The quick read
- Preserve the user’s relevant preferences, permissions and unresolved questions.
- Pause a workflow and ask another agent to continue using only the handoff.
Describe what actually happened
Record the goal, completed steps, outstanding work and exact artefacts involved. Distinguish intended actions from successful ones. The receiving agent should not have to guess whether a document was saved, a record changed or a message sent.
Carry the constraints
Preserve the user’s relevant preferences, permissions and unresolved questions. Include source dates and reasons for decisions when they affect the next step. Keep the handoff concise enough that the recipient can identify the next useful action.
Practise a restart
Pause a workflow and ask another agent to continue using only the handoff. Look for duplicate actions and lost assumptions. For a document review, name the completed sections and remaining issues rather than saying it is nearly finished. Include a recovery path if a required file is unavailable. A strong handoff is an operational record that makes continuation possible even when the original agent or temporary workspace disappears. It should reduce reconstruction work without concealing uncertainty about the task’s status.
Sources & notes
AI-assisted editorial content checked against the linked sources.
anthropic.com — official reference
Sources reviewed for the September 2026 launch edition.