KirKruglov Handoff
Composes a handoff block of the current session: decisions, in-progress work, open questions,
touched files, and next steps. The output is markdown in chat, ready to paste as the first
message of a new session. Invocation is manual only, via /handoff.
Terms: handoff block — the output markdown; source — a conversation turn, a TaskList
entry, or a line from the git snapshot; topic — $ARGUMENTS or the main line of work.
When to apply
Only on the direct command /handoff. Self-activation is forbidden, including when the
session is full and after /compact.
References
- Block layout:
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/handoff-template.md(ortemplates/handoff-template.mdnext to this file). - Phrasing bar:
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/examples.md(orreferences/examples.mdnext to this file).
Process indication
Print a status line at the start of every step:
[handoff] <emoji> <present-tense action>: <value> [<context>]
Reserved emoji: 🛑 stop / blocking error · ❓ clarification from the user · ⏸️ waiting
for confirmation (gate) · ✅ successful finish. Working actions take a themed emoji, one
per step.
A gate (❓) is executed as text: print the status line and one question, then end the
turn. Do not use AskUserQuestion.
Load-time snapshot
Substituted on invocation. Empty output, an error, the literal command text still visible,
or not a git repository — there is no git source; do not re-run the commands.
${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR} unsubstituted → the project root from context.
${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID} unsubstituted → —. Date line empty or still a command → the
conversation's current date. git log is reference only: a commit enters Done only
when the conversation or a closed task confirms it.
Directory: ${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}
Session: ${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}
Date: !date +%Y-%m-%d
Branch:
!git branch --show-current
Status:
!git status --short
Diff:
!git diff --stat
Recent commits:
!git log -5 --oneline
Workflow
Step 1 — Entry check and snapshot
Status: [handoff] 📥 Snapshotting session: <topic|empty>
- Read
TaskList. Do this first. The tool is missing or the list is empty — there are no tasks; do not stop the step. - Read the snapshot above and
$ARGUMENTS. - Stop the run if the session has neither a goal nor work: no substantive turns,
decisions, tasks, or edits. Status
🛑, text:nothing to hand off — the session has only just started. - Fix minimal mode if turns are few, a goal is named, and there are not yet
decisions, tasks, or edits: only the topic, the status, one next step, and the note
short session — only the intent was recorded. An edit or a decision is present — full block. - Narrow the scope if
$ARGUMENTSis set: keep only that topic, include nothing else.
→ check: 🛑 was printed, minimal mode was fixed, or a source for the full block exists.
Step 2 — Extract the items
Status: [handoff] 🔎 Collecting handoff items: <topic>
- Lean on the git snapshot and the tasks if history was compacted with
/compact. A gap they do not close → a question in item 5. - Collect the six fields from the table below. An item with no source is not written: drop it or turn it into a question in item 5.
- Split parallel topics if no filter is set and the session has more than one line: subsections inside In progress and Next steps; mark the main one. Main — the last active line, or the line with dirty files.
- Set the block status: a blocker with no workaround →
blocked; the current turn says the work is stopping →paused; otherwise →in progress. - Ask one
❓question if a section is ambiguous (a task is named, the outcome is not). Do not ask more than one question before emitting the block. Unambiguous — skip this item. - Repeat items 2–5 until the field list is closed.
Field table — where to take each item and what to write:
| Field | Where | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Done | conversation, closed tasks, commits confirmed in the session | confirmed only |
| In progress | conversation, open tasks, uncommitted files | each item has its current state |
| Open questions | conversation | unresolved, blocker, or fork |
| Files | git status / git diff; plus a file from the conversation if Glob finds it |
path — what was done; no files — omit the section |
| Next steps | unfinished work and the explicit next move | numbered list, nearest first |
| Context | what the lists above do not say | 1–2 sentences |
→ check: every non-empty item has a source; empty Done, In progress, and
Open questions equal — none —.
→ failed: return to item 2 and fill or drop the item; after 2 repeats — 🛑 naming
the source that is missing.
Step 3 — Assemble the block
Status: [handoff] ✍️ Assembling block: <topic>
Fill the template from References. Keep the template headers. Write field values and the opener line in the user's language. Check Done, In progress, and Context against the phrasing bar in References.
Substitute the date, directory, branch, and session id from the snapshot. No git source —
Branch: — no git —.Drop the Files section if the list is empty. Leave no
<…>placeholders.Print the whole block in one code fence; directly under it — the opener line:
New session: "Continue: . Context below." — then paste the block.
Revise the block and print it again if the user fills a gap in the next turn. Do not ask new questions.
Status at finish: [handoff] ✅ Block ready: <topic>
→ check: the output has a code fence, the opener line, and every required template
section; the Files section is either filled or absent.
→ failed: return to item 1 and finish the assembly; after 2 repeats — 🛑 naming
the section that is missing.
Boundaries (what the skill does not do)
- Does not load or run without the
/handoffcommand, including when the session is full and after/compact. - Does not create or edit files.
- Does not read
~/.claude/projects/**/*.jsonl. - Does not invent decisions, file statuses, or check results.
- Does not copy secrets, keys, or
.envcontents. - Does not commit, push, or continue the session's task.
- Does not run Bash. Git state comes only from the load-time snapshot.
- Does not treat
claude --resumeas the goal of the run: the output is a briefing for a new session.