session-handoff

name	session-handoff
description	Generate a complete handoff prompt for seamless continuation in a new session. Use when context is filling up or before ending a productive session.

Session Handoff

Generate a complete handoff package for seamless session continuation.

When to Use

• Context window approaching limit
• Before ending a productive session
• User requests handoff explicitly
• Complex task spans multiple sessions

Handoff Process

See .ai/memory/README.md for how memory files fit together and default read order for the next session.

Step 0: Check Token Budget

Read .ai/memory/.memory-config.md for token budget (if exists):

• economy: Session summary ~200-400 tokens (brief, 2-3 sentences)
• light: Session summary ~400-700 tokens (concise, 3-5 sentences)
• standard: Session summary ~600-1000 tokens (default, 5-8 sentences)
• detailed: Session summary ~900-1500 tokens (comprehensive, 8-12 sentences)

If no config exists, use standard budget.

Step 1: Sync Memory First

Before generating handoff:

• Update active-context.md with current state
• Add any new decisions to decisions/
• Update progress.md
• Create session summary in sessions/

Session file format: sessions/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md (see .ai/memory/sessions/README.md)

Note: Include timestamp (HHMM) to avoid overwriting previous same-day sessions. Use topic suffix when a clear topic exists.

# Session: [date]

## Summary
Brief summary of what was accomplished.
- economy: 2-3 sentences
- light: 3-5 sentences
- standard: 5-8 sentences (default)
- detailed: 8-12 sentences with comprehensive context

## Work Completed
- [Item 1]
- [Item 2]

## Decisions Made
- ADR-NNN: [title] (if applicable)

## Context for Next Session
- [Key context point]

## Open Questions
- [Question if any]

---
*Session duration: ~[time]*

Step 2: Gather Handoff Context

Collect:

• Original goal: What the user asked for
• Current task: What we're actively working on
• Progress: What's been completed
• Remaining work: What still needs doing
• Key decisions: Decisions made (reference ADRs)
• Blockers/questions: Unresolved issues
• Critical files: Files being modified
• Recent errors: Any errors being debugged

Step 3: Generate Handoff Prompt

Output a copyable prompt:

## Handoff Prompt (copy everything below)

```
I'm continuing work on [project-name] from a previous session.

## Original Goal
[What the user originally asked for]

## Session Summary
[2-3 sentence summary]

## Current State
- **Active task:** [Current work]
- **Files in progress:** [List files]
- **Last action:** [Recent action]

## Completed This Session
- [Item 1]
- [Item 2]

## Remaining Work
- [ ] [Task 1 - next priority]
- [ ] [Task 2]

## Key Decisions Made
- [Decision 1] (see ADR-NNN)

## Open Questions/Blockers
- [Question or blocker]

## Context to Load
Project memory is at: .ai/memory/
Key files to review: [list files]

Please load the project memory and continue with [next task].
```

Step 4: Confirm

Session handoff complete. Memory synced.

Copy the prompt above into a new session to continue.