claude-handoff plugin
claude-handoff writes a Claude Code handoff: decisions, failed approaches and next steps, and a mod continues in the same window
- 73 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- The skill reads the whole conversation and git state and writes handoff files into the project, and in compact-mode it commits the session's work itself
- The mod replaces the current conversation with handoff files and installs compaction hooks
Install
- Works in
Manual install
git clone https://github.com/REMvisual/claude-handoff.gitThen cp -r claude-handoff/skills/handoff ~/.claude/skills/ and the same for skills/handoffplan.
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The skill reads the whole conversation and git state and writes handoff files into the project, and in compact-mode it commits the session's work itself
- The mod replaces the current conversation with handoff files and installs compaction hooks
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
A set of two skills and a mod for Claude Code writes a session handoff. `/handoff` saves context so the next session explores further, and `/handoffplan` adds a phased plan and tracked tasks so the next session executes at once. The skill mines the whole conversation with a 12-item checklist: goals, approaches, failures, decisions, measurements, code analysis, preferences. In parallel it gathers git state: log, diff, uncommitted changes and active tasks. The result is a file `HANDOFF_name_date.md` with sections: goal, where we are, what we tried, key decisions with rejected options, evidence, user feedback, where we are going, quick start. "What we tried" is the most valuable, because failed approaches are the most expensive to rediscover. The skill finds earlier handoffs in the same work stream, inherits the chain tag and sequence number, validates the output against a minimum and switches to multi-pass extraction at 500K tokens of context. A ready resume prompt is pasted into the new session. The `/compact-handoff` mod writes the handoff, replaces the conversation with it and continues in the same terminal with no new window or paste. If files are incomplete or empty the context is left untouched. The mod is experimental and tested on Claude Code 2.1.300.
Who it is for. Developers who run long tasks in Claude Code across several sessions and lose time rediscovering approaches already tried.
Good fit when
- A session nears the context limit with a bug still uncaught and you need to tell the next one what was already tried
- Research is done and you need a phased plan with tasks and success criteria and to start executing
- A task stretched over three sessions and you want a linked handoff chain with sequence numbers
- You want to continue in the same terminal after compaction without opening a new window
Not a fit when
- You need a two-paragraph summary: a handoff runs to hundreds of lines and uses a good part of the context
- You work outside Claude Code: the skills and the mod are built for it
- Too little context remains: a large handoff adds up to about 80 thousand tokens
Example request
Write a session handoff with /handoff on the auth bug and give me a prompt to continue in a new sessionLimitations
- A handoff takes room: a large one adds up to 80 thousand tokens, so with little left `/compact-handoff` does not start and warns at 200 and 100 thousand.
- The mod is experimental: the mod API is early access and testing ran on Claude Code 2.1.300.
- Where an organization manages Claude Code, compaction hooks from user-installed plugins do not run.
- Stop and SessionStart hooks still run around compaction, and slow ones add to the wait.
How to disable. Remove the skills with rm -r ~/.claude/skills/handoff ~/.claude/skills/handoffplan. The mod is removed with claude plugin uninstall compact-handoff@claude-handoff together with its companion compact-handoff-answer. Handoff files in `plans/handoffs/` stay as ordinary files.
FAQ
How do I install claude-handoff?
Clone the repository and copy `skills/handoff` and `skills/handoffplan` into `~/.claude/skills/`. Check that `/handoff` appears in Claude Code autocomplete.
How is `/handoff` different from `/handoffplan`?
`/handoff` captures context and the next session explores further. `/handoffplan` also writes a phased plan with tasks, and the next session claims Phase 1 and starts coding.
How is this better than ordinary context compaction?
Claude writes a summary on compaction but without chain tracking, self-validation, evidence mining or comprehension gates. In the A/B test the README describes, the skill session needed no intervention and traced the full failure chain.
How do I install the compact-handoff mod?
Run `claude plugin marketplace add REMvisual/claude-handoff` and `claude plugin install compact-handoff@claude-handoff`. The skills must be version 2.1.0 or newer, and the companion compact-handoff-answer installs with the mod.
Where are handoff files stored?
In `plans/handoffs/` with names like `HANDOFF_fix-auth-bug_2026-03-19.md`. The chain keeps a sequence number and tag, so the third session knows about the first two.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
Related
PluginsThree Claude Code plugins: the savvy-flow orchestrator with tiered subagents and two mods for a progress panel and a cache timer
22 skills for the full Claude Code project lifecycle: setup and task scope, code review, pre-push checks and session notes.
A Claude Code plugin stores conversations and decisions in Markdown, updates CLAUDE.md and helps resume work in a new session.
Streams Claude Code hidden thinking, tool calls and subagents to a separate terminal with a live session tree
claude-sessions creates persistent Claude Code workspaces: session notes, conversation resume and local git history.
A Claude Code plugin: share a session link and a teammate sees the same prompts, replies and tool results in their own Claude Code
Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| claude-handoff (this card) | no | 73 | |
| Continuous Claude | no | 3,949 | continuous Claude work in loops, with no handoff written for the next session |
| Shared Sessions for Claude Code | no | 1,015 | shared sessions for several people with no structured context handoff |
README in short
The README opens with the promise of never losing context between sessions and shows install by copying skill folders. Use of the two commands, a handoff file template and a handoff versus handoffplan comparison follow. A How it works section describes five steps: mining the conversation, gathering external state, chains, validation and adapting to context size. Results of a comparison with an ordinary session and a detailed section on the compact-handoff mod with caveats come next.