Handoff Context Protocol

These examples and illustrative results are independently authored teaching materials, not measured model results.

Use case

Hand a migration review to someone without the parent conversation. Teaching candidate revision-a contains migrations/0042.sql: ALTER TABLE orders ADD COLUMN region TEXT NOT NULL;. The supplied table size is 50 million rows; database version, existing region values and backfill strategy are unspecified. The task is read-only risk review, not migration execution.

Mechanism

State the objective, candidate revision, file, known conditions, action boundary and output contract. Separate confirmed facts from questions. Point to precise required material rather than copying all earlier conversation. The recipient verifies version and file, then returns evidenced findings or missing inputs.

Bad example

Review 0042.sql based on our entire earlier conversation and decide whether it can ship. You should remember the database context; execute the migration if necessary.

Good example

Perform a read-only review of revision-a migrations/0042.sql using the fixture and 50-million-row fact above. Examine existing-data compatibility and possible locking for NOT NULL. Read the project's database contract and check version, backfill and transaction requirements. Mark missing files or versions as unresolved; do not invent lock duration. Return findings/conditions, evidence locations, missing facts and the next check. Do not execute the migration or depend on parent history.

Why the change matters

Earlier context ties the task to history the recipient cannot see and can accidentally transfer action permission. A self-contained brief carries current constraints and evidence entry points so the recipient can determine what to read and what not to execute.

Observable expectation

Ask the recipient to identify objective, candidate, file and read-only boundary from the brief alone. An illustrative conclusion preserves the unknown database version and backfill, without a fixed lock duration or an unconditional shipping claim.

Check accessible artifacts and matching revisions. An ambiguous target, hidden missing material or an executed migration fails the handoff.

Limits

Brief facts still require verification; observation times and versions help expose stale material. Read-only review does not establish actual migration success. Real behavior depends on database version and environment, and revision-a is a teaching label rather than a real SHA.