Note
October 7, 2026
1 min read
What the Next Agent Needs to Know
By Cristiano Pierry
A repository handoff should tell the next AI agent what is finished, what was verified, and where to resume.
When I hit a usage limit in one AI tool, I move to another. I bounce among OpenAI, Cursor, Claude and, in desperation, Copilot. The repository comes with me. The conversation does not. A new agent can see changed files without knowing which steps were verified or why an approach was dropped.
I want each project to carry its own handoff. The product definition, implementation plan, and decisions belong in the repository. A short current-state file should say what task is underway, what the agent finished and verified, and what to do next. It should also record failed approaches that another agent might otherwise repeat. When a task is done, the agent verifies it, updates the file, and commits.
Limits do not always arrive at a task boundary. If the previous agent stopped mid-change, the next one should compare the handoff with the uncommitted changes and recent commits. Then it can correct anything stale and continue from the actual state of the work.
I should be able to change tools and have the next agent tell me what is finished and what it will do first, without asking me to reconstruct the previous conversation.
This writing reflects my personal perspectives on product management, AI, and content discovery. It does not represent the official position of my employer or any affiliated organization.