handoff

name	handoff
description	Generate a HANDOFF.md context transfer document for session continuity. Use when switching sessions, handing off to another agent, or preserving complex task context before a context window reset. Trigger on "/handoff" command or "handoff:" prefix in inter-agent messages.

Handoff -- Session Context Transfer

When to use

• You are about to hit context limits and need to preserve task state
• A task needs to continue in a fresh session (yours or another agent's)
• Inter-agent delegation of a complex, multi-step task
• User explicitly says /handoff or asks to "save context for later"
• Before a /checkpoint when the task is too complex for 3-5 bullet points

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
purpose	YES	What the next session should do with this context
target	no	Agent name (e.g. target=dev2) -- sends via inter-agent message instead of writing file
output	no	File path override (default: project root HANDOFF.md)

Examples:

• /handoff purpose="Continue the Pipedrive connector PR review and address CI failures"
• /handoff purpose="Finish the scheduler forceSend implementation" target=dev2
• /handoff purpose="Debug the auth redirect loop" output=/tmp/handoff-auth.md

Procedure

1. Gather context

Collect data from these sources (skip any that return empty):

# Active kanban cards (assigned to current agent or recently touched)
AGENT_ID="$(echo $BOT_NAME | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')"
sqlite3 store/claudeclaw.db "SELECT id, title, status, priority, assignee, description FROM kanban_cards WHERE archived_at IS NULL AND (assignee = '$AGENT_ID' OR status = 'in_progress') ORDER BY priority DESC, updated_at DESC LIMIT 10"

# Hot memories from last 24h
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $(cat store/.dashboard-token)" \
  "http://localhost:3420/api/memories?agent=$AGENT_ID&category=hot&limit=10"

# Recent warm memories (project context)
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $(cat store/.dashboard-token)" \
  "http://localhost:3420/api/memories?agent=$AGENT_ID&category=warm&limit=5"

# Today's daily log
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $(cat store/.dashboard-token)" \
  "http://localhost:3420/api/daily-log?agent=$AGENT_ID&date=$DATE"

Also include from your current conversation context:

• The last significant user/peer messages and decisions
• Any error patterns or debugging findings
• File paths and line numbers you were working on
• Git branch, uncommitted changes, open PRs

2. Generate HANDOFF.md

Structure with exactly these 5 sections:

# Handoff: {purpose}

Generated: {ISO timestamp}
From: {agent name}
To: {target agent or "next session"}

## Goal
{What the overall task is trying to accomplish. 2-3 sentences max.}

## Current Progress
{What has been done so far. Bullet list with specifics:
- File paths changed
- PRs opened (with URLs)
- Kanban card IDs and their status
- Key decisions made}

## What Worked
{Approaches, tools, or patterns that succeeded:
- Specific commands or API calls that gave good results
- Architecture decisions that held up
- Workarounds that solved blockers}

## What Didn't Work
{Dead ends, failed approaches, gotchas:
- Commands or approaches that failed and WHY
- Assumptions that turned out wrong
- Edge cases discovered}

## Next Steps
{Concrete, actionable items for the receiving session:
1. First thing to do (most specific)
2. Second thing
3. ...
Keep each step concrete enough to execute without asking questions.}

3. Deliver

File mode (default): Write HANDOFF.md to the project root (or output path).

Inter-agent mode (target= specified): Send the full HANDOFF.md content as an inter-agent message:

curl -s -X POST http://localhost:3420/api/messages \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $(cat store/.dashboard-token)" \
  -d "{\"from\":\"$AGENT_ID\",\"to\":\"TARGET\",\"content\":\"[HANDOFF] purpose: ... \n\n$(cat HANDOFF.md)\"}"

4. Confirm

Report to the user/caller:

• Where the handoff was written (file path or inter-agent message ID)
• Summary: how many kanban cards, memories, and log entries were included
• The purpose line for quick reference

Pitfalls

• Do NOT include secrets, tokens, or .env values in the handoff
• Do NOT include full file contents -- use paths and line numbers
• Keep it under 3000 words -- the receiving session needs room to work
• If target= agent is not running (check tmux), warn and fall back to file mode
• The handoff is a snapshot -- it goes stale. Include the timestamp prominently

Relation to other persistence mechanisms

Mechanism	Scope	Handoff uses it as
checkpoint	Session summary (SQLite)	Source: pulls recent checkpoint data
DREAM.md	Nightly consolidation	Not directly -- too high-level
hot memory	Active task state	Source: includes active hot memories
warm memory	Stable project context	Source: includes relevant warm context
kanban	Task tracking	Source: includes assigned/active cards
daily log	Chronological record	Source: includes today's log entries

The handoff READS from these systems but does not REPLACE them. After a handoff, the receiving session should still check the live state of kanban/memory -- the handoff is a starting-context accelerator, not the source of truth.