handoff

name	handoff
description	Compact the current conversation into a handoff document for a fresh agent to pick up next session. Includes current phase, workspace state, memory state, and suggested skills.
argument-hint	What will the next session be used for?
disable-model-invocation	true
source	Matt Pocock (mattpocock/skills) — extended for LemonHarness phases

Handoff

Leading word: bridge — this document is a bridge between sessions. The next agent should be able to pick up and continue without re-reading the entire conversation.

Write a handoff document so a fresh agent can continue the work. Save to the OS temporary directory (/tmp/), not the workspace — the handoff is a session boundary artifact, not project documentation.

Required Sections

1. Session Summary

• What was accomplished this session (bullet list of completed work)
• What decisions were made (with links to any ADRs, issues, or commits)

2. Current State

Capture the LemonHarness execution state so the next agent orients immediately:

• Phase — which phase the session ended in (P1/P2/P3/P4) and budget consumed
• Workspace — key files modified, snapshots taken (/lemonharness:snapshots)
• Memory — any memory records written (/memory:status), key moments found (/lemonharness:key-moments)
• Quality gate — last gate result (/lemonharness:quality-gate), any failures

3. Next Steps

• What remains to be done (ordered by priority)
• What the next session's first action should be
• Stopping condition — the concrete signal that the next session is done

4. Suggested Skills

List the skills the next agent should invoke, in order of relevance. Include:

• Domain skills (e.g., database-patterns, api-design)
• Meta-skills (e.g., self-improvement for cross-session learning)
• research if investigation is still needed
• writing-great-skills if skills need maintenance

5. Open Questions

• Any unresolved decisions, ambiguous requirements, or blocked items
• What information is still needed and where to find it

Rules

1. Don't duplicate content already captured in other artifacts (PRDs, plans, ADRs, issues, commits, diffs). Reference them by path or URL instead.
2. Redact sensitive information — API keys, passwords, PII.
3. Tailor to the next session — if the user passed arguments, treat them as a description of what the next session will focus on.
4. Be concrete — prefer file paths, commit SHAs, and command invocations over vague descriptions. The next agent has no memory of this conversation.

Relationship to P4 Reserve

The handoff skill is the structured output of the P4 Reserve phase. When entering P4:

1. Update workspace state via /lemonharness:status
2. Record any remaining memory via workspace_memory_record
3. Run this handoff skill to produce the bridge document
4. Optionally create a workspace snapshot via /lemonharness:snapshot

The handoff is not a replacement for workspace snapshots — snapshots capture file state, handoffs capture conversational and decision state. Use both.