Use when work must continue in a fresh AI agent or later session and a continuation-ready handoff document is needed to preserve goals, decisions, evidence, and exact next steps without ambiguity.
Create a continuation-ready handoff package for a new AI agent or a later session.
The goal is not to write a nostalgic summary of the conversation. The goal is to make the next agent productive immediately, with clear scope, verified state, concrete evidence, and an exact place to resume.
This skill exists for moments when context is getting long, ownership is changing, or the current agent should stop and leave behind a precise trail instead of hoping the next session can reconstruct the story.
What this skill solves
Long-running agent work often fails at the transition point, not because the work itself is impossible, but because the next agent inherits:
partial context,
missing decisions,
vague "continue from here" notes,
no trustworthy evidence trail,
and no clear first move.
This skill converts messy session state into a structured handoff document that a fresh agent can use with minimal re-discovery.
When to Use
Use this skill when:
the current task will continue in a fresh AI session or a different agent
Verwandte Skills
the conversation is getting long enough that context loss is becoming a real risk
the user asks for a handoff, resume brief, continuation pack, transfer note, or restart-safe summary
work has already produced decisions, file changes, commands, tests, or artifacts that must be preserved accurately
ownership is moving from one phase to another and the downstream agent should begin with explicit context rather than re-investigating everything
Trigger phrases
Examples that should strongly suggest this skill:
"create a handoff"
"prepare this for the next agent"
"I need to continue this later"
"summarize so another agent can pick it up"
"make a context-transfer document"
"the session is getting too long"
When Not to Use
Do not use this skill when:
the task can simply be finished in the current session without meaningful context risk
the user only wants a short status update rather than a continuation-ready document
the work has not been investigated enough to describe current state honestly
the real need is subagent delegation inside the same session rather than a session-to-session handoff
Inputs
Extract or infer these inputs from the current work. Ask targeted follow-up questions only when a missing item would materially reduce handoff quality.
Input
Required
Description
Task goal
Yes
The concrete outcome the next agent is expected to continue toward
Current status
Yes
What is done, in progress, blocked, or not started
Completed work
Yes
Changes made, findings gathered, and decisions already taken
Critical files and symbols
Yes
Files, components, commands, tests, or artifacts the next agent must inspect first
Evidence trail
Yes
Verification results, command outputs, errors, screenshots, links, or citations that support the state described
Open questions or blockers
Recommended
Risks, uncertainties, missing approvals, or unresolved failures
Constraints and preferences
Recommended
User instructions, repo rules, tool limits, style constraints, or environment facts that still matter
Recommended next step
Recommended
The exact first action the next agent should take
Suggested starter prompt
Optional
A ready-to-send kickoff prompt for the next agent
Operating Mode
Primary pattern:
Generator
Secondary pattern(s):
Reviewer
Inversion
Why this structure:
the core job is to generate a repeatable artifact: a handoff document
zero-ambiguity handoff quality requires an explicit review pass before returning the result
when crucial context is missing, the skill should ask only the highest-signal questions instead of silently guessing
Workflow
Follow this sequence every time.
Step 1: Confirm that a real handoff is needed
Decide whether the output should be:
a full session handoff for a fresh agent,
a phase handoff between workflow stages,
or just a short status note.
If a lightweight status note is sufficient, do not overproduce a giant dossier.
If another agent must continue independently, produce the full handoff package.
Also distinguish two different ideas clearly:
subagent delegation = the current coordinator still owns the task and continues after a worker returns
session handoff = ownership or active working context moves forward to a new agent or later session
This skill is for the second case.
Step 2: Gather continuation-critical context
Collect the smallest set of details that lets the next agent continue safely:
target outcome
current phase and status
what has already been completed
important decisions and why they were made
files, symbols, branches, artifacts, URLs, or docs that matter
commands run, tests executed, and their results
blockers, risks, assumptions, and missing information
the exact next recommended action
Use current workspace context, recent work, and verified evidence first.
Ask follow-up questions only if a missing detail would change the next agent's path materially.
Use assets/session-handoff-template.md as the structure baseline.
Step 3: Separate facts from assumptions
Before drafting, classify information into three buckets:
Verified facts - supported by files, commands, output, or explicit user statements
Inferred assumptions - likely true, but not directly verified in the current session
Unknowns / gaps - missing details the next agent should not treat as settled
Do not blur these categories.
A handoff that sounds confident but hides uncertainty is worse than a handoff that explicitly says what is still unknown.
Step 4: Draft the handoff package
Produce a handoff document that is optimized for continuation, not narration.
It should help a new agent answer all of these quickly:
What is the job?
What already happened?
What evidence supports that?
What constraints still apply?
Where should I look first?
What should I do next?
At minimum, cover:
scope and objective
current status
completed work and key findings
decisions and constraints
important files, symbols, and artifacts
evidence and verification
blockers, risks, and unknowns
recommended next steps
optional starter prompt for the next agent
Do not dump raw transcript fragments unless they are themselves important evidence.
Prefer compact, explicit bullets over vague prose.
Step 5: Review for zero-ambiguity continuation
Review the draft using references/handoff-quality-checklist.md.
A fresh agent should be able to continue without asking basic recovery questions such as:
"What was I supposed to build?"
"Which files matter?"
"Was anything already tested?"
"What is blocked versus merely unfinished?"
"Which parts are facts and which are guesses?"
If the draft fails those tests, tighten it before returning it.
Step 6: Return the smallest handoff that is still complete
The best result is not the longest result.
Return the minimum document that still lets the next agent resume accurately and quickly.
If there are unresolved gaps, name them explicitly instead of padding the document with speculative filler.
Output Contract
Return a handoff package with these sections.
A. Handoff Type
Include:
handoff type: full session handoff / phase handoff / lightweight status note
intended next owner or next-agent context, if known
one-sentence resume objective
B. Current State
Include:
overall task status
what is completed
what is in progress
what is blocked or pending
C. Work Already Done
Include:
important findings
code or content changes made
decisions taken and why they matter
D. Critical Context
Include:
important files and symbols
environment facts
user instructions or repo constraints that still govern the work
relevant links or artifacts
E. Evidence and Verification
Include:
commands run
tests, builds, or checks performed
results, failures, or warnings
citations or paths that support the claims above
F. Risks, Unknowns, and Blockers
Include:
unresolved issues
assumptions that still need validation
missing information or approvals
G. Recommended Next Actions
Include:
the exact next step to take first
follow-up sequence if more than one step is obvious
any cautionary note for the next agent
H. Suggested Starter Prompt
Provide a ready-to-use prompt for the next agent when helpful.
It should reference the handoff artifact, the resume objective, and the first action to take.
Output requirements:
clearly label verified facts, assumptions, and unknowns where relevant
prefer concrete references to files, symbols, commands, outputs, and artifacts
keep the handoff continuation-oriented rather than retrospective only
avoid claims that are not supported by the current session evidence
Validation
A good result should satisfy all of the following:
The next agent can state the goal without reading the full old transcript
Current status is explicit: done, in progress, blocked, and pending are separated clearly
Important files, symbols, commands, and artifacts are named concretely
Evidence is included for meaningful claims about implementation or verification
Decisions and constraints are preserved, not implied
Verified facts, assumptions, and unknowns are not mixed together carelessly
The first next step is actionable and specific
The handoff is concise enough to scan, but complete enough to resume work safely
Common Pitfalls
Pitfall
Better Approach
Writing a retrospective summary with no resume path
Write a forward-looking continuation package with exact next actions
Saying "continue from here" without naming files or symbols
Name the files, symbols, artifacts, and evidence the next agent should inspect first
Presenting guesses as settled facts
Label assumptions and unknowns explicitly
Omitting failed tests, blockers, or warnings
Preserve negative evidence so the next agent does not repeat dead ends
Dumping the entire transcript into the handoff
Distill only the continuation-critical context and keep raw details as citations or references
Creating a giant handoff for a tiny task
Match the handoff size to the real continuation risk
Companion Files
Use these supporting files when present:
references/handoff-quality-checklist.md - review whether the handoff is continuation-ready, evidence-backed, and ambiguity-resistant
assets/session-handoff-template.md - reusable scaffold for drafting the handoff document
Completion Rule
This skill is complete when the agent has:
determined that a real handoff artifact is warranted,
gathered the continuation-critical context,
drafted the handoff using a stable structure,
reviewed it for ambiguity, evidence gaps, and missing next steps,
and returned a compact document that a fresh agent can use immediately.