Handoff Skill

Save the current session context so a fresh Claude session can pick up exactly where this one left off.

When to Use

• User runs /handoff or /handoff [notes]
• User says they want to save context, switch sessions, or continue later
• User mentions context is getting full or compaction is losing detail

Instructions

When this skill activates, do the following:

Step 1: Gather Context

Review the current conversation and identify:

1. Session summary: 2-3 sentence overview of what was happening this session
2. Active goals: What the user is trying to accomplish (the big picture)
3. Unfinished work: Tasks in progress, what's been done, what's left
4. Key files: Files that were being worked on (full absolute paths)
5. Important decisions: Any architectural, design, or strategic decisions made
6. User's last intent: What they were about to do or asked for last
7. User notes: If the user provided notes via /handoff [notes], include them prominently

Step 2: Write the Handoff Document

Format the context as a structured markdown document. Use this exact template:

# Handoff Context

> Saved from previous session. Resume where you left off.

## Session Summary
[2-3 sentences]

## Active Goals
- [goal 1]
- [goal 2]

## Unfinished Work
- [ ] [task with status]
- [ ] [task with status]

## Key Files
- `/absolute/path/to/file1` - [what/why]
- `/absolute/path/to/file2` - [what/why]

## Important Decisions
- [decision and rationale]

## Last Intent
[What the user was about to do or asked for last]

## User Notes
[Any notes the user provided, or "None"]

Step 3: Save to Two Places

A) Save to claude-mem for long-term searchable memory:

Use the mcp__plugin_claude-mem_mcp-search__save_memory tool with:

• title: "HANDOFF: [brief summary of session]"
• text: The full handoff document from Step 2
• project: Use the current project name if known, otherwise omit

B) Save to handoff file for immediate injection on next startup:

Use the Write tool to write the handoff document to: ~/.claude/handoff-context.md

Step 4: Confirm

Tell the user:

• Context has been saved
• They can safely close Claude and start a fresh session
• The next session will automatically receive this context on startup
• The context is also saved to long-term memory for future reference

Keep the confirmation brief -- 2-3 lines max.

Important

• Be thorough in capturing context but concise in presentation
• Use absolute file paths, never relative
• If the session was short or simple, the handoff can be brief too -- don't pad it
• The handoff file is deleted after being injected, so it's a one-time use