The working library / Repeatable procedures

Agent handoff

Leave a concise, evidence-based checkpoint another agent or operator can resume without repeating work or expanding authorization.

By Vertical Labs · Reviewed

Bring these inputs

  • The current objective and authorization
  • Completed work with evidence references
  • Unresolved decisions and next actions

Install and test

Download the file and place it at agent-handoff/SKILL.md in your agent’s supported skills directory. Directory locations and loading behavior depend on the host. Read the complete file first, then ask the agent to use this skill on the example below.

These are text-only procedures. They do not install tools or grant permissions. The format follows the Agent Skills specification.

The SKILL.md file

Download

---
name: agent-handoff
description: Prepare a resumable checkpoint when handing off an unfinished task to another agent or operator.
---

# Agent handoff

## Procedure
1. State the objective, current scope, and explicit authorization boundaries.
2. Record completed actions with stable evidence references. Distinguish local changes, commits, deployed revisions, and live behavior.
3. Identify pending work, blockers, and unresolved decisions. Do not convert assumptions into facts.
4. Record the current revision or artifact version when relevant. Avoid secrets, credentials, and unnecessary personal information.
5. Give the next operator the smallest concrete action and its success condition.

## Output
Objective:
Authorization:
Completed and evidenced:
Current state and revision:
Pending and blocked:
Next action and success condition:

## Boundaries
A handoff transfers context, not new permission. Do not execute the next action just to make the checkpoint appear complete. If the state may have changed, tell the next operator what to recheck.

## Example
A local fix passed unit tests but has not been deployed. Record the commit and test result. List deployment and live verification as pending; do not describe the incident as resolved.

Worked example

Illustrative input and expected response. This is a designed example, not a benchmark or a reported model run.

Input

A retry fix is committed at example revision abc123. Unit tests pass; the release is not deployed.

Expected response

Completed: retry fix committed; unit tests passed. Pending: release and live retry verification. Next: inspect the deployment status for abc123, then verify one duplicate event produces one result. Deployment permission must come from the task scope.

Check the result

  1. A new operator can identify the next action without reading the whole conversation.
  2. Evidence names the exact artifact or revision.
  3. The checkpoint contains no credentials or expanded authorization.

Limits

This skill formats a checkpoint. It does not provide shared storage, durable memory, or automatic task transfer.