Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Session Handoff Resume agent skill (handoff)

Updated 2026-10-29 · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The handoff skill is a set of instructions that lets an AI coding agent pick up a project where you left off. When you return to a folder and say something like "where were we", the agent looks up the most recent saved session for that folder and reports what was in progress. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and what it depends on, so you can use it without prior experience with agent skills.

Session Handoff Resumerohitg00/agentmemory · Apache-2.0 Download the skill

Quick start

1Download the ZIP. Download the handoff skill ZIP from this page.
2Unzip the skill folder. Unzip the file so you have a folder containing SKILL.md.
3Place it where your agent loads skills. Copy the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or to .claude/skills/ inside one project. In the Claude apps, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills instead.
4Confirm agentmemory is installed. Make sure the agentmemory plugin provides the memory_sessions and memory_recall tools.
5Ask in plain language. Open the project and say "where were we?" or "pick up where I left off".
6Act on the next step. Read the open question first, then the suggested next step, and decide what to do.

What the handoff skill makes the agent do

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file. The file tells an agent runtime that loads skills how to handle a certain kind of request. The handoff skill, from the rohitg00/agentmemory project under plugin/skills/handoff, handles requests to resume work.

The agent first finds the most recent saved session whose working directory matches the current project. It then pulls related notes from memory and reports what was in progress. If the session ended on a question you never answered, that question is shown first. The response ends with one suggested next step.

The skill is written to avoid mixing in sessions from sibling folders with similar names. For example, a session saved in /repo-a-staging should not be resumed when you are working in /repo-a.

Install the handoff skill from the ZIP

Download the handoff skill as a ZIP file from this page and unzip it. You have two choices for where the skill folder goes.

For a personal install that works in all your projects, place the unzipped skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.

If you use the Claude apps instead of files on disk, open Settings, go to Capabilities, and upload the skill under Skills.

Personal (all projects): ~/.claude/skills/
Single project: .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills (upload)

Check the requirements before you start

The skill does not work on its own. It calls two tools from the agentmemory plugin: memory_sessions and memory_recall. Your agent runtime also needs to load SKILL.md skills.

If agentmemory is not installed, or it is not recording sessions for the project, the skill will report that no matching session exists. This is expected behaviour rather than a fault in the skill.

agentmemory plugin providing memory_sessions and memory_recall tools
An agent runtime that loads SKILL.md skills

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. The skill is triggered by phrases such as "where were we", "resume", "handoff", or "pick up where I left off". It also applies when you start a session with no fresh context.

If you want to point the skill at a different folder, the skill accepts an optional working directory override. The skill's argument hint is [optional cwd override], and the override is normalised to an absolute path before matching.

"Where were we?"
"Resume the auth work."
"Pick up where I left off."
"Handoff."

memory_sessions { "project": "<current-project-id>", "limit": 20 }

Read an example response

When a matching session exists, the agent reports the session title, the open question, and the next step. Here is the output format the skill specifies:

Resuming 7f3a9c2 "Auth refresh rework".
Open question: should logout revoke all device tokens or just the current one?
Next step: decide revoke scope, then update auth/logout.ts.

Understand the safety notes

The skill runs no scripts and uses no network access, according to its assessment. It reads from the agentmemory memory store on your machine.

Resumed summaries can show earlier conversation content from stored memory. Do not use this skill on a sensitive or shared machine where that content should stay private.

Runs scripts: no
Uses network: no
Avoid on sensitive or shared machines

Tips for getting reliable results

Keep agentmemory running and recording sessions for each project, because the skill can only resume what was saved. If the tools are missing, check the troubleshooting guide included with the skill, which covers the "MCP tool not available" error.

If the skill reports no match, do not expect it to borrow another project's session. It is designed to stop instead. You can start fresh work or check that the project identifier is correct.

Confirm agentmemory is recording sessions before relying on the skill.
Read TROUBLESHOOTING.md in the skill folder if memory_sessions or memory_recall is unavailable.
Use EXAMPLES.md in the skill folder for worked examples, including a sibling-repo guard example.

What people use it for

Returning to a project after a few days and recovering the open design question.
Switching between several repositories without confusing their sessions.
Starting a new session and getting a summary of the files touched last time.
Checking which errors or decisions were recorded in the previous session before continuing.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the handoff agent skill?

Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. Put the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or in .claude/skills/ inside one project. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

What does the handoff skill require?

It requires the agentmemory plugin, which must provide the memory_sessions and memory_recall tools, and an agent runtime that loads SKILL.md skills. Without agentmemory, the skill reports no matching session.

Is the handoff skill free?

The source material gives the licence as Apache-2.0. It does not state pricing, so check the project's licence terms for details.

Does the handoff skill send my data over the network?

According to the assessment on this page, it runs no scripts and uses no network. It reads from the agentmemory memory store on your machine, but resumed summaries can expose earlier conversation content.

Why does the skill say there is no matching session?

This usually means agentmemory is not installed or was not recording sessions for that project. The skill matches sessions by directory boundary and will not substitute another project's session.

What should I do if memory_sessions is not available?

Read TROUBLESHOOTING.md in the skill folder. It explains that missing tools can come from a stopped MCP process, a disconnected daemon, or a reduced tool surface, and tells you to restart or reload the host connection after configuration changes.

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Our verdict

The handoff skill is a good fit for developers who move between several projects and want a clean restart, especially if they already run agentmemory. It is a poor fit if agentmemory is not recording sessions, or on shared or sensitive machines where stored conversation summaries should stay private.

Download the skill