---
title: "overlane task handoff"
description: "Pause the held task and print the command that continues it in the other agent"
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.overlane.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# overlane task handoff

{/* Generated by apps/docs/scripts/generate.mjs (CLI pages from the command registry in packages/cli). Do not edit; run `pnpm --filter @overlane/docs gen`. */}

Checkpoints the task with pause reason handoff and prints the exact command to start the other agent (claude or codex) on it. It never starts the other agent: moving work to another vendor's agent sends code and context to that vendor.

## Usage

```sh
overlane task handoff [--summary TEXT] [--next TEXT] [--to claude|codex] [--dry-run]
```

## Flags

| Flag | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `--summary` | string | no |  | What has been done so far |
| `--next` | string | no |  | What the next agent should do |
| `--to` | one of `claude`, `codex` | no |  | The agent to hand to (default: the other one) |
| `--dry-run` | boolean | no |  | Print the requests and file changes this command would make, then stop. Needs no credentials. |

## Examples

```sh
overlane task handoff --to codex
overlane task handoff --to claude --summary "API done" --next "Add tests"
```

## Behavior

- Effect: `write` (changes local or hosted state).
- Needs credentials: yes. Uses the network: yes.
- Supports `--dry-run`: yes. Accepts `--force`: no.
- Machine-readable description: `overlane schema task handoff`.

## Result

With `--json` (the default when stdout is not a terminal) the command prints this JSON Schema's shape on stdout.

```json
{
  "anyOf": [
    {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "taskId": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "to": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "claude",
            "codex"
          ]
        },
        "commitSha": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "route": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "localOnly": {
          "type": "boolean"
        },
        "resumeCommand": {
          "type": "string"
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "taskId",
        "to",
        "commitSha",
        "route",
        "localOnly",
        "resumeCommand"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": false
    },
    {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "dryRun": {
          "type": "boolean",
          "const": true
        },
        "service": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "requests": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "method": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "path": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "body": {},
              "note": {
                "type": "string"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "method",
              "path"
            ],
            "additionalProperties": false
          }
        },
        "commands": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "string"
          }
        },
        "writes": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "path": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "action": {
                "type": "string",
                "enum": [
                  "write",
                  "append",
                  "delete"
                ]
              },
              "description": {
                "type": "string"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "path",
              "action",
              "description"
            ],
            "additionalProperties": false
          }
        },
        "notes": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "string"
          }
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "dryRun",
        "requests",
        "commands",
        "writes",
        "notes"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": false
    }
  ]
}
```

See [exit codes](/cli/#exit-codes) for the status the process returns.

Source: https://docs.overlane.app/cli/task-handoff/index.mdx