Handoff

Handoff

Degree of freedom: LOW. Contents, redaction, and temp-dir save [LOW freedom — run exactly]. What to emphasize for the next session [HIGH freedom].

Adapted from mattpocock/skills (MIT).

How to reason

1. Observe — what is done, verified, and still open
2. Interpret — which claims are implemented vs scoped-verified vs assumed
3. Classify — include / point-at-artifact / omit (already in an ADR)
4. Severity — a false "green" in the handoff is worse than a missing detail

Worked example

Observe: auth UI landed; RLS migration is a local file only; tests not run. Interpret: UI is implemented, backend is not deployed-verified. Classify: write "implemented, not verified"; point at the migration path; do not say SHIP. Save: OS temp file, print the path; do not commit the handoff into the repo.

Self-critique before writing

• Ladder honest — no upgraded verification claim
• No secrets — keys/tokens/PII redacted
• Pointers not copies — ADRs and plans referenced by path
• Right owner — permanent decisions → docs-adr, not this file

Write a handoff document summarizing the current conversation so a fresh agent can continue the work. Save it to the OS temporary directory — not the current workspace — and print the path.

Contents

• State: what was attempted, what is done, what is verified vs merely edited.
• Next steps: the concrete remaining work, in order, with file paths.
• Suggested skills: which skills the next agent should invoke, and for what.
• Pointers, not copies: do not duplicate content already captured in other artifacts (specs, plans, ADRs, issues, commits, diffs). Reference them by path or URL instead.
• Gotchas: anything non-obvious the next agent would otherwise rediscover the hard way (flaky tests, env quirks, decisions already ruled out).

Rules

1. Redact sensitive information: API keys, passwords, tokens, PII.
2. If the user passed an argument, treat it as the next session's focus and tailor the document accordingly.
3. Be honest about verification state — use the ladder from verification-before-completion: implemented → scoped verified → repository green → PR green → deployed verified. Never upgrade a claim in a handoff.
4. Permanent decisions (stack, layering, rejected alternatives) belong in docs-adr, not in the handoff. Point at docs/adr/INDEX.md if it exists; do not re-copy those records here.