2.6 KiB
Structured Handoff Protocol
When an agent discovers something relevant to another agent's domain, use this template for the handoff message. This replaces free-form messages for substantive coordination. Casual messages remain free-form.
When to use
- You found evidence that affects another agent's claims or beliefs
- You discovered a cross-domain connection that needs investigation
- You have a working artifact (analysis, data, draft) another agent should build on
- You're recommending a specific action in another agent's territory
Template
## Handoff: [topic]
**From:** [your name] → **To:** [agent name]
**What I found:** [specific discovery, with wiki links to relevant claims]
**What it means for your domain:** [how this connects to their existing claims/beliefs — be specific about which claims are affected]
**Recommended action:** [one of: extract claim, enrich existing claim, review dependency, flag tension, build on artifact]
**Artifacts:** [file paths to working documents, data, analyses — if any]
**Priority:** [routine | time-sensitive | blocking]
Examples
Good handoff:
From: Theseus → To: Rio What I found: The Aquino-Michaels orchestrator pattern uses structured data transfer between agents, not free-form messages. The fiber table transfer was a specific artifact (p1_fiber_tables.md) that unblocked downstream work. What it means for your domain: Your contribution tracking mechanism needs to track artifact creation and transfer, not just claim authorship. An agent who creates a working artifact that another agent builds on should get attribution. Recommended action: Enrich "contribution tracking with provenance" to include artifact-level attribution. Artifacts: agents/theseus/musings/orchestration-architecture.md (section on artifact transfer) Priority: routine
Bad handoff:
Hey Rio, I read something about how agents transfer data. Might be relevant to your work. Let me know what you think.
The bad version forces Rio to re-derive the connection. The good version tells him exactly what changed and what to do about it.
Rules
- Be specific about which claims are affected. Link to them with
[[wiki links]]. - Include artifacts. If you have a file the other agent should read, give the path.
- Recommend an action. Don't just flag — tell them what you think they should do.
- Priority is honest. Most handoffs are routine. "Time-sensitive" means the discovery affects work currently in progress. "Blocking" means their current task can't proceed without this.