What it does
Portable Handoff addresses the loss of context when an agent session fills up or you switch tools. Instead of asking a model to summarize, it writes a capsule: one Markdown file in which the model supplies the meaning while local code supplies facts such as git state, file hashes and timestamps. Each claim is labeled with its source and how far to trust it, and a model cannot raise its own recollection to a verified fact. After the model writes a draft, preflight and finalize commands merge it with local evidence. A load command then produces a short briefing for the next session, checks the embedded JSON and SHA-256 digest, compares the current repository with what was recorded, and reports staleness as fresh, stale or another state. A capsule that fails its integrity check is refused. It installs from a clone with pip and needs Python 3.11 or newer, with no runtime dependencies, network access, account or API key. Skill files and a slash command are provided for Claude Code, Codex CLI and Cursor. The README says it needs a filesystem and shell, so it does not work in a plain chat window, and it calls the project v0.1 with no sync or team features. It is Apache-2.0 licensed.
Capabilities
- Capsule file holding both prose and canonical JSON for a session
- Git state, file hashes and timestamps recorded by local code, not the model
- Source and trust labels on every claim
- Load command gives a short briefing with a staleness check
- Skills and slash command for Claude Code, Codex CLI and Cursor
- No account, API key or runtime dependencies
When to use it
- A coding session has hit its context limit and you want to continue in a fresh one
- You switch between Claude Code, Codex and Cursor in the middle of a task
- You want repository facts recorded from git rather than from a model's memory
