open loops. Write so a future search reveals whether this is the right
handoff. Do not duplicate **Next steps** verbatim.]

## Goal

[One sentence]

## Next session focus

[What the next chat is for — from user args or conversation. Omit this section
if not provided.]

## Current state

- Branch: ...
- Status: [what is done / in progress]
- Key changes: [files or areas touched]

## Session activity (condensed)

[Outcomes-only digest of meaningful tool/session work — not a transcript.
Bullet list: files created/edited, commands and key results, PRs/issues touched,
tests run and pass/fail counts. Omit raw stdout. Omit section if nothing
concrete happened beyond conversation.]

## Decisions

| Decision | Rationale |
|----------|-----------|
| ... | ... |

## Verified facts

- [Things confirmed in repo, docs, or commands]

## Assumptions

- [Guesses not yet verified — label clearly]

## Constraints

- [User rules, repo conventions, explicit "do not"]

## Do not redo

- [Approach X failed because Y — do not retry unless user asks]

## Open questions

- [ ] ...

## Next steps

1. ...
2. ...

## Suggested skills

[List 0–3 installed skills the next agent should consider invoking, each with
one line why. Only skills that match **Next session focus** or **Next steps**.
Use skill `name` from frontmatter (e.g. `ship`, `review-pr`). Omit section if
none apply.]

## Artifacts

- `path/to/file` — why it matters (reference only; no duplicated content)
- PR/issue URL if any
- **Quantifiable facts** not stored in linked files: version numbers, error
  codes, test counts, env var names, config keys, metric values

Set supersedes to the prior handoff path when continuing a multi-session task. Set tags to 2–5 lowercase hyphenated topics for search (always include handoff). Set title to match the # Handoff: heading.

Phase 3 — Verify and report

1. Count lines; trim if over budget
2. Copy the file to latest.md in the same workspace_id folder
3. Tell the user:
   • Absolute path to the timestamped file
   • That latest.md was updated
   • To attach with @ or say resume handoff in the next chat
4. Note: handoffs are not auto-deleted; prune old files manually if needed

Resume

Phase 1 — Load

1. If the user @ a specific .md file, read that file
2. Else run $SCRIPTS/workspace-id.sh, then read: $HANDOFFS_ROOT/<workspace_id>/latest.md
3. If latest.md is missing, list $HANDOFFS_ROOT/<workspace_id>/ and ask which file to use

Phase 2 — Validate

1. Compare workspace_path in frontmatter to $SCRIPTS/workspace-id.sh output. If they differ, warn and ask whether to trust the handoff or re-audit the repo
2. If git_head is set and the repo has git: compare to current git rev-parse HEAD. If they differ, say the repo moved on and ask whether to trust handoff state or re-gather git status
3. If frontmatter fidelity is partial-reconstruction, treat Verified facts skeptically and re-verify before acting on them
4. This handoff does not replace AGENTS.md, .cursor/rules/, or user rules — read those before implementing code if relevant

Phase 3 — Continue

In one short message: restate TL;DR or Goal (and Next session focus if present) and Next step 1, then execute. Do not parrot the entire file. Work from Next steps in order; respect Do not redo and Constraints.

If Suggested skills lists skills, read and follow those skill files when their scope matches the current task — do not invoke them blindly if the work has diverged.

Utility script

workspace-id.sh — stable paths for handoff storage:

$SCRIPTS/workspace-id.sh
$SCRIPTS/workspace-id.sh /path/to/workspace

Example output:

{
  "workspace_path": "/Users/me/apps/agent-resources",
  "workspace_id": "agent-resources-a3f9c2e1b4d0",
  "git_head": "abc123..."
}

git_head is null when not inside a git repository.