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Handoff Packet Template

A handoff packet is the durable summary that lets the next person, agent, or surface resume work without losing context. Use this template whenever work moves between humans, agents, or execution surfaces. Copy the full structure into a GitHub issue, pull request body, ADR, or discussion comment. New to the project? Start with how it works.

The nine fields below are the required minimum defined in docs/multi-agent-handoff-playbook.md and enforced by scripts/check-handoff-packet.sh.

See docs/adr/0015-handoff-packet-enforcement.md for the decision record.

For terminology and rigor alignment, also reference docs/framework-continuity-and-memory.md, docs/work-type-matrix.md, and docs/runbooks/open-an-issue.md.

Objective

Context

Constraints

Acceptance criteria

  • [ ]

Validation expectations

Next owner

Status / current state

Unresolved risks / questions

Resume packet refinement (required for resumable handoff)

Fill this section so the next operator can restart quickly without rereading every artifact from scratch.

Field Value
Current lifecycle stage (1-8)
Current objective / active work item
Setup posture (profile + setup-intent status)
Readiness posture (valid / stale / unknown) + evidence links
Milestone acknowledgments status (setup_selected / setup_applied / readiness_verified / active_work_started / handoff_created / resume_completed)
Blockers / risks
Deferred or queued work
Canonical continuity artifact index link
Latest continuity snapshot link + timestamp
Latest readiness evidence link + timestamp
Required artifacts to review first (ordered list)
Recommended next safe action
Resume verification steps (commands/checks/evidence)

Resume handoff quality checklist

  • [ ] Lifecycle stage and active objective are explicit.
  • [ ] Setup and readiness posture are explicit, with evidence links if available.
  • [ ] Milestone acknowledgment status is explicit and evidence-backed.
  • [ ] Blockers/risks and deferred/queued work are explicit (or marked not applicable).
  • [ ] Required artifacts are listed in review order for the resuming operator.
  • [ ] One recommended next safe action is explicit.
  • [ ] Resume verification steps are explicit and bounded.
  • [ ] Canonical continuity artifact index and latest snapshot/readiness links are explicit.
  • [ ] Continuity snapshot link is included in related artifacts.

Mobile quick action

  • Use when: you need to create or accept a handoff packet from GitHub Mobile.
  • Do from mobile:
  • Copy this template structure into the active issue or PR body.
  • Confirm the next owner and status fields are current before handing off.
  • Post a brief acknowledgment comment naming any field that is still incomplete.
  • Do not do from mobile:
  • Author complex context or constraints sections that require cross-artifact research.
  • Accept a handoff packet with missing required fields as complete.
  • Escalate to desktop/cloud when:
  • Multiple related artifacts need to be updated together for the packet to be coherent.
  • Unresolved risks require architecture or design research to resolve.
  • Primary artifact to update:
  • The active handoff issue or pull request body.