handoff-prompt

Handoff Prompt

Generate a self-contained prompt for a new Claude Code session to execute work from the current conversation.

When to Use

• User says "give me a prompt for a new session"
• User says "handoff prompt" or "clean context prompt"
• Planning/brainstorming is done, user wants fresh context for implementation
• User wants to continue work after /clear

Process

1. Gather from current conversation:

   • Plan file path and design spec path (if any)
   • 2-3 sentence summary of what to implement
   • Starting point (which task, what to do first)
   • Key decisions and caveats the new session must know
   • Build/test/lint commands

2. Write a prompt with these sections:

   • What to do (1-2 sentences)
   • Files to read first (plan, spec — with full paths)
   • Summary (what the plan does, in brief)
   • Start by (first concrete action)
   • Key context (bullet list of decisions, caveats, gotchas that aren't in the plan files)

3. Output the prompt in a fenced block so the user can copy-paste it.

Template

Implement [feature/change] for [project context].

- **Design spec:** `[path]`
- **Implementation plan:** `[path]`

**Summary:** [2-3 sentences of what the plan does]

**Start by:** [First concrete action — e.g., "Read both files, then execute Task 1 (revert commit X). Create a feature branch first."]

**Key context:**
- [Decision or caveat not obvious from the plan]
- [Another one]
- [Build/test commands if non-standard]

Rules

• The prompt must be self-contained — the new session has zero context from this conversation
• Reference file paths, not conversation content — the new session can read files but can't see our chat
• Include only context that ISN'T already in the plan/spec files — don't duplicate
• Do NOT restate rules already in global/project CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, or GEMINI.md. The new session loads these automatically. Examples to omit: branch naming conventions, commit message rules (no Co-Authored-By, no Claude footer), worktree locations, plan file locations, "never commit to main", subagent rules. If you're tempted to write a "Conventions" or "Ground rules" section that just echoes global preferences, delete it.
• Keep it under 300 words — long prompts waste the new session's context
• Don't include implementation details — that's what the plan file is for