handoff

name	handoff
description	End-of-session context handoff. Saves session state so the next session or a parallel agent can pick up exactly where the left off. Run this when context is getting full (~80%) or before stopping work.

Clade for Codex

This workflow runs directly in Codex. Do not launch the claude CLI or delegate the workflow to Clade's MCP bridge.

Codex compatibility rules:

• Plugin skills are namespaced. Invoke this workflow explicitly as $clade:handoff; a bare $name does not select the installed Clade plugin.
• Read the nearest AGENTS.md files for repository instructions. If a project has only CLAUDE.md, treat it as legacy project guidance and read it too.
• Store new Clade working state under .clade/ (or ~/.clade/ for personal state). Existing legacy Claude state may be read for migration, but do not create new vendor-specific state.
• A /skill-name reference means the corresponding Codex $clade:skill-name plugin skill, or the same workflow invoked naturally when explicit skill invocation is not available.
• Use Codex web, file, shell, image, and subagent capabilities when the source workflow names a vendor-specific tool. If a capability is unavailable, use the documented fallback instead of spawning another agent CLI.
• Paths such as <plugin-root>/... are relative to the installed Clade plugin containing this SKILL.md; resolve that root before invoking a helper.

Canonical Clade workflow

name: handoff trigger: user runs /handoff, context near full, or ending work session completion-status: DONE | DONE_WITH_CONCERNS | BLOCKED | NEEDS_CONTEXT

Save session state so the next session or parallel agent can resume exactly where you left off.

When to Run

• Context window is ~80% full
• About to stop work for the day
• Switching to a different task
• Before running /compact

Execution Steps

Step 1: Collect Data (run in parallel)

git log --oneline -15
git status -sb
git diff --stat HEAD~5..HEAD 2>/dev/null

Also read TODO.md current state.

Step 2: Detect Iteration Number

ls .clade/handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null | wc -l

• First handoff (count = 0): Use the INITIAL TEMPLATE below
• Subsequent handoffs (count ≥ 1): Read the most recent .clade/handoff-*.md, then do INCREMENTAL UPDATE:
  • Keep Goal and Constraints unchanged (only update if user explicitly changed direction)
  • Move "In Progress" items to "Done ✅" if git log shows they were completed
  • Append new Done items from this session's commits
  • Update Next Steps based on current git state and TODO.md
  • Add new Key Decisions if any were made this session

Step 3: Write Handoff File

Save to: .clade/handoff-{YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM}.md

INITIAL TEMPLATE (use for first handoff):

# Handoff: {YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM}
<!-- STRUCTURED HANDOFF v2 — preserve all section headers exactly -->

## Goal
{One sentence: the overall objective of this work session / task}

## Constraints & Preferences
- {Technical constraints, stack choices, things explicitly NOT to do}
- {User preferences discovered this session}

## Progress
### Done ✅
- [x] {Completed item with exact file path} ({short commit hash})

### In Progress 🔄
- [ ] {Item currently being worked on — what specifically remains to do}

### Blocked 🚫
- {Specific blocker needing human input — OR write "none"}

## Key Decisions
- **{Decision}**: {Rationale — why this over alternatives}

## Next Steps (ordered by priority)
1. {Exact next action — specific file, specific change, specific command}
2. {Second action}
3. {Third action}

## Critical Context
- {Non-obvious codebase facts the next agent must know}
- {Pitfalls discovered, configs that matter, edge cases found}
- {Anything that took time to figure out — save the next agent that time}

## Files
<read-files>
{absolute paths of files READ this session, one per line}
</read-files>

<modified-files>
{absolute paths of files MODIFIED this session, one per line}
</modified-files>

## Meta
- Branch: {git branch --show-current}
- Uncommitted: {git status -sb output, or "clean"}
- Build: {passing | failing | unknown — based on last verify/test run}
- Session: {approximate duration}

Step 4: Report

Output:

Handoff saved: .clade/handoff-{timestamp}.md

Goal: {one sentence}
Done this session: {N items}
Blockers: {none / list}
Next: {Step 1 from Next Steps}

Completion Status

• ✅ DONE: Handoff file saved successfully
• ⚠ DONE_WITH_CONCERNS: Saved but with uncommitted changes or unresolved blockers
• ❌ BLOCKED: Cannot capture state — details to .clade/blockers.md
• ❓ NEEDS_CONTEXT: Missing information needed to write accurate handoff

3-Strike Rule

If you fail to complete a step 3 times: write failure details to .clade/blockers.md and stop.

Additional skill reference

Handoff Skill

When context is ~80% full (or before stopping), output a structured handoff document so the next session can resume exactly where this one left off — no re-explanation needed.

Handoff Format (STRUCTURED HANDOFF v2)

The authoritative template lives in prompt.md (Step 3) — this is the shape it produces. Saved to .clade/handoff-{YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM}.md; /pickup parses these exact section headers.

# Handoff: {YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM}
<!-- STRUCTURED HANDOFF v2 — preserve all section headers exactly -->

## Goal
One sentence: the overall objective of this work session / task.

## Constraints & Preferences
- <technical constraints, stack choices, things explicitly NOT to do>
- <user preferences discovered this session>

## Progress
### Done ✅
- [x] <completed item with exact file path> (<short commit hash>)

### In Progress 🔄
- [ ] <item currently being worked on — what specifically remains>

### Blocked 🚫
- <specific blocker needing human input — OR "none">

## Key Decisions
- **<Decision>**: <rationale — why this over alternatives>

## Next Steps (ordered by priority)
1. <exact next action — specific file, specific change, specific command>
2. <second action>

## Critical Context
- <non-obvious codebase facts, pitfalls, configs that matter>
- <API keys or secrets needed (mention only location, never paste values)>

## Files
<read-files>
<absolute paths of files READ this session, one per line>
</read-files>

<modified-files>
<absolute paths of files MODIFIED this session, one per line>
</modified-files>

## Meta
- Branch: <git branch --show-current>
- Uncommitted: <git status -sb output, or "clean">
- Build: <passing | failing | unknown>
- Session: <approximate duration>

Subsequent handoffs are incremental: keep Goal/Constraints, move completed In-Progress items to Done ✅, update Next Steps (see prompt.md Step 2).

Rules

• Goal: Keep it to 1 paragraph. If you can't summarize it, the scope is too large.
• Key Decisions: Only record non-obvious decisions. "Used Python because it's the project language" doesn't need a note.
• Blocked: If blocked, write to .clade/blockers.md instead of leaving it in handoff.
• Secrets: Never paste actual API keys, tokens, or passwords. Just note where they are stored.
• Read/Modified files: These go in the XML-tagged sections so the next session can load them with exact context.

What Happens to the Handoff

The next session receives this via /pickup or by reading the handoff file. It should be able to:

1. Understand the current state without asking you
2. Know exactly where to pick up
3. Understand why past decisions were made

Delivery completion

If this workflow changes files or external state:

• Inspect the real final state before responding, including git status for a repository task.
• Never report DONE while task-owned changes are uncommitted. Use or continue $clade:delivery and create a repository-compliant checkpoint or preserve the work when committing is unavailable.
• When the user request or trusted repository policy makes publication, deployment, or live verification part of the task, do not silently downgrade the result to local-only work.
• If a required delivery transition lacks authority, credentials, a destination, or reachable external state, report BLOCKED or NEEDS_CONTEXT rather than appending a "not committed/pushed/deployed" caveat after DONE.