Handoff Protocol Pattern

Content

{
  "problem": "In multi-agent pipelines, when one agent passes work to another, critical context is lost because agents communicate via plain-text summaries that omit decision rationale, dead-ends explored, and confidence levels.",
  "examples": [
    "Research-to-synthesis handoff",
    "Planning-to-execution handoff",
    "Analysis-to-reporting handoff"
  ],
  "solution": "Standardize inter-agent handoffs with a structured handoff document that explicitly transfers goal, completed work, rationale for decisions, and what NOT to re-attempt.",
  "anti_patterns": [
    "Plain text \"here is what I found\" handoffs without structured schema",
    "Omitting do_not_retry list — causes circular work repetition",
    "Incoming agent skipping acknowledgment step — silent misunderstandings compound"
  ],
  "implementation_steps": [
    "Define handoff document schema: { task_goal, work_completed[], key_decisions[{ decision, rationale, alternatives_rejected }], open_questions[], do_not_retry[], confidence_level, next_agent_instructions }",
    "Outgoing agent fills handoff document as its final action — not a summary added after-the-fact",
    "Incoming agent must read and acknowledge handoff document before beginning work",
    "Incoming agent confirms understanding by restating: goal, where to start, what to avoid",
    "Handoff documents are appended to task log — never overwritten — enabling audit trail"
  ]
}