The short answer
A good handoff states what is current, what proves it and what the next agent is allowed to do.
Build a small handoff packet with current state, evidence, open questions and action boundaries so a fresh agent can resume work without guessing.Give the next agent a current starting point
A long conversation contains decisions alongside abandoned ideas, debugging attempts and one-off instructions. Hand it to a new agent and the agent has to work out which parts still apply.
Give the next agent a short handoff that says where the work stands and what to do next. Link to the original evidence so it can check the details without rereading the whole conversation.
What to include in a handoff
| Part | What it should answer |
|---|---|
| Objective | What result are we trying to produce? |
| Current state | What is complete, changed or still in progress? |
| Evidence | Which files and decisions establish that state? |
| Open questions | What cannot yet be resolved from the sources? |
| Authority | What may the next agent edit, run or propose? |
Use explicit source paths and version identifiers where available. "Everything is in the folder" is not enough when the folder contains several drafts.
Work through a document-review handoff
In this fictional example, a team is preparing an installation manual. Sections one and two are approved. Section three contains an unresolved prerequisite. The previous agent drafted a replacement paragraph, but nobody approved it.
Objective: Finish the installation manual for review
Approved state: Sections 1–2, revision C
Open item: Confirm the prerequisite in section 3
Evidence: Review notes and the current source specification
Draft proposal: Separate file; not approved text
Next action: Compare prerequisite sources and report the gap
Permission: Edit the draft copy; do not publishVerify the handoff before resuming
Ask the new agent to identify the current version and the open item before it edits anything. Require a source for its state summary. Then ask it what it must not do. This catches missing permissions and confusion between an approved record and a proposal.
Use a separate session for the check. A successful response inside the original conversation may rely on information the handoff packet never contained.
Treat the handoff as a dated view
A packet becomes stale when the underlying work changes. Record when it was prepared and what source revision it describes. If a teammate edits the manual while the agent is reading, refresh the affected state before allowing an overwrite.
Link the handoff to your saved project records. Copying every fact into a separate summary gives you another document to keep up to date. Keep the packet as an entry point and let source-linked retrieval supply the detail. For shared editing, also use a clear ownership protocol.
Where Gigabrain helps
Gigabrain keeps project knowledge in files your next agent can retrieve and check against their sources. Set out what the next agent may change, then check that it follows those instructions.
Adapt the review template into a handoff packet, inspect the public memory evidence and check your integration. System lets you build your own workflows; the Loop Pack adds the prepared automations.
