Handoff — memory first, then the kickoff

A fresh session has zero memory of this one; the handoff note is the only bridge. Run this whenever work winds down — even if no one asked (core/50).

When this fires

"handoff" / "wrap up" / "let's stop here" / context pressure / a closed phase / before a long external wait, merge, release, deployment, or other irreversible external gate.

Runtime neutrality

This workflow is identical in every client. Never infer the active agent from this skill's install path: portable canonical content may be copied into a required client adapter such as .claude/skills. Use “fresh chat” rather than a runtime-specific reset command so the note remains portable.

Fast path — if the Agentsmith CLI is available

1. Run agentsmith handoff [item-id] — use .agentsmith/agentsmith on macOS/Linux or .agentsmith\\agentsmith.cmd on Windows when the command is not on PATH. It pre-fills branch/HEAD/dirty count and scaffolds .harness/handoffs/handoff-<stamp>.md with the standard sections.
2. Fill the scaffolded sections (below). Before you treat the note as saved, run agentsmith secret-scan <note path>; on a finding, replace the value with the name of the resource and scan again. Then emit the kickoff block as your final message.

Fallback — no CLI

1. Safe state FIRST (core/50 step 1): commit or stash so nothing half-edited is lost. Never hand off a dirty tree silently.
2. Write .harness/handoffs/handoff-<stamp>.md with these sections:
   • Recovery checkpoint — exact objective; repository/worktree; protected-state hashes; branch/commit and external identifiers; completed/skipped verification; active operation; next read-only recovery command; remaining authorized writes; stop conditions.
   • What shipped this session — with commit SHAs / PR links.
   • Verified this session — the checks you ran in this session, with command and result.
   • Carried over, not re-verified — claims from earlier notes or other agents you did not re-check. Never move a claim into "verified" without running its check.
   • What is still pending.
   • Open questions — default if unanswered — each question with the default the next session takes if nobody answers.
   • Deviations / decisions made (so they're not re-litigated).
   • Exact next step — the single first action for the next session.
   • Gotchas a fresh session would otherwise re-derive.
3. Scan the note before you treat it as saved: agentsmith secret-scan <note path> (or .agentsmith/agentsmith secret-scan <note path>). A handoff note is read by every later session, so a secret in it spreads.
4. Emit a fenced "Kickoff prompt for a fresh chat" block: 3–6 sentences of self-contained prose (not bullets — they paste it straight in) covering the item id, branch + HEAD, what's done, the single next step, decisions already made, and the handoff note path.

Report

Name the handoff file, then end your message with the fenced kickoff block. If you notice mid-wrap that you haven't written the note yet, stop and write it before continuing.