# Handover

> Handover

- Skill: `mfraunhofer/handover` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mfraunhofer/handover`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mfraunhofer/handover/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: mfraunhofer (https://skillmd.com/u/mfraunhofer)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mfraunhofer/handover

---


# Handover

Two modes: **Create** writes a new handover file. **Search** finds an old one.

Storage: `~/.claude/handoffs/`. TTL: 30 days. Self-cleaning.

## Pre-Run (always, both modes)

Before every run, drop anything older than 30 days. Keep the folder clean:

```bash
find ~/.claude/handoffs -name '*.md' -mtime +30 -delete 2>/dev/null
```

## Mode: Create

Trigger: "/handover", "write me a handover", "this chat is too long", "let's continue tomorrow", etc.

### 1. Filename

Format: `YYYY-MM-DD-<3-7-word-topic-slug>.md`

- Date: today
- Slug: from the chat's main topic. Lowercase, hyphens, no special characters.
- Good examples:
  - `2026-05-28-auth-refactor-oauth-migration.md`
  - `2026-05-28-checkout-flow-redesign.md`
  - `2026-05-28-postgres-rls-rollout.md`
- Bad examples (do NOT use):
  - `id-like-to-continue-tomorrow-vast-dijkstra.md` (auto-slug from the user's message)
  - `handover-2026-05-28.md` (no topic: not findable in Search mode)
  - `chat-summary.md` (generic)

The filename is the search anchor. If the user asks in 3 weeks "find the handover about the checkout redesign", the filename has to hit the topic.

### 2. Required structure

```markdown
---
date: YYYY-MM-DD
topic: [topic in 3-7 words]
status: [open|partial|done]
focus_next: [the user's argument if given, otherwise best inference]
---

# Handover: [Title]

## Goal of the next session
[1-3 sentences. What the follow-up chat should achieve. If the user passed an
argument (`/handover <text>`), work that in here.]

## Current state
[Bullet points of what happened in this chat. Narrative level, not file level,
Touched Files goes below separately.]

## Open / Next steps
[Concrete next steps in the order the follow-up chat should tackle them. Mark
blockers separately if there are any.]

## Touched Files
- `path/to/file.ext:line`: what was changed/created
- ...

(If nothing was edited: drop this section entirely.)

## Relevant Memory / Notes
- `[file.md]`: why it's relevant
- ...

(If you keep a memory/ directory or notes, point at the especially relevant files
here. Never duplicate their content, a pointer is enough.)

## Suggested Skills for the follow-up chat
- `skill-name`: what for
- ...

## Context notes
[Anything else. External URLs, background processes still running, decisions made
but not yet recorded anywhere, felt risks/uncertainties.]
```

### 3. Rules

- **No duplication:** If a PRD/plan/ADR/issue exists → link the path/URL, don't copy it.
- **Memory is the source of truth:** pointers are enough, never quote.
- **Strip sensitive data:** credentials, income figures, tax IDs, IBANs, API keys, secrets. If mentioned in the chat → do NOT mirror it into the handover. The handover is internal but keep it clean.
- **Plain text:** If the follow-up chat would take a wrong turn without a note, write it in. If not, leave it out.

### 4. Chat output

One line only. No summary, no "should I also":

```
Handover written → [2026-05-28-topic-slug.md](~/.claude/handoffs/2026-05-28-topic-slug.md)
```

The file is the documentation. If the user wants to see the content in chat, they'll ask.

## Mode: Search

Trigger: the user asks for an old handover ("find the handover where we discussed X", "didn't we talk about Y last week", "we had a handover about Z").

### 1. Search

First a filename match (fast, usually hits):

```bash
ls -t ~/.claude/handoffs/*.md
```

Then grep for the term in filename + content:

```bash
grep -lri "<search-term>" ~/.claude/handoffs/
```

### 2. Output by number of hits

**1 clear hit:** read the file, continue immediately. One line:

```
Loading handover [2026-05-15-topic.md](~/.claude/handoffs/2026-05-15-topic.md): state: [first open item from "Open / Next steps"]. Continuing.
```

Then work normally, as if continuing from the old chat.

**Multiple hits (show max 5):**

```
Several hits:
1. [2026-05-15-checkout-redesign.md](...): checkout flow redesign
2. [2026-05-22-pricing-model.md](...): pricing discussion
3. ...
Which one?
```

**No hit:**

If nothing in the last 30 days matches: say so honestly: "no handover found, it may have been older than 30 days and removed by the TTL cleanup". Ask what the user wants instead.

## Anti-Patterns

- **No index file:** No INDEX.md in the handover folder. Filename search + grep is enough below ~50 files. An index would just be extra trash.
- **No auto-trigger:** The skill NEVER runs on its own when a chat gets long. Only when the user explicitly invokes it.
- **No memory write:** The skill writes nothing into `memory/`. If a learning should persist long-term, the user asks for that separately.
- **No subagent spawn:** The skill is deterministic, no agent tool, no research.