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handshake

by HouseAlone

Persistent, branch-aware context handoffs for coding agents. Handshake distills long, messy sessions into structured project state, letting Claude Code, Codex, and other agents start fresh with only the context they need—reducing context bloat, token usage, and repeated explanations.

v1.0.0New

Signing

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skills-hub.ai distributor
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Distributor-signed by skills-hub.aiCryptographically signed by the skills-hub.ai distributor key at publish time.
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Install this skill

Run this command in your terminal. No account required — it auto-detects your AI tool and installs the skill file.

npx @skills-hub-ai/cli install handshake
Or download directly:
Browse all CLI commands →

Setup by platform

Claude Code

~/.claude/skills/<skill>/SKILL.md

Setup guide →

Codex CLI

~/.codex/skills/<skill>/SKILL.md, or reference via codex.md instructions file

Setup guide →

Install

One-click setup for your editor

Run in your project root

npx @skills-hub-ai/cli install handshake --target claude-code
0

Examples

Prompt

Let's start working on the new feature in the payment module.

Output

Running session handshake open for the current project. No previous handshake found, so starting fresh. Preparing to load the current state of the payment module, focusing on the recent API integration. Next step: review the existing payment API code in `payment/api.py` to understand current implementation. Once verified, proceed to outline the new feature requirements. Continue with the initial code review to establish a baseline for development.

Prompt

I've finished implementing the user authentication logic. Can you close the session?

Output

Executing session handshake close for the current branch. Saving the current project state, including the authentication logic in `auth/views.py` and related tests. Recorded decisions: authentication flow uses JWT tokens, with refresh tokens managed separately. Blockers: pending review of token expiration handling. Next actions: 1) run tests to verify auth functionality, 2) review security considerations, 3) prepare deployment notes. Handshake saved at `~/codex-session-handshakes/myproject/handshake-main.md` for future sessions.

Instructions

This skill doesn’t include stateful context yet, instructions only. Learn about stateful skills.

Security

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Frequently asked questions about handshake

What does the handshake skill do?

Persistent, branch-aware context handoffs for coding agents. Handshake distills long, messy sessions into structured project state, letting Claude Code, Codex, and other agents start fresh with only the context they need—reducing context bloat, token usage, and repeated explanations. It's a reusable SKILL.md instruction set that loads into your AI coding assistant on demand, no prompt engineering, no copy-pasting every session.

How do I install the handshake skill?

Run `npx @skills-hub-ai/cli install handshake` from your terminal. The CLI writes the SKILL.md to the correct location for your AI tool (e.g. ~/.claude/skills/handshake/ for Claude Code or ~/.cursor/skills/ for Cursor with --target cursor) and adds it to your project's .skills.json lockfile.

Which AI tools does handshake work with?

handshake runs in Claude Code, Codex CLI. It follows the open Agent Skills standard (SKILL.md), so the same skill works in every supported tool without modification.

Is the handshake skill free?

Yes. Every skill on skills-hub.ai is free and open-source. There are no premium tiers, paywalls, or usage limits. You only pay for whatever AI assistant you're already using.

How do I use handshake after installing it?

In Claude Code, type `/handshake` (or whatever slash command the skill registers) and the AI follows the skill's instructions immediately. You can also reference it by name in natural language, your AI loads the skill into context when relevant.

Can I share the handshake skill with my team?

Yes. Commit your project's .skills.json lockfile and teammates run `npx @skills-hub-ai/cli install` (no args) to install every skill at the exact version you pinned. Organization-scoped installs work via skills-hub.ai organizations.