How do I install the Handoff skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add promptpartner/handoff in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Handoff safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Handoff?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Handoff free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Handoff?

PromptPartner (@promptpartner) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Handoff by promptpartner — Agent Skill

Name: Handoff
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: PromptPartner

Handoff

Checkpoint work for recovery — fires on "handoff", "wrap up", context pressure, a closed phase, or before a long external wait or irreversible gate. Part of the Agentsmith harness; writes durable state plus a paste-ready kickoff block so a fresh session loses nothing.

PromptPartner Updated Sep 22, 2026

File contents

Handoff — memory first, then the kickoff

A fresh session has zero memory of this one; the handoff note is the only bridge. Run this whenever work winds down — even if no one asked (core/50).

When this fires

"handoff" / "wrap up" / "let's stop here" / context pressure / a closed phase / before a long external wait, merge, release, deployment, or other irreversible external gate.

Runtime neutrality

This workflow is identical in every client. Never infer the active agent from this skill's install path: portable canonical content may be copied into a required client adapter such as .claude/skills. Use “fresh chat” rather than a runtime-specific reset command so the note remains portable.

Fast path — if the Agentsmith CLI is available

Run agentsmith handoff [item-id] — use .agentsmith/agentsmith on macOS/Linux or .agentsmith\\agentsmith.cmd on Windows when the command is not on PATH. It pre-fills branch/HEAD/dirty count and scaffolds .harness/handoffs/handoff-<stamp>.md with the standard sections.
Fill the scaffolded sections (below), then emit the kickoff block as your final message.

Fallback — no CLI

Safe state FIRST (core/50 step 1): commit or stash so nothing half-edited is lost. Never hand off a dirty tree silently.
Write .harness/handoffs/handoff-<stamp>.md with these sections:
- Recovery checkpoint — exact objective; repository/worktree; protected-state hashes; branch/commit and external identifiers; completed/skipped verification; active operation; next read-only recovery command; remaining authorized writes; stop conditions.
- What shipped this session — with commit SHAs / PR links.
- What is still pending.
- Deviations / decisions made (so they're not re-litigated).
- Exact next step — the single first action for the next session.
- Gotchas a fresh session would otherwise re-derive.
Emit a fenced "Kickoff prompt for a fresh chat" block: 3–6 sentences of self-contained prose (not bullets — they paste it straight in) covering the item id, branch + HEAD, what's done, the single next step, decisions already made, and the handoff note path.

Report

Name the handoff file, then end your message with the fenced kickoff block. If you notice mid-wrap that you haven't written the note yet, stop and write it before continuing.

---name: handoffdescription: Checkpoint work for recovery — fires on "handoff", "wrap up", context pressure, a closed phase, or before a long external wait or irreversible gate. Part of the Agentsmith harness; writes durable state plus a paste-ready kickoff block so a fresh session loses nothing.---# Handoff — memory first, then the kickoffA fresh session has **zero** memory of this one; the handoff note is the only bridge. Run thiswhenever work winds down — even if no one asked (core/50).## When this fires"handoff" / "wrap up" / "let's stop here" / context pressure / a closed phase / before a longexternal wait, merge, release, deployment, or other irreversible external gate.## Runtime neutralityThis workflow is identical in every client. Never infer the active agent from this skill's installpath: portable canonical content may be copied into a required client adapter such as`.claude/skills`. Use “fresh chat” rather than a runtime-specific reset command so the note remainsportable.## Fast path — if the Agentsmith CLI is available1. Run `agentsmith handoff [item-id]` — use `.agentsmith/agentsmith` on macOS/Linux or `.agentsmith\\agentsmith.cmd` on Windows when the command is not on PATH. It pre-fills branch/HEAD/dirty count and scaffolds `.harness/handoffs/handoff-<stamp>.md` with the standard sections.2. Fill the scaffolded sections (below), then emit the kickoff block as your final message.## Fallback — no CLI1. **Safe state FIRST** (core/50 step 1): commit or stash so nothing half-edited is lost. Never hand off a dirty tree silently.2. Write `.harness/handoffs/handoff-<stamp>.md` with these sections: - **Recovery checkpoint** — exact objective; repository/worktree; protected-state hashes; branch/commit and external identifiers; completed/skipped verification; active operation; next read-only recovery command; remaining authorized writes; stop conditions. - **What shipped this session** — with commit SHAs / PR links. - **What is still pending.** - **Deviations / decisions made** (so they're not re-litigated). - **Exact next step** — the single first action for the next session. - **Gotchas** a fresh session would otherwise re-derive.3. Emit a fenced **"Kickoff prompt for a fresh chat"** block: 3–6 sentences of self-contained prose (not bullets — they paste it straight in) covering the item id, branch + HEAD, what's done, the single next step, decisions already made, and the handoff note path.## ReportName the handoff file, then end your message with the fenced kickoff block. If you notice mid-wrapthat you haven't written the note yet, stop and write it before continuing.

Frequently asked questions