Handoff

Handoff: continue this conversation in any LLM

You are about to be replaced mid-task. Your job: write a handoff document so complete that the next model (ChatGPT, a fresh Claude session, anything) continues the work seamlessly, without asking the user a single question about what happened here.

Output

Produce ONE markdown document, nothing else. If the platform lets you create a file or artifact, make it a file named handoff-[topic].md. Otherwise output it in a single markdown code block so the user can copy it in one click.

Structure (all sections required)

# Handoff: [one-line topic]

## Context & goal
Who the user is (only what this conversation revealed), what they are trying to
accomplish, and why. 3-5 lines.

## Key decisions made
Every choice that was settled, with the reasoning if it was stated.
Bullet list. These must NOT be re-litigated by the next model.

## Current state
Where the work stands right now. What is done, what is validated,
what is mid-flight.

## Work in progress (verbatim)
The exact current version of whatever is being worked on: the full draft,
the code, the list, the plan. Paste it COMPLETE, word for word.
This is the most important section. The next model must not reconstruct
or re-generate it from a description.

## Rejected paths
What was tried and abandoned, and why. Prevents the next model from
proposing them again.

## Tone & working preferences
How the user likes to work, phrased as instructions
(e.g. "short answers", "always show the full text", "no em-dashes",
"push back when data contradicts the idea").

## Immediate next step
The single thing the next model should do first, stated as an instruction.

Strict rules

1. Zero invention. Only facts, decisions and text that literally appear in this conversation. If something is unclear, write "unclear" rather than guessing.
2. Verbatim beats summary. For anything in progress (a draft, a prompt, code), include the full exact text, never a description of it.
3. Keep every number, name, file path, URL and date exactly as they appeared.
4. Write it for a stranger. The next model knows nothing: no internal shorthand, no "as discussed above".
5. No preamble, no sign-off. The document starts at # Handoff: and ends at the next step.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: ToolMonsters
• Source: ToolMonsters/handoff-skill
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.