> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.eluu.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Handoffs > Keep one long session running across many large tasks — write a handoff, run /compact, and resume work without losing context or earlier decisions. Most sessions stay short. You ask, the colleague does the work, you're done. But some jobs are big — a multi-step research project, a long report, a plan with many moving parts. After a few hours of back-and-forth, the colleague has so much to remember that earlier details start to blur. The fix is a simple rhythm: write a handoff, run `/compact`, keep going. Same session the whole way through. ## The pattern 1. Finish a large chunk of work. 2. Ask the colleague to create a handoff document — a short note that captures where you are, what's done, and what's next. 3. Run `/compact`. The session keeps going, but the older back-and-forth is summarised so there's room to think. 4. Tell the colleague to continue from the handoff. The handoff lives on the [hard disk](/concepts/hard-disk), so it survives the compact and you can read it yourself. ## When to use it For anything that has more than three or four large sub-tasks. A good flow: * Start with a plan document. List the sub-tasks. * Work through one sub-task at a time. * After each one, write a handoff and run `/compact`. * Pick up the next sub-task from the handoff. That keeps the colleague sharp from the first sub-task to the last. ## What to put in a handoff Tell the colleague what you want captured. A useful handoff usually has: * The overall goal. * What's complete. * What's next. * Any decisions or preferences that came up along the way. > Create a handoff document. Include the goal, what's done, what's left, and any decisions we made. Save it to the hard disk. Then, after `/compact`: > Read the handoff and continue from where we left off. ## Skills you can add to make this easy You don't have to type those instructions every time. Two ready-made [skills](/colleagues/skills) live in the open [eluu-skills](https://github.com/Ive-Everywhere/eluu-skills) repo and turn the rhythm into one-word slash commands. > **`/create-handoff`** — [eluu-skills/create-handoff](https://github.com/Ive-Everywhere/eluu-skills/tree/main/create-handoff). Writes a structured handoff document to the hard disk: goal, plan status, what's done, what's next, decisions, open questions. Run before `/compact`. > **`/resume-handoff`** — [eluu-skills/resume-handoff](https://github.com/Ive-Everywhere/eluu-skills/tree/main/resume-handoff). Reads the most recent handoff, summarises where you are in four lines, and waits for your confirmation before continuing. Add them by asking your colleague directly: > Add the `create-handoff` and `resume-handoff` skills from `https://github.com/Ive-Everywhere/eluu-skills` to yourself. The full rhythm then becomes: `/create-plan` (built in) → work a sub-task → `/create-handoff` → `/compact` → `/resume-handoff` → next sub-task. Repeat to the end. ## Handoff vs new session Both give you a clean working space, but they're different: * **Handoff with `/compact`** — same session, same files, same history (summarised). Best for staying on one big job. * **New session** — a fresh start with no prior context. Best when you're moving to unrelated work. For long-running work, stay in one session and use handoffs. ## Where to next How to add skills to a colleague. Slash shortcuts for your most common asks.