Agent Skills: Session Handoff

Write HANDOFF.md before ending a complex session. Use when wrapping up, switching tasks, or when context is getting large and a fresh session would help.

UncategorizedID: ianchenx/ian-skills/handoff

Install this agent skill to your local

pnpm dlx add-skill https://github.com/ianchenx/ian-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/handoff

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skills/handoff/SKILL.md

Skill Metadata

Name
handoff
Description
Write HANDOFF.md before ending a complex session. Use when wrapping up, switching tasks, or when context is getting large and a fresh session would help.

Session Handoff

Write a HANDOFF.md in the project root so the next session can continue without losing context. This file is overwritten each time — history is preserved by git.

When to Write

  • Before ending a session with significant progress
  • When context is large and a fresh session would be more effective
  • When the user says "handoff", "wrap up", "save progress", or similar

Template

Write HANDOFF.md in the project root with this structure:

# Handoff

## Current State
What's done and what's not. Be specific — file names, function names, line numbers.

## What Worked
Approaches and decisions that succeeded. Include rationale.

## What Failed
Dead ends and why they failed. Save the next session from repeating mistakes.

## Open Issues
Bugs, edge cases, or concerns discovered but not yet addressed.

## Next Steps
Exactly what the next session should do first.
Ordered by priority. Be actionable, not vague.

Rules

  1. Be specific — "Modified src/auth.ts lines 45-80 to add JWT validation" not "Updated auth code"
  2. Be honest about failures — the next session needs to know what NOT to try
  3. Keep it under 200 lines — this will be loaded into the next session's context
  4. Overwrite the existing HANDOFF.md — don't append
  5. After writing, tell the user: "HANDOFF.md written. Start next session with: read HANDOFF.md and continue"

Resuming from Handoff

When the user says "read HANDOFF.md" or "continue from handoff":

  1. Read HANDOFF.md from the project root
  2. Summarize the current state to the user
  3. Confirm the next steps before proceeding