| name | agent-handoff |
| category | cowork |
| description | Pass context cleanly between Copilot agents (e.g. analyst agent -> comms agent). Use whenever a deliverable spans more than one specialist agent or persona. Triggers: "hand off to", switching agents, multi-agent pipeline, agent A -> agent B. |
Agent Handoff
Agents do not retain context across handoffs. The handoff packet is the bridge.
Quick Reference (the handoff packet)
| Slot | What goes in |
|---|
| From | Agent / persona handing off |
| To | Agent / persona receiving |
| Goal | What the next agent must produce |
| Context links | Files, threads, prior outputs |
| Constraints | Length · tone · audience · deadline |
| What was tried | Prior attempts and outcomes |
| Open questions | What the next agent must resolve |
| Definition of done | How the next agent knows they're finished |
When to Use
- Any deliverable spanning two or more specialist agents.
- Handing your own work to a teammate (same packet works).
- After a research agent finishes and a drafting agent picks up.
- Before a human-in-the-loop gate.
How to Use
When handing off, produce a structured packet:
HANDOFF
From: <agent / persona>
To: <agent / persona>
Goal: <what the next agent must produce>
Context links: <files, threads, prior outputs>
Constraints: <length, tone, audience, deadline>
What was tried: <prior attempts and outcomes>
Open questions: <anything the next agent must resolve>
Definition of done: <how the next agent knows it's finished>
Paste the packet at the top of the new agent's session. Don't assume any prior context carried over.
Examples
| Don't: Implicit handoff | Do: Packet handoff |
|---|
| "Continue from where the analyst left off." | Full packet with goal · context · DoD |
| Hand off without DoD | DoD: "draft is ≤500 words, recommendation in TL;DR, all numbers cited" |
| Hand off without prior attempts | "Tried two-paragraph TL;DR — too dense; tried 5-bullet — lost recommendation" |
| Trust the next agent to find context | Attach / link every source explicitly |
Critical Rules
- Context never auto-transfers. The packet is the context.
- Definition of done is mandatory. Otherwise the next agent invents one.
- Open questions go in the packet, not in private notes.
- What was tried saves the next agent's first three prompts.
- The packet is reviewed before paste. Garbage in = garbage continued.
Common Pitfalls
- Hand-off without DoD -> next agent over- or under-produces.
- Pasting the packet but stripping the constraints.
- Assuming the next agent has access to the same connectors.
- Forgetting to include the prior agent's output as a context link.
- Continuing in the same session and calling it a handoff (it's not).
Anti-Patterns
- "Continue from where the analyst left off." From where? Spell it out.
- Handing off without a definition of done.
- Letting the next agent re-discover context that's already established.
- Verbal handoffs.
Verify Before Handing Off
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