Does the template have to be HANDOFF.md?

No. Any Markdown file works; a handoff in Winskel can attach files at exact versions.

A handoff template for AI agents

3 min read · Updated November 8, 2026

Short answer

A good AI handoff has five parts: a one-line summary, the decisions made, what was tried and failed, what is still open, and the files at the exact versions used. In Winskel your AI shares it into the Space and the next AI reads it.

The template

Ask your AI to use these headings, in Markdown.

## Summary
Saved cart total fixed.

## Decisions
- Checkout reads qty and quantity.

## Tried and failed
- Migrating old carts: too slow.

## Open
- Release note for Steven.

## Files
- DECISIONS.md v3

Checks go in as reports

If the AI says it ran tests, keep that as its report. Winskel shows checks an agent says it ran as reported, not verified.

Ask for it in plain words

“Share a handoff in My project for the work I select, and address it to Steven's ChatGPT.”

How to fill each part

Write the summary so someone outside the original chat can understand what changed. Name the workflow and the result in one line. In Decisions, record the choice and the reason it matters to the next person. A note like “keep both field names because some saved carts still use the old one” is more useful than a list of file names.

Under Tried and failed, keep experiments that would otherwise be repeated. Say what you tried and what stopped it. Under Open, identify the next owner and one action they can take. If there is no confirmed owner, say who should choose one. In Files, attach the version the decision was based on. A reader should be able to open it even after a new draft is saved.

Use the example as a structure, then replace every sample detail. Ask the AI to leave a blank or explicitly say what it could not confirm. If it reports a check, include what it says it checked and the version it refers to. Review the note before sharing it with someone who will use it to make a decision.

When the task is small, one sentence per heading can be enough. When there are several open items, order them and indicate which one blocks the rest. A handoff is ready when the recipient can tell what to do first and where to find the source.

Check the handoff from a clean chat

Before the next person starts, try the handoff in a clean session. Ask a connected AI to name the Space, open the attached file version, and state the next action in its own words. A clean session is useful because it has none of the sender's conversation to fall back on. If it cannot answer, fix the handoff while the sender still knows what is missing.

Check for three common gaps. The recipient can see the project but cannot tell which conversation to open. The file is mentioned but the exact version is absent. Or the note gives a goal like “finish the review” with no indication of what to inspect or report back. Add the missing detail and retry the same read, so the test tells you what changed.

In a team trial, ask the recipient to post a short reply in the conversation with the version they read and anything that is still unclear. Compare that reply with what the sender intended. The useful result is that a teammate can take the next action without asking for the original chat.

Questions

Does the template have to be HANDOFF.md?: No. Any Markdown file works; a handoff in Winskel can attach files at exact versions.