Handoff Tracking

Overview

Create structured handoff documents that preserve session context for future sessions. Handoffs capture what was done, what worked, what failed, key decisions, and next steps.

Core principle: Handoffs are indexed immediately on creation, making them searchable before the session ends.

Announce at start: "I'm creating a handoff document to preserve this session's context."

When to Create Handoffs

Situation	Action
Session ending	ALWAYS create handoff
Running /clear	Create handoff BEFORE clear
Major milestone complete	Create handoff to checkpoint progress
Context at 70%+	Create handoff, then /clear
Blocked and need help	Create handoff with blockers documented

Handoff File Location

Path: docs/handoffs/{session-name}/YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS_{description}.md

Where:

• {session-name} - From active work context (e.g., context-management, auth-feature)
• YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS - Current timestamp in 24-hour format
• {description} - Brief kebab-case description of work done

Example: docs/handoffs/context-management/2025-12-27_14-30-00_handoff-tracking-skill.md

If no clear session context, use general/ as the folder name.

Handoff Document Template

Use this exact structure for all handoff documents:

---
date: {ISO timestamp with timezone}
session_name: {session-name}
git_commit: {current commit hash}
branch: {current branch}
repository: {repository name}
topic: "{Feature/Task} Implementation"
tags: [implementation, {relevant-tags}]
status: {complete|in_progress|blocked}
outcome: UNKNOWN
root_span_id: {trace ID if available, empty otherwise}
turn_span_id: {turn span ID if available, empty otherwise}
---

# Handoff: {concise description}

## Task Summary
{Description of task(s) worked on and their status: completed, in_progress, blocked.
If following a plan, reference the plan document and current phase.}

## Critical References
{2-3 most important file paths that must be read to continue this work.
Leave blank if none.}
- `path/to/critical/file.md`

## Recent Changes
{Files modified in this session with line references}
- `src/path/to/file.py:45-67` - Added validation logic
- `tests/path/to/test.py:10-30` - New test cases

## Learnings

### What Worked
{Specific approaches that succeeded - these get indexed for future sessions}
- Approach: {description} - worked because {reason}
- Pattern: {pattern name} was effective for {use case}

### What Failed
{Attempted approaches that didn't work - helps future sessions avoid same mistakes}
- Tried: {approach} -> Failed because: {reason}
- Error: {error type} when {action} -> Fixed by: {solution}

### Key Decisions
{Important choices made and WHY - future sessions reference these}
- Decision: {choice made}
  - Alternatives: {other options considered}
  - Reason: {why this choice}

## Files Modified
{Exhaustive list of files created or modified}
- `path/to/new/file.py` - NEW: Description
- `path/to/existing/file.py:100-150` - MODIFIED: Description

## Action Items & Next Steps
{Prioritized list for the next session}
1. {Most important next action}
2. {Second priority}
3. {Additional items}

## Other Notes
{Anything else relevant: codebase locations, useful commands, gotchas}

The Process

Step 1: Gather Session Metadata

# Get current git state
git rev-parse HEAD        # Commit hash
git branch --show-current # Branch name
git remote get-url origin # Repository

# Get timestamp
date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ"

Step 2: Determine Session Name

Check for active work context:

1. Recent plan files in docs/plans/ - extract feature name
2. Recent branch name - use as session context
3. If unclear, use general

Step 3: Write Handoff Document

1. Create handoff directory if needed: mkdir -p docs/handoffs/{session-name}/
2. Write handoff file with template structure
3. Fill in all sections with session details
4. Be thorough in learnings - these feed compound learning

Step 4: Verify Indexing

After writing the handoff, verify it was indexed:

# Check artifact index updated (if database exists)
sqlite3 .ring/cache/artifact-index/context.db \
  "SELECT id, session_name FROM handoffs ORDER BY indexed_at DESC LIMIT 1"

The PostToolUse hook automatically indexes handoffs on Write.

Integration with Ring

Execution Reports

When working within dev-team cycles, the handoff's "Recent Changes" and "Files Modified" sections should mirror the execution report format:

Metric	Include
Duration	Time spent on session
Tasks Completed	X/Y from plan
Files Created	N
Files Modified	N
Tests Added	N

Session Traces

If session tracing is enabled (Braintrust, etc.), include:

• root_span_id - Main trace ID
• turn_span_id - Current turn span

These enable correlation between handoffs and detailed session logs.

Outcome Tracking

Outcomes are marked AFTER the handoff is created, either:

1. User responds to Stop hook prompt
2. User runs outcome marking command later

Valid outcomes:

Outcome	Meaning
SUCCEEDED	Task completed successfully
PARTIAL_PLUS	Mostly done, minor issues remain
PARTIAL_MINUS	Some progress, major issues remain
FAILED	Task abandoned or blocked

Handoffs start with outcome: UNKNOWN and get updated when marked.

Remember

• Be thorough in Learnings - These feed the compound learning system
• Include file:line references - Makes resumption faster
• Document WHY not just WHAT - Decisions without rationale are useless
• Index happens automatically - PostToolUse hook handles it
• Outcome is separate - Don't try to guess outcome, leave as UNKNOWN