Handoff

Handoff

Create one verified local continuation note without advancing the work.

1. Qualify

Use Handoff only for an intended fresh task or context that can read the same work root and required sources. Use /compact within the same conversation; use the active workflow's Return for ordinary continuation.

When the next phase still depends on reasoning held only in the current context and continuing is practical, continue there.

Resolve the work root as the Git root when present, otherwise the current directory. Choose the first unused <work-root>/.tmp/handoff-<YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS>[-<NN>].md; never overwrite it. In a Git repository, prove the exact target is ignored before writing. If the disposable-artifact setup is missing, recommend $repo-bootstrap and stop without creating a pickup. Create .tmp/ when it is absent; in Git, do so only after proving the target ignored. Stop when receiver access is not credible.

2. Gather

Refresh the current workflow and repository state. Preserve only information whose loss could cause repeated work, a wrong mutation, false evidence, or an authority mistake: the objective and stopping boundary, completed and pending work, decisions and constraints, blockers and required authority, material dirty work, decisive source and proof pointers, and the next already-legal action or the condition that would make one legal.

When they affect resumption, include the exact selected work and gate, worktree, branch, and HEAD identities, plus the scope and owner of dirty work.

A supplied focus changes emphasis, not scope or authority. Treat completed, verified work as inherited evidence. Repeat discovery or proof only when its identity is missing, relevant state has drifted, evidence conflicts, or an applicable repository or workflow condition requires a rerun. Mark material uncertainty instead of filling it with inference.

3. Write

Write one concise note using these content groups:

# Handoff

## Purpose and boundary
Objective, completion and stopping boundaries, and current owner.

## State, decisions, blockers, and authority
What is done, pending, unchanged, or blocked; accepted constraints and authority still needed.

## Sources and proof
Exact durable pointers, relevant identities, useful checks and outcomes, and material uncertainty.

## Next action and preconditions
One already-legal re-entry action and stopping point, or the condition that must be resolved first.

Reference durable truth instead of copying it. Redact secrets and credentials. Include a personal identifier only when an exact local pointer or active dependency needs it; otherwise redact it while preserving its operational impact. Write only the Handoff artifact and its directory when absent. Do not change tracked files, Git state, tracker state, the active workflow, or Codex tasks.

4. Check

Reread the note as a cold receiver. Confirm that its pointers are usable or explicitly unverified, its next action does not exceed current authority, and the artifact is ignored when Git applies and is the only state change apart from its newly created directory. Make verification a precondition for any action that depends on an unverified pointer. Refresh material mutable state once more; reconcile drift in the note or make it a receiver precondition. If completion fails, remove only incomplete state created by this invocation and return the reason without a pickup.

5. Return

Return the absolute path and tell the receiver to read the note and current repository instructions, then refresh state and authority before acting. Do not create or message the receiving task, invoke a skill, or execute the next action.