Multi-agent
What is Handoff?
A handoff is passing an artifact and responsibility from one agent to another.
Good handoffs are typed: the next agent receives a document, not a vague vibe.
Visual
Typed handoff
Agent A produces a typed artifact that Agent B consumes with clear context.
Why it matters
A handoff is how one agent passes work to another. Good handoffs are typed: the receiving agent gets a structured artifact (a document, a code diff, a research brief) with clear instructions. Bad handoffs pass vague context and hope the next agent figures it out.
Handoff design determines whether a multi-agent system works reliably or fails silently with lost state.
Key takeaways
- 1Good handoffs are typed: the next agent receives a structured artifact.
- 2Handoff design determines multi-agent reliability.
- 3Every handoff should be logged with the artifact and instructions.
Common mistakes
- ✕Passing vague context instead of typed artifacts.
- ✕Not logging handoff contents, making debugging impossible.
Related terms
Concept neighborhood
Terms linked from Handoff in the glossary graph.