handoff
Compact the current conversation into a handoff document for another agent to pick up.
Install / Use
npx skills add mattpocock/skills --skill handoffInstalls into whichever agent you are using.
SKILL.md
Installable skill definition
Quality Score
Category
Content & MediaSupported Platforms
Tags
Our assessment of handoff
handoff scores 87/100 on our quality scale, 91st of 305 Content & Media skills we index (top 30%).
Its SKILL.md is 894 bytes long, written without headings and no code examples: fairly brief, so expect to fill in details yourself.
With 268,790 GitHub stars, it is one of the more widely adopted skills in the catalogue.
Maintenance, license and trust
- The repository was last updated yesterday, so handoff is actively maintained.
- It is released under the MIT license, a permissive license that allows use, modification and commercial use with attribution.
- Its trust signals score 100/100, with no cautions. These come from repository metadata, not a code audit — read the skill file before letting an agent act on it.
handoff compared with similar skills
All 4 of these similar skills score higher than handoff; compare them before choosing.
| Skill | Score | Stars | Updated | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| handoff (this skill)by mattpocock | 87 | 268.8k | 1d ago | SKILL.md |
| siyuanby siyuan-note | 100 | 46.5k | today | MCP Server |
| algorithmic-artby anthropics | 100 | 177.9k | 2d ago | SKILL.md |
| pptxby anthropics | 100 | 177.9k | 2d ago | SKILL.md |
| designby nextlevelbuilder | 100 | 130.2k | 3d ago | SKILL.md |
Frequently asked questions
- How do I install handoff?
- Run
npx skills add mattpocock/skills --skill handoff. The install tabs above show the steps for each supported agent. - Which AI agents does handoff work with?
- It is written for Universal, as a SKILL.md file. Other agents that read the same format can often use it too.
- Is handoff safe to use?
- It is MIT-licensed and scores 100/100 on trust signals. Skills are instructions an agent will follow, so read the file before installing it and do not approve commands you do not understand.
- Is handoff still maintained?
- The repository was last updated yesterday, so handoff is actively maintained.
Skill content
View source on GitHubname: handoff description: Compact the current conversation into a handoff document for another agent to pick up. argument-hint: "What will the next session be used for?" disable-model-invocation: true
Write a handoff document summarising the current conversation so a fresh agent can continue the work. Save to the temporary directory of the user's OS - not the current workspace.
Include a "suggested skills" section in the document, naming which skills the next agent should call the Skill tool for.
Do not duplicate content already captured in other artifacts (specs, plans, ADRs, issues, commits, diffs). Reference them by path or URL instead.
Redact any sensitive information, such as API keys, passwords, or personally identifiable information.
If the user passed arguments, treat them as a description of what the next session will focus on and tailor the doc accordingly.
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Languages
Trust signals
From repository metadata: license, adoption, age and documentation. Not a code audit — see the Safety scan above for what the skill file itself contains.