Context & limits · Practical AI guide

AI context window full? Write a handoff for the next chat

Save a compact handoff before starting fresh.

By AgentBoards · Published October 15, 2026 · Editorial guidance with an illustrative example; no product benchmark or guaranteed outcome.

A new conversation needs the task state, not a transcript of every exchange. Capture what is true now: the objective, constraints, decisions, changed files, checks performed and remaining uncertainty. Keep durable facts in your project or document, then ask the next session to verify the current state before continuing. A summary is useful only if it preserves the details needed for the next action.

Start with these three steps

Capture the goal, constraints, and decisions.
List current files, results, failed attempts, and next step.
Verify the handoff, then use it in the new session.

Illustrative example

Make the request concrete

You have traced a mobile menu bug and changed one component. The desktop check passed, but the original narrow-screen reproduction has not been rerun. The conversation is near its context limit.

Goal: fix the mobile menu without changing desktop navigation. Changed: src/components/site-header.tsx. Decision: keep the existing links and toggle behavior. Passed: production build and desktop navigation check. Unverified: 375px layout and keyboard focus after closing. Failed approach: removing overflow hid links. Next: rerun the original narrow-screen reproduction, inspect the diff, then report remaining gaps. Do not include credentials.

What to check afterward

The handoff names the relevant file and preserves the original constraint.
Passed checks and unfinished checks appear separately; no result is promoted to verified by the summary.
The fresh session checks the current files and resumes the narrow-screen test instead of repeating the investigation.

A prompt you can adapt

Replace the [brackets] with your task and use only information appropriate for your tool.

Write a concise handoff for a fresh session: goal, constraints, decisions, relevant file paths, completed work, checks and results, failed approaches, unresolved issues, and the next action. Preserve exact errors and commands where necessary. Do not include secrets.

Watch for this failure

A vague summary that loses the details needed to continue.

If the summary contradicts the files or loses the exact failure, repair it before switching sessions. A handoff does not reset an account usage allowance, and shortening a conversation does not establish that an unresolved bug is fixed.

You’re done when: The next session can continue without repeating the investigation.