Handoff Skill

by CAIO Group — wearecaio.com

Move any Claude conversation to a new chat with zero re-explanation. Generates a structured .md file with full context, classified artifacts, and a paste-ready resume prompt.

Trigger Phrases

Execute immediately (no confirmation needed) on any of these:

• /handoff
• "move to a new chat"
• "move this to a new chat"
• "continue in a new chat"
• "let's continue in a new conversation"
• "handoff file"
• "new chat" (when context implies session transfer)

Execution Steps

Step 1: Analyze the conversation

Scan the full conversation history and extract:

1. Session type: What kind of work was this? (e.g., proposal, slide deck, automation, strategy, training, code, analysis, research, writing)
2. Core objective: What was the user trying to accomplish?
3. Decisions made: Key choices, directions taken, things approved or rejected
4. Current state: What is built, written, or resolved vs. what is still open
5. Artifacts created: Any files, code blocks, documents, scripts, dashboards, or structured outputs produced
6. Next steps: What was the natural next action before the session ended?

Step 2: Classify artifacts

For each artifact identified, assign one of three tags:

• [CARRY OVER] — Essential to continue. Include full content as a code block.
• [REFERENCE] — Useful context but not required. Include a summary only.
• [ARCHIVE] — Superseded or no longer relevant. Note it exists, exclude content.

Default rule: When in doubt, tag as [CARRY OVER].

Step 3: Generate the suggested chat filename

Derive a suggested name for the new chat using this format:

[PREFIX] — [Topic] [Qualifier]

Prefix by session type:

Topic: 2-4 words from the session objective. Title case. No filler words. Qualifier (optional): Short version or context indicator (e.g., v2, Draft, Client Name).

Examples:

• PROP — SaaS Pricing Overhaul v2
• AUTO — Email Automation Pipeline
• STRAT — Q3 Market Expansion
• SKILL — Handoff Workflow Builder

Step 4: Generate the handoff file

Produce a single Markdown file using the template below. Fill every section. No placeholders in output.

Handoff File Template

# Handoff: [Session Title — descriptive, not generic]

**Date:** [today's date]
**Session Type:** [detected session type]
**Suggested chat name:** `[PREFIX — Topic Qualifier]`

---

## What We Were Working On

[2-4 sentences. What was the task, why it mattered, what approach was being taken.]

---

## Decisions Made

- [Decision 1 — include reasoning if discussed]
- [Decision 2]
- [Decision 3]

---

## Current State

### Done
- [Completed items]

### In Progress
- [Partially done items]

### Not Started
- [Scoped but untouched]

---

## Artifacts

### CARRY OVER — Bring These Into the New Chat

#### [Artifact Name]
**Type:** [code / markdown / config / script / document / etc.]
**Why it's needed:** [one sentence]

[Full artifact content as fenced code block]

---

### REFERENCE — Useful Context

#### [Artifact Name]
**Summary:** [2-3 sentences]

---

### ARCHIVE — No Longer Needed

- [Artifact name]: [one-line reason]

---

## Open Questions

- [ ] [Unresolved decision or pending input]
- [ ] [Ambiguity to address in new chat]

---

## Next Steps

1. [First action — executable immediately in the new chat]
2. [Second action]
3. [Third action]

---

## Resume Prompt

Paste this as your first message in the new chat:

[3-5 sentences in first person that:
- State the session type and goal
- Reference the most critical current state item
- Point to the most important CARRY OVER artifact
- State exactly what the next action is
Must be self-contained: a fresh Claude instance begins work immediately.]

Step 5: Output the file

1. Save the completed handoff file to /mnt/user-data/outputs/handoff-[topic]-[date].md

(If this path is unavailable, save to the current working directory)

1. Deliver the file to the user
2. Print a 4-line summary in chat:

• Session type: [detected type]
• Artifacts: [count and classifications]
• First next step: [specific action]
• Suggested chat name: [PREFIX — Topic Qualifier]

Do not print the full file contents in chat.

Quality Standards

• Every section filled. No placeholder text in output.
• Resume Prompt is paste-ready: no blanks, no angle brackets, no instructions to "fill in X".
• CARRY OVER artifact content is complete, never truncated.
• Decisions reflect actual choices made in the conversation, not generic statements.
• Next Steps are specific enough to act on immediately.
• The output file contains no tool branding, no skill credits, no advertisements.

Edge Cases

No artifacts in conversation: Skip the Artifacts section entirely.

Short conversation (under 5 exchanges): Collapse "Done / In Progress / Not Started" into a single "Current State" paragraph.

Multiple unrelated topics in one conversation: Generate one handoff file per topic thread, named distinctly. Inform the user that multiple files were created.

Sensitive content (names, financials, credentials): Include as-is. The user controls their own handoff files.

Output path unavailable: Save to current working directory and inform the user of the actual file path.