The Handover File: Persistent AI Context That Eliminates Cold Starts

Every AI session starts cold. You re-explain your project, your constraints, your decisions. The cognitive tax never reduces. This template solves that. A Handover file holds the current state of any project in plain text, and Claude reads it at session start, briefs itself, and picks up exactly where you left off. No re-briefing. No repetition. Sessions that compound instead of reset. Built and tested by a non-technical professional running a multi-project AI system for six months.

Prompt / skill content

HANDOVER — [Project Name]

Last updated: [DD Month YYYY — one-line session summary]

Current state

[Honest one-paragraph picture of where things stand right now]

Next actions

[Most important thing to do next]
[Second priority]
[Third priority]

Key decisions (don't relitigate these)

[Decision + why it was made]
[Decision + why it was made]

Critical rules (never break)

[Rule 1]
[Rule 2]

Contacts / references

[External parties, file paths, or URLs Claude needs to know]

CLAUDE INSTRUCTION: Read this file at the start of every session before doing anything else. Brief yourself from it. At session end, patch it with what changed — update "Last updated" and any sections that have moved on. This file is the single source of truth.