# Write a Handoff

Writes a HANDOFF.md so a fresh session can continue where this one stopped.

- Repository: https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem (109099 stars)
- Category: AI and agents
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill handoff -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill handoff -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill handoff -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add thedotmack/claude-mem --skill handoff -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add thedotmack/claude-mem`

## Description

Generate a HANDOFF.md that captures goal, current state, files touched, failed attempts, and next steps, so a fresh Claude session can continue exactly where this one left off. Use when sessions are getting long, Claude keeps retrying the same broken solution, or the user wants to step away and resume later.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Handoff

Generate a structured `HANDOFF.md` file that gives a fresh Claude session everything it needs to continue this work without dragging the current degraded context forward.

claude-mem already injects recent observations into every new session, so the fresh agent starts with a timeline of what happened. The handoff adds what that timeline cannot: the goal, the failed attempts and why they failed, the current theory, and exact next steps, plus pointers into memory for deeper recall.

## When to Use

- The session is long and Claude feels confused or repetitive
- Claude keeps trying the same failing solution over and over
- The user wants to step away and resume later
- `/compact` ran but Claude still lacks clear direction
- The user says "handoff", "generate a handoff", "I want to start fresh", or "write a handoff doc"

## What to Capture

Think hard about the full arc of this conversation before writing. The handoff must be useful to a Claude instance that has never seen this conversation.

### Required Sections

1. **Goal**, One paragraph. What is the user actually trying to accomplish? State the end state, not the current sub-task. Be specific enough that a fresh agent can orient immediately.

2. **Current State**, What is working right now? What is broken? What is the exact symptom of the problem? Include error messages verbatim if relevant.

3. **Files in Play**, List every file that has been read, edited, or created during this session that is relevant to the current task. Use absolute or repo-relative paths. Include a one-line note on why each file matters.

4. **What Has Been Tried (and Why It Failed)**, This is the most important section. List every approach attempted that did not work, and explain WHY it failed (not just that it failed). A fresh agent that skips this section will repeat the same mistakes.

The rest: https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/blob/HEAD/plugin/skills/handoff/SKILL.md