Handover

Handover

Write .doctrine/*/<nnn>/handover.md — the disposable, gitignored "start here" for the agent picking up the next Phase or otherwise continuing the work.

It is scaffolding for the next session, not a durable record: durable facts live in persisted artifacts, notes.md or the memory store (doctrine memory); the handover only points at them and frames the immediate work.

Guiding principle: existing durable artifacts should already provide suitable context for handover. This skill is to improve token efficiency with transient guidance those durable artifacts elide - and to confirm they are in good condition.

When to use

• Closing out a phase or other doctrine workflow activity, before the next agent starts.
• The current handover.md (if it exists) targets a phase or activity that is now done.

TODO

Handover for a phase:

• [ ] Read the just-completed state/.../phases/phase-NN.md (findings,

hand-forward) and the slice notes.md for durable decisions.

• [ ] Confirm the next phase's scope from plan.toml (EX/VT are authoritative).
• [ ] At a dispatch conclude (SL-170 S6): embed the slice verify-vt <id> VT

summary block and a one-line S1 regression status (from the verify beat's check regression diff) in the packet — surfacing any UNCHECKABLE / WAIVED / Fail gap at handover, not at audit.

• [ ] record any information worth durably persisting in notes.md, or as appropriate.
• [ ] Emit the sections below into handover.md
• [ ] Print instructions (with path to handover.md) addressed to the next agent

Handover for another artifact:

• [ ] adapt as appropriate
• [ ] author or replace handover.md in the most relevant artifact's folder
• [ ] Print instructions (with path to handover.md) addressed to the next agent

Then: STOP

Shape (sections to emit) For Phase Handover

• Where this is — phase status ladder + commit refs; what is DONE, what is

now.

• Reading List — pointers to design/plan/notes, relevant other artifacts /

code, key source file:lines. What the next agent should ingest to build context efficiently.

• Artifacts / pointers — scope / design / plan / notes / specs. Optional /

reference material.

• Terrain — the surface to ride, not refork; e.g. what the last phase

built. Point to it described elsewhere, or summarise if it is not.

• Next actions — the literal doctrine slice phase … in_progress

/ other obvious and immediate next step(s).

• Procedure & Caveats — risks, unknowns and open decisions. Process

guardrails (command, fill the sheet, TDD, commit, flip status, etc).

• Environment notes — build/gate/lint specifics; pre-existing dirty files

to leave.

Rules

• handover is gitignored + will be deleted — never put the only copy of a

durable fact here.

• Link to durable artifacts, don't repeat their contents.
• Supersede stale notes explicitly; do not leave contradictory guidance.
• Terse. Fragments fine. Reader is an agent, not human reviewer.