Handoff Skill
Save the current session context so a fresh Claude session can pick up exactly where this one left off.
When to Use
- User runs
/handoffor/handoff [notes] - User says they want to save context, switch sessions, or continue later
- User mentions context is getting full or compaction is losing detail
Storage
- Directory:
/mnt/pi-data/claude-workspace/handoffs/ - Archive:
/mnt/pi-data/claude-workspace/handoffs/archive/ - Backup: Covered by pi-data Google Drive sync (backup-claude.sh)
Instructions
When this skill activates, do the following:
Step 1: Gather Context
Review the current conversation and identify:
- Session summary: 2-3 sentence overview of what was happening this session
- Active goals: What the user is trying to accomplish (the big picture)
- Unfinished work: Tasks in progress, what's been done, what's left
- Key files: Files that were being worked on (full absolute paths)
- Important decisions: Any architectural, design, or strategic decisions made
- User's last intent: What they were about to do or asked for last
- User notes: If the user provided notes via
/handoff [notes], include them prominently
Step 2: Generate Filename
Convention: YYYY-MM-DDTHHMM-<bead-id>-<slug>.md
- Run
bd list --status=in_progressto check for an active bead ID. - If a bead is active, include its ID (e.g.,
kyle-dev-infra-234). - If no bead, omit the bead portion.
- Create a 3-5 word kebab-case slug summarizing the session's main work.
Examples:
2026-03-28T2042-kyle-dev-infra-234-fix-handoff-plugin.md2026-03-28T1530-treehouse-chat-ui-rebuild.md2026-03-29T0900-kyle-dev-infra-25j-total-recall-remote-push.md
Step 3: Write the Handoff Document
Format the context as a structured markdown document. Use this exact template:
# Handoff Context
> Saved: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM | Bead: <id or "none"> | Working dir: <pwd>
## Session Summary
[2-3 sentences]
## Active Goals
- [goal 1]
- [goal 2]
## Unfinished Work
- [ ] [task with status]
- [ ] [task with status]
## Key Files
- `/absolute/path/to/file1` - [what/why]
- `/absolute/path/to/file2` - [what/why]
## Important Decisions
- [decision and rationale]
## Last Intent
[What the user was about to do or asked for last]
## User Notes
[Any notes the user provided, or "None"]
Step 4: Save to Two Places
A) Save to claude-mem for long-term searchable memory:
Use the mcp__plugin_claude-mem_mcp-search__save_memory tool with:
title: "HANDOFF: [brief summary of session]"text: The full handoff document from Step 3project: Use the current project name if known, otherwise omit
B) Save to handoff file for immediate injection on next startup:
Use the Write tool to write the handoff document to:
/mnt/pi-data/claude-workspace/handoffs/<filename from Step 2>
Ensure the directory exists first: mkdir -p /mnt/pi-data/claude-workspace/handoffs
Step 5: Confirm
Tell the user:
- Context has been saved (include the filename)
- They can safely close Claude and start a fresh session
- The next session will automatically see pending handoffs on startup
- The context is also saved to long-term memory for future reference
Keep the confirmation brief -- 2-3 lines max.
Important
- Be thorough in capturing context but concise in presentation
- Use absolute file paths, never relative
- If the session was short or simple, the handoff can be brief too -- don't pad it
- Handoff files are NEVER deleted -- they are archived via /handoff-clear
- Multiple handoffs can coexist -- each session gets its own file
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