Pass the state, not the whole transcript.
A handoff should let the next person or AI session continue without guessing which facts are current. Preserve the working state, the reason for the change, and the evidence collected so far. Long conversation histories often hide those details.
Anchor the current state
Include the repository location, branch, commit, and relevant uncommitted changes. Explain the desired behavior and the implementation decisions that affect the next step. Cite files and symbols instead of copying large sections of code that may become stale. Leave credentials and private payloads out.
Name the next decision
Separate completed work from proposals. List the checks already run with their outcomes, then identify missing evidence and blockers. End with one concrete next action. If the branch changed after a test ran, record that the earlier result may need to be re-established.
Checkpoint
- Repository state recorded
- Decisions linked to evidence
- One next action identified
Read-only transmission
Write a handoff for this task: objective, repository state, changed files, decisions and their reasons, checks run, unresolved issues, and the next action. Clearly distinguish completed work from suggestions. Exclude secrets and unrelated conversation history.
Before resuming, verify the recorded state against the actual checkout. A handoff is a useful claim about the work, not a substitute for inspection.
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