handoff

RustyLindquist's avatarfrom RustyLindquist

Writes comprehensive handoff note at session end. Captures work done, files changed, remaining tasks, and next steps. Use before ending any work session or switching contexts.

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[Memory and Context Management]

When & Why to Use This Skill

The Handoff skill is designed to solve the problem of context loss and fragmentation during long-term AI development projects. By automating the creation of structured session notes, it ensures seamless continuity between work sessions, capturing critical data such as file modifications, pending tasks, and verification steps to maintain a persistent project state.

Use Cases

  • End-of-Session Documentation: Automatically generating a comprehensive summary of work completed and files changed before closing a session to ensure no progress is lost.
  • Context Compaction: Summarizing lengthy chat histories into a concise markdown file to save tokens and maintain focus while preserving essential project metadata.
  • Task Switching: Creating a 'breadcrumb' trail when moving between different features or branches, allowing the agent to resume work instantly with clear 'Next Steps'.
  • Project Onboarding: Providing a structured handoff file that allows new agents or human collaborators to understand the current state of the codebase and immediate priorities.
namehandoff
descriptionWrites comprehensive handoff note at session end. Captures work done, files changed, remaining tasks, and next steps. Use before ending any work session or switching contexts.
allowed-toolsRead, Write, Glob

Handoff

Make work portable across sessions. Write to .context/handoff.md.

When to Use

  • End of every work session
  • Before switching tasks or contexts
  • Before user leaves
  • When compacting context

Process

  1. Gather: What was requested? What did we do? What changed?
  2. Document: Files, agents, decisions, docs updated
  3. Verify: How to confirm the work is correct
  4. Remaining: What's incomplete, issues, blockers
  5. Prepare: What does next session need?

Output Location

Write to: .context/handoff.md

Essential Sections

# Session Handoff — [Date]

## Summary
[2-3 sentences: what was accomplished]

## Work Completed
- [Feature/fix]: [description]

## Files Changed
| File | Change | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| path | modified | what changed |

## Verification
[Commands to run, UI to check, tests to execute]

## Remaining
- [ ] [Incomplete task]
- **Issue**: [description + workaround]

## Next Session
1. Run `/session-start`
2. Load [specific docs]
3. Start with [first action]

Quick Handoff (Short Sessions)

# Quick Handoff — [Date]
**Did**: [one sentence]
**Changed**: [file list]
**Verify**: [one command/action]
**Next**: [what to do]

Quality Check

  • Summary is specific, not vague
  • All changed files listed
  • Verification steps are actionable
  • Remaining work is explicit
  • Next session can start immediately