Handoffs

The structured documents that pass between skills in a pipeline.

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What Are Handoffs?

When one skill completes its work, it produces a handoff document—a structured output that contains everything the next skill needs to continue. Handoffs are the connective tissue of pipelines.

Think of it like a relay race: the baton (handoff document) carries all the context so the next runner (skill) can continue without starting over.

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Anatomy of a Handoff

A typical handoff document contains:

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Example: Book Concept Document

The book-ideation skill produces a Book Concept Document as its handoff:

# Book Concept Document: [Title]

## Summary

[2-3 sentences describing the book]

## The Eight Elements

### 1. The Reader

[Specific description of who this is for]

### 2. The Transformation

Before: [Where reader starts] After: [Where reader ends up]

### 3. The Core Thesis

[The one big idea someone can disagree with]

### 4. The Author Angle

[Why this author writes this book]

### 5. The Stakes

[Why it matters, why now]

### 6. The Key Concepts

[3-7 major ideas supporting the thesis]

### 7. The Enemy

[What this book argues against]

### 8. The Promise

[One sentence: what does the reader get?]

## Readiness

[Ready for validation / Needs more work on X]

## Notes for Downstream

[Any context the next skill should know]

This document then feeds into book-idea-validator and book-market-research.

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Handoff Patterns

One-to-One

Simple handoff to the next skill:

flowchart LR
    A[book-ideation] -->|Book Concept Doc| B[book-idea-validator]

One-to-Many

Some handoffs feed multiple downstream skills:

flowchart LR
    A[book-ideation] -->|Book Concept Doc| B[book-idea-validator]
    A -->|Book Concept Doc| C[book-market-research]

Accumulating Handoffs

Downstream skills often receive multiple handoffs:

flowchart LR
    A[book-ideation] -->|Concept Doc| D[book-architect]
    B[book-idea-validator] -->|Validation Report| D
    C[book-market-research] -->|Market Report| D

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Readiness Criteria

Each handoff has explicit readiness criteria—conditions that must be met before the document is ready for downstream use.

Example: Book Concept Document Readiness

The Book Concept Document is ready when:

• All eight elements are developed (not just listed)
• Reader can be described as a specific person
• Transformation has concrete before/after states
• Thesis is a claim someone can disagree with
• Promise is one compelling sentence

Partial Handoffs

Sometimes work isn't complete but progress needs to continue:

## Readiness: Partial

Ready for validation: Yes Concerns: The Author Angle is underdeveloped—validator
should flag if this causes credibility concerns.

The downstream skill knows what to watch for.

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Handoff vs. Version Document

A session might produce multiple version documents but culminate in one handoff document when the skill's work is complete.

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Common Handoff Documents

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Creating Good Handoffs

Do

• Include reasoning, not just conclusions — Downstream skills benefit from understanding why
• Flag concerns explicitly — Don't hide problems; surface them for the next skill
• Meet readiness criteria — Don't handoff incomplete work without marking it partial
• Use consistent structure — Templates enable reliable consumption

Don't

• Dump raw session content — Handoffs are curated, not transcripts
• Assume context — The downstream skill may be a fresh Claude instance
• Skip the summary — Quick orientation helps the next skill engage faster

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When Handoffs Flow Backward

Sometimes downstream skills discover problems that require upstream revision:

flowchart LR
    A[book-architect] -->|Architecture Feedback| B[book-ideation]
    A -->|Research Gaps| C[book-research-assistant]
    C -->|Thesis Tension| A

This feedback loop ensures quality: if research reveals the thesis is flawed, that information flows back to architecture for structural revision.

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Related Concepts

• Pipelines — How skills chain together
• Session Continuity — Working within a skill across time
• Modes & Registers — Adapting to different situations