Cross-Agent Handoff
Transfer the minimum sufficient state for another capable worker to continue safely and verify independently.
Rules
- Treat the repository, filesystem, and current harness as authoritative; the handoff is a routing map, not proof.
- Never include secrets, access tokens, private environment dumps, or unnecessary personal information.
- Separate verified facts, inferences, recommendations, and unverified claims.
- Record permissions and prohibited actions. A handoff cannot grant authority the sender did not have.
- For concurrent writers, assign non-overlapping ownership or separate worktrees and name the integration owner.
- Link durable artifacts and exact paths; do not paste large transcripts when a file or commit is available.
Produce a handoff
Use handoff-template.md. Include:
- objective and acceptance criteria
- repository, worktree, branch, base commit, and current commit
- user instructions and applicable project instructions
- authorized, forbidden, and approval-gated actions
- verified state, exact commands, outputs, and artifact paths
- changed files and why they changed
- decisions, alternatives rejected, and assumptions
- failures, blockers, risks, and remaining uncertainty
- one concrete next action and its success condition
Keep current state separate from historical narrative. Put stale or superseded information in a clearly marked history section.
Consume a handoff
Before acting:
- re-read current project instructions
- confirm repository, branch, commit, dirty state, and untracked files
- verify the most consequential cited evidence
- detect drift since the handoff was written
- confirm that the requested next action remains authorized
If reality disagrees with the handoff, preserve the conflicting evidence and follow current reality. Do not silently rewrite history.
Completion receipt
When handing back, state:
- what changed since receipt
- checks run and exact results
- repository and external-system state
- remaining work and its owner
- whether any commit, push, merge, deploy, message, deletion, spend, or permission change occurred
1---2name: cross-agent-handoff3description: Prepare or consume a precise, privacy-safe handoff between agent sessions, harnesses, subagents, CLIs, or humans. Use when work crosses contexts, survives compaction, is delegated, or must be resumed without trusting narrative completion claims.4---56# Cross-Agent Handoff78Transfer the minimum sufficient state for another capable worker to continue safely and verify independently.910## Rules1112- Treat the repository, filesystem, and current harness as authoritative; the handoff is a routing map, not proof.13- Never include secrets, access tokens, private environment dumps, or unnecessary personal information.14- Separate verified facts, inferences, recommendations, and unverified claims.15- Record permissions and prohibited actions. A handoff cannot grant authority the sender did not have.16- For concurrent writers, assign non-overlapping ownership or separate worktrees and name the integration owner.17- Link durable artifacts and exact paths; do not paste large transcripts when a file or commit is available.1819## Produce a handoff2021Use [handoff-template.md](references/handoff-template.md). Include:22231. objective and acceptance criteria242. repository, worktree, branch, base commit, and current commit253. user instructions and applicable project instructions264. authorized, forbidden, and approval-gated actions275. verified state, exact commands, outputs, and artifact paths286. changed files and why they changed297. decisions, alternatives rejected, and assumptions308. failures, blockers, risks, and remaining uncertainty319. one concrete next action and its success condition3233Keep current state separate from historical narrative. Put stale or superseded information in a clearly marked history section.3435## Consume a handoff3637Before acting:38391. re-read current project instructions402. confirm repository, branch, commit, dirty state, and untracked files413. verify the most consequential cited evidence424. detect drift since the handoff was written435. confirm that the requested next action remains authorized4445If reality disagrees with the handoff, preserve the conflicting evidence and follow current reality. Do not silently rewrite history.4647## Completion receipt4849When handing back, state:5051- what changed since receipt52- checks run and exact results53- repository and external-system state54- remaining work and its owner55- whether any commit, push, merge, deploy, message, deletion, spend, or permission change occurred
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