How to use the Semester Handoff Memos agent skill

What is an agent skill, and what does this one do?

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells a compatible AI agent how to carry out a specific task. This skill is built for clinic offboarding at the end of a semester. Clinics lose their student workforce each term, and case knowledge often leaves with the student. The skill produces documents that capture what the next student needs to know.

When run, the agent reads the clinic's CLAUDE.md profile, deadlines.yaml and per-case client-comms log.md files. It then writes one handoff memo per case and a cohort summary table showing which outgoing student maps to which incoming student.

• Per-case memo: status (where we are), pending deadlines, what's been done, what's open, client relationship notes, communications summary, professor flags and first-week priorities.
• Cohort summary: departing and incoming student counts, transitions with urgency, unassigned cases, deadlines within 30 days of semester start, and notes for the professor.
• Output files are saved under the clinic's configuration folder in a handoffs/[semester] directory.

Install the skill

You can install the skill in one of two ways. Download the ZIP from the skill's page and unzip it into your user skills folder, ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. Alternatively, in the Claude apps, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

After installing, confirm the folder contains SKILL.md. The skill's source lists a single file, SKILL.md.

• Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
• Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

Check the requirements before you start

The skill needs Claude Code or another SKILL.md-compatible agent with file read and write access. It also needs a clinic configuration folder at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-clinic/ that contains CLAUDE.md, deadlines.yaml and client-comms logs. If the clinic has no central list of active cases, you will need to supply one.

The skill is designed for clinic settings. Its paths and workflow assume clinic roles and a supervision model.

• Agent with file read and write access (Claude Code or another SKILL.md-compatible agent)
• Clinic folder at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-clinic/ with CLAUDE.md, deadlines.yaml and client-comms logs
• A list of active cases, if the clinic has no central list

Trigger the skill with a natural request

The skill's description says it applies when a professor or departing students need to wrap up the semester, build transition memos, or offboard a graduating or withdrawing student. You can ask in plain language. The skill also accepts optional arguments: --semester=YYYY-term (defaults to the current semester) and --case=[case_id] for a single case.

The skill also contains a /semester-handoff command reference, so you can invoke it that way in an agent that supports it.

• "Wrap up the spring semester and write handoff memos for every active case."
• "Build a transition memo for case 2025-014 because I'm graduating next week."
• "Offboard me from my cases before I withdraw mid-semester."
• "Produce the cohort handoff summary and flag any deadlines in the first 30 days."

Review the output before it reaches incoming students

The memos are meant to be checked before they go to incoming students, and they may contain sensitive client information. The skill's own workflow says closing a case or transitioning it is a consequential action. Case-closing memos get professor sign-off before the case is marked closed.

The skill is also told not to guess the active case list. If the clinic's records are incomplete, the output will be incomplete too, so fix the source records first.

• Read each memo for accuracy against deadlines.yaml and the communications log.
• Add or confirm professor flags, such as sensitive matters or unresolved scope questions.
• Confirm every pending deadline has an owner before the incoming student starts.

Safety notes: scripts and network access

According to the item listing, this skill runs no scripts and uses no network access. It works by reading and writing files in the clinic configuration folder. Its main safety concern is privacy: handoff memos can contain client information, so store and share them according to your clinic's confidentiality rules.

• Runs scripts: no
• Uses network: no
• Reads and writes files under ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-clinic/
• Client information in memos: review before sharing with incoming students