How it works
Agent handoff is the transfer of a task or execution control from one agent to another. The initial agent recognizes that another specialty, tool or context is more appropriate and forwards the request with enough information to continue the work.
A well defined handoff usually includes the objective, the current state, the relevant data, the constraints and the expected outcome. The receiving agent can accept the task, ask for more context or return control. The coordinator system keeps the sequence, logs the result and decides if the flow is finished or if another agent should participate.
Delegating does not mean agents automatically share the entire conversation or memory. The transferred context needs to be specified. If important details are omitted, the next agent may repeat work, misinterpret the request or make a decision incompatible with the previous one.
It is also important to delimit permissions. An agent that summarizes requirements does not necessarily need to be able to change files or call external services. The design should define which actions each step can execute, how errors are communicated and at which points a human needs to approve a decision.
Practical example
Imagine a flow to fix a defect in an application. A triage agent reads the report and identifies the steps to reproduce the problem. It forwards to the code agent the summary, the likely files and the acceptance criteria. After the change is proposed, a test agent receives the change and verifies the indicated scenarios.
If tests fail, the result goes back to the code agent with the error message and the test that did not pass. The flow can allow a new attempt. If the failure persists or involves a product decision, the system stops automation and requests human review.
A useful handoff avoids sending the entire unfiltered history. Instead, it transfers a verifiable summary: what was tried, what changed, what is missing and which limits cannot be violated. This way, each agent starts with enough context without assuming it saw actions executed in other steps.
What it's for
Handoffs serve to split work that requires different roles, such as planning, researching, implementing, reviewing and testing. They allow building flows in which each agent receives a clear responsibility instead of asking a single agent to do everything at once.
The pattern is useful in multi-agent systems, automated support, research with tools and software development processes. In a squad, for example, one agent can turn an idea into requirements and another can implement a part, as long as context and criteria are shared explicitly.
To design a reliable flow, define who can delegate, what accompanies the task, how the result is validated and how execution can be interrupted. Log failures and approval decisions. bridgecode can coordinate code agents in steps of a project, but each team still needs to define its review and security rules.