handoff

/handoff — Write Handoff Document

Write a forward-facing handoff document so the next agent can start with context instead of archaeology.

This skill runs host-side (like /compress and /resume), so it resolves the vault the same way they do.

Steps

1. Resolve vault path — read vault_path from ~/.config/deus/config.json; if the env var DEUS_VAULT_PATH is set, it overrides. $VAULT means this resolved path. Fail loudly if neither is set — never write to a guessed path:

   VAULT="${DEUS_VAULT_PATH:-$(python3 -c "import json,os;print(os.path.expanduser(json.load(open(os.path.expanduser('~/.config/deus/config.json'))).get('vault_path','')))" 2>/dev/null)}"
   VAULT="${VAULT/#\~/$HOME}"  # expand a leading ~ (e.g. from DEUS_VAULT_PATH); expanduser already handled the config value
   [ -z "$VAULT" ] && { echo "handoff: cannot resolve vault path — set DEUS_VAULT_PATH or config.json vault_path"; exit 1; }
   

2. Derive topic from user args — the text after /handoff becomes the topic slug. If no args, infer from the main conversation theme.

   # Example: /handoff fix the auth bug → TOPIC="fix-the-auth-bug"
   # The sed allowlist guarantees TOPIC is [a-z0-9-] only (no shell metacharacters);
   # the fallback covers all-symbol args that would otherwise collapse to empty.
   TOPIC=$(echo "${args:-handoff}" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]' | sed 's/[^a-z0-9]/-/g' | sed 's/-\+/-/g' | sed 's/^-\|-$//g')
   TOPIC="${TOPIC:-handoff}"
   

3. Set output path and create directory:

   HANDOFF_FILE="$VAULT/Handoffs/$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M)-${TOPIC}.md"
   mkdir -p "$(dirname "$HANDOFF_FILE")"
   

4. Gather memory citations for the topic — run semantic search if memory_tree.py is available, otherwise grep the vault:

   # Preferred
   python3 ~/deus/scripts/memory_tree.py query "$TOPIC" 2>/dev/null
   # Fallback
   grep -ril "$TOPIC" "$VAULT" 2>/dev/null | head -5
   

5. Reflect on the conversation — identify what matters for the next agent:

   • What was accomplished this session
   • What the next action is and why
   • Which skills to invoke first
   • Open Linear issues relevant to the topic
   • Files or paths the next agent will need
   • References (session logs, PRs, commits, ADRs) — link by path/URL, do not re-summarize

6. Write the handoff document with these sections in order:

   ---
   type: handoff
   date: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
   topic: <topic>
   tldr: |
     <What was done this session, 1 sentence.> Next: <first action for incoming agent>.
   ---
   
   ## Already Done (don't redo)
   
   What shipped this session, with the key symbol/function/file names so the next
   agent doesn't re-derive it. Include the merged PR/commit anchor (so they can
   `git show` it). Reference logs by path, don't re-state:
   `$VAULT/Session-Logs/YYYY-MM-DD/<topic>.md`
   
   ## Read Before Any Work
   
   The load-bearing gotcha(s) that would burn time if missed — environment quirks,
   things that look done but aren't, wrong assumptions to avoid. This is the
   highest-value section; omit it only if there genuinely are none.
   
   ## Forward Brief
   
   <!-- Shaped by the user's args (e.g. /handoff implement dark mode → dark-mode next steps) -->
   
   What the incoming agent should do first, in **priority order** (prerequisites
   first). Each item: Linear issue ID + concrete file:line seam + the *why*.
   
   ## Suggested Skills
   
   Skills the incoming agent should run at session start, in order:
   
   1. `/resume` — load CLAUDE.md and last 3 session logs
   2. <!-- add topic-specific skills, e.g. /debug, /deep-research, etc. -->
   
   ## Memory Citations
   
   Vault paths surfaced by semantic search for this topic:
   
   - <!-- $VAULT/path/to/relevant/leaf.md -->
   
   If no results, note: "No relevant vault nodes found for `<topic>`."
   
   ## References
   
   Existing artifacts — link, don't re-state:
   
   - Session log: `$VAULT/Session-Logs/YYYY-MM-DD/<topic>.md`
   - PR: <!-- https://github.com/... -->
   - Commit: <!-- abc1234 -->
   - ADR / Linear: <!-- docs/decisions/... | LIA-XXX -->
   
   ## Quick-start line
   
   One copy-paste prompt the user can drop into the new session to resume immediately:
   
   > "Resume <topic> from `<this handoff path>`. <first concrete action + any precondition to confirm>."
   
   ---
   *Handoff written: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM*
   

7. Redact secrets before writing — scan the draft for:

   • API keys and tokens (patterns: sk-, Bearer , ghp_, AKIA, hex strings >32 chars)
   • Environment variable values that look like credentials
   • PII (email addresses, phone numbers) Replace all matches with [REDACTED].

8. Confirm: Print Handoff saved to: {HANDOFF_FILE} on completion.

Argument Variants

• /handoff — topic inferred from conversation theme
• /handoff fix the auth bug — Forward Brief focused on fixing the auth bug
• /handoff implement dark mode — Forward Brief focused on dark mode implementation

Notes

• Do not re-summarize content already in session logs, PRs, or ADRs — reference by path/URL.
• Keep tldr to 2-3 lines — this is what gets scanned by the incoming agent first.
• The Handoffs/ directory is created with mkdir -p if absent — no manual setup needed.