Session handoff

The handoff-new extension creates a fresh continuation prompt from the current conversation and starts it in a clean new session. This resets context and reduces token spend when a conversation has grown large or shifted direction. RPC clients can use the handoff_new command for the same flow in headless hosts.

Bundled with Selesai

Loaded automatically with Selesai; no per-extension npm install is required.

Manifest entry: ./handoff-new.ts
Runtime surface: Slash command

Setup and prerequisites

This extension is bundled with Selesai. It is loaded automatically; you do not need to install it separately.
Works in the terminal TUI and non-TUI/RPC hosts such as VS Code. In non-TUI hosts, generation runs directly without the terminal loader.
Requires a selected model and valid API credentials so the handoff document can be generated.
A model is used to summarize the conversation; the result is submitted as the first prompt of the new session.

What it sets up

Registers the /handoff-new slash command.
Reads the current session branch, including message and compaction entries.
Calls the configured model with a system prompt that asks for a handoff document and preserves branch structure around compaction summaries.
Starts a new session whose parent is the current session file, seeded with the generated handoff text. The current session’s name is carried over as the new session’s starting name.
Emits a handoff-new custom entry in the current session as a breadcrumb.

What you can configure

Session handoff is controlled by the goal argument. The prompt template is source-owned.

No user configuration

This capability does not expose user-editable settings. Its behavior is controlled by the commands and runtime rules documented below.

Command, tool, and shortcut controls

Key / path	Description
`/handoff-new <goal>`	Create a continuation prompt in a fresh session.

Source evidence

src/extensions/handoff-new.tsHandoff source
src/skills/handoff/Handoff skill
src/skills/selesai-handoff/

What you can do

Run /handoff-new to continue from a clean session after the model summarizes the current thread. The new session keeps the current session’s name (you can rename it with /name).
Run /handoff-new implement the remaining database migrations to tell the next session exactly what to focus on.
Use the output as an editable continuation prompt before the new session starts.

Commands, tools, and shortcuts

Command	Description
`/handoff-new [goal]`	Generate a handoff document and start a clean new session from it.
RPC `handoff_new`	Generate a handoff and start a clean child session; accepts an optional `goal`.
`$selesai-handoff [goal]`	Ask a skill-backed agent to launch a background Selesai session with a handoff summary instead of editing in place.

Limits and safety

The model prompt explicitly asks it to redact sensitive information such as API keys, passwords, or PII, but you should still inspect the generated handoff before it is submitted.
Handoff generation requires a working model and API key. If generation fails, no new session is created.
The original session remains intact and can still be resumed or navigated via /tree.
The selesai-handoff skill is a companion resource; it is not a separate bundled extension entrypoint.

Source evidence

Selesai version: 0.10.0