Handoff — Agent Skill by Matt Pocock

From the author

Compact the current conversation into a handoff document for another agent to pick up.

— the description by Matt Pocock

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The handoff skill creates a structured summary of the current conversation, enabling a new agent to pick up work where the previous one left off. It focuses on synthesizing context, referencing existing project artifacts rather than duplicating them, and providing actionable guidance for the next session. The skill ensures continuity by including a suggested skills section and requires the user to specify the focus of the upcoming session to tailor the output effectively.

What it does

Summarizes the current conversation history into a compact handoff document.
References existing project files, specs, and plans instead of duplicating content.
Includes a section for suggested skills to guide the next agent's tool usage.
Redacts sensitive information like API keys and PII.
Saves the final document to the system's temporary directory.

When to use it

When you need to switch agents mid-project while maintaining context.
When a task is complex and requires multiple sessions or different specialized agents.
When you want to ensure the next agent has a clear understanding of progress and next steps.

Advantages

Prevents loss of context during agent transitions.
Reduces clutter by referencing existing documentation rather than repeating it.
Provides clear, actionable instructions for the incoming agent.
Enhances security by enforcing redaction of sensitive data.

Usage examples

“handoff "The next session will focus on implementing the authentication middleware based on the previous design specs."”: The agent generates a handoff document in the temporary directory summarizing the current progress and explicitly recommending the next agent use specific authentication-related skills.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/mattpocock/handoff/download
Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
```
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip handoff.zip -d .agents/skills
```

Documentation by Matt Pocock

Write a handoff document summarising the current conversation so a fresh agent can continue the work. Save to the temporary directory of the user's OS ($TMPDIR, else /tmp; %TEMP% on Windows) - not the current workspace.

Include a "suggested skills" section in the document, naming which skills the next agent should call the Skill tool for.

Do not duplicate content already captured in other artifacts (specs, plans, ADRs, issues, commits, diffs). Reference them by path or URL instead.

Redact any sensitive information, such as API keys, passwords, or personally identifiable information.

If the user passed arguments, treat them as a description of what the next session will focus on and tailor the doc accordingly.

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer856 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
SKILL.md940 B
agents/openai.yaml141 B

agents/openai.yaml

interface:
  display_name: "Handoff"
  short_description: "Compact a conversation into a handoff"
policy:
  allow_implicit_invocation: false

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: Claude Code

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Claude Code frontmatter, Needs an API key

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

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