handoff

name	handoff
description	Wrap the current session for continuity so the user can /clear (or exit) and resume cleanly in a fresh session. Writes a prescriptive cold-start handoff doc AND a ready-to-paste restart prompt, with real git state auto-captured. Use when the user says "hand this off", "write a handoff", "wrap this session", "handoff and a restart prompt", "prep to /clear", "session handoff", "pause here and let me resume later", "write me a handoff doc", or "I want to continue this in a fresh session".
argument-hint	focus / next task for the resume prompt

Handoff

Write a prescriptive cold-start handoff doc and a paste-able restart prompt so the user can /clear or exit and resume cleanly without losing context.

Announce at start: "I'm using the handoff skill to wrap this session."

Do NOT confuse with skills/dev/claude-handoff — that skill spawns a background agent. This skill produces session-continuity artifacts for a human to resume manually.

---

1. Boot from the OS preamble

Load os/PREAMBLE.md (USER identity + active rules + anti-slop / use-the-skill contract) before proceeding. This grounds the handoff in who the user is and what rules apply to their sessions.

---

2. Auto-capture git state

Run all of the following and embed the results verbatim in the handoff doc. The user must not have to type any of this themselves.

git branch --show-current
git status -sb
git log --oneline -10
git diff --stat $(git merge-base HEAD @{u} 2>/dev/null || git merge-base HEAD origin/main 2>/dev/null || echo HEAD) HEAD 2>/dev/null

For open PRs, run:

gh pr list --state open 2>/dev/null || echo "(gh not available or no open PRs)"

If the directory is not a git repo, note that and skip git sections.

---

3. Write the handoff doc

Target path: .memory-bank/HANDOFF-<YYYY-MM-DD>.md in the current project directory. Use today's date (YYYY-MM-DD). If .memory-bank/ does not exist, create it.

Required sections — in this order

# Handoff — <YYYY-MM-DD>

> **TLDR:** <one sentence: what was being worked on and the single most important
> thing the next session needs to know>

## Cold start (do in order)

1. `cd <absolute project path>`
2. `git checkout <branch>`
3. Read: <path/to/most-important-context-file>
4. Read: <this handoff doc>
5. <any must-run setup command, e.g. `nvm use`, `pnpm install`>
6. Open `/sir-albert:resume` to reload state in ≤5 bullets before doing anything.

## Current state

- **Branch:** `<branch>` — <what it contains>
- **Done this session:** <bullets, reference commit hashes or artifact paths — no duplicate prose>
  
  



<!-- Re-litigating a resolved decision costs sessions. Record it once here. -->

  



 



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Style rules

• TLDR first. Put the most important thing at the top.
• Prescriptive, not descriptive. Cold start is a numbered list of actions, not a narrative of what happened.
• Reference, don't duplicate. For PRDs, plans, ADRs, prior handoffs, or long decision logs — reference by path or URL. Do NOT paste their content.
• No slop. No filler phrases ("as we discussed", "it's worth noting"). Every bullet earns its place.

---

4. Emit the restart prompt

Immediately after writing the handoff doc, print a fenced code block the user can copy and paste into a fresh session. It must be self-contained.

```
You are resuming work on <repo name>, branch `<branch>`.

Before doing ANYTHING else:
1. Read: .memory-bank/HANDOFF-<YYYY-MM-DD>.md
2. Run /sir-albert:resume to state the plan back in ≤5 bullets.
3. Confirm the next task with me before starting.

Immediate next task: <next task from the handoff doc, one sentence>

Project root: <absolute path>
```

If $ARGUMENTS were passed, use them as the "immediate next task" wording.

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5. Cross-file durable learnings (conditional)

After emitting the restart prompt, ask yourself: did this session produce durable, reusable knowledge that would benefit future sessions on different projects — not just task state?

Examples of durable learnings worth capturing:

• A non-obvious pattern or approach that solved a recurring problem
• A tool or API behavior that isn't obvious from its docs
• A domain concept that clarified a class of decisions

Examples of things that are NOT durable learnings:

• "We renamed file X to Y" (task state — already in the handoff doc)
• "The PR is open" (operational — already in the handoff doc)

If durable learnings exist, invoke kw-compound and present the candidate(s) for approval before filing. Never auto-save to the wiki.

If no durable learnings exist, skip this step silently.

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6. Redact secrets

Before writing the handoff doc and before emitting the restart prompt, scan for:

• API keys, tokens, passwords, connection strings
• Personal email addresses or phone numbers not intended for sharing
• Internal URLs or credentials

Replace any found with [REDACTED]. The handoff doc may be pasted into other tools or shared with teammates.

---

Completion report

After all steps, confirm to the user:

Handoff written: .memory-bank/HANDOFF-<YYYY-MM-DD>.md
Restart prompt: (above — ready to paste)
Wiki compounds: <N filed | none>

Do NOT commit the handoff doc unless the user explicitly asks.