agent-handoff

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.

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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

• All packet slots filled.
• Definition of done is unambiguous.
• Context links resolve for the next agent.
• Constraints inherited from the original frame.
• Sensitivity / audience preserved.
• Open questions explicit.

Related

• agent-orchestration, human-in-the-loop
• intent-framing, context-gathering
• protect-sensitive-info