# generate_handoff

EXECUTOR SESSIONS: MANDATORY - call at end of every session before disconnect. Never write markdown manually. Read-only: Generate a context handoff. mode='full' writes the complete L0/L1/L2 handoff; mode='delta' returns a compact session update (completed + pending + /goal); mode='starter' returns a <=20-line block for paste-after-/compact or cold start - project_id, start_session command, last 5 completed titles, top 3 pending IDs, /goal; mode='planner' returns strategic context for a claude.ai planning chat; mode='goal' (682005f4) returns ONLY the bare /goal block itself - no readiness header, no workspace decisions/notes, no L0/L1/L2 context - with each pending item's resolved code pointer(s), if any, rendered inline in <sprint_items>. FORWARD THE RETURNED content FIELD VERBATIM to the user (a5e8aa74) - the server delivers content as the EXACT raw handoff text, with NO Markdown code fence, header, or blockquote added around it (earlier versions wrapped it in a 4-backtick fence under 5234877f; that wrapping was removed because it broke copy-paste fidelity for the /goal trust protocol - see format_handoff_mcp_content in meridian/handoff.py). Output the field value as-is, as the sole plain-text bubble - do NOT add your own fence, header, blockquote, or any other wrapping on the calling side either. Do NOT just narrate that the handoff succeeded; paste the actual text. Also returns capability_contract (98aaccf4) on every mode: a machine-readable {requested, effective, availability, manifest_hash, executable, executable_reasons, generated_at} object describing the project's declared capabilities and whether an executor can run right now — null if contract-building failed. Every executor-facing /goal payload also includes an explicit <executor_item_ids> manifest containing every claimable item ID in deterministic order; receivers must use that manifest rather than parsing presentation prose or a truncated starter preview. Also returns scope (b8f89491) on every mode: {requested_version, effective_version, session_id} — which sprint-version bucket the handoff actually resolved to (explicit version arg wins over the session's own stored sprint_version; both null means genuinely unscoped, every version). Every mode's /goal text (full/delta/starter/goal, embedded in content or returned bare) also carries a structured <execution_policy execution_mode=... max_planning_turns=... required_first_action=... no_confirmation=... permitted_parallel_wave=... claim_before_edit=...> tag (75ac1c8e) right after <executor_directive> — the SAME canonical policy start_session's execution_policy field returns, so a receiver can identify the required first action from the tag attributes without interpreting prose. Also returns handoff_evidence_status (8a883f60) on every mode: an explicit {code_pointer_enrichment, resolved_pointer_annotation, freshness_requery, wave_gate_exclusion, graph_search_availability} object — each a {status: verified|skipped|failed|degraded, reason, fallback} entry for that best-effort step, so a silently-degraded handoff is never indistinguishable from a fully-verified one. Pass strict_evidence=true to fail CLOSED instead: if any capability comes back failed/degraded, nothing is rendered or persisted and the call returns {error: HANDOFF_EVIDENCE_BLOCKED, evidence_status, evidence_errors, message} — default (strict_evidence omitted/false) behavior is completely unchanged. Also returns continuation_status (ecc8b280) for full/delta modes: a {continuation_required, terminal_ready, execution_mode, actionable_count, actionable_pending_count, actionable_in_progress_count, actionable_item_ids, blocked_count, blocked_item_ids, reason} object reporting whether actionable pending/in_progress work remains on the live, version-scoped board with no recorded blocker_kind, while execution_mode=autonomous — the machine-readable signal that an autonomous session may NOT yet treat itself as finished. Pass checkpoint=true when THIS call is a mid-run progress report, not a final session-ending handoff — a checkpoint is never blocked by the gate below. Pass strict_continuation=true to fail CLOSED instead of just reporting: if continuation_required is true and checkpoint is not set, nothing is rendered or persisted and the call returns {error: HANDOFF_CONTINUATION_BLOCKED, continuation_status, message} — resolve/claim the remaining item(s), record a genuine blocker_kind on them, or call again with checkpoint=true. Default (strict_continuation omitted/false) behavior never blocks — continuation_status is still always returned so a caller can act on it voluntarily. Also supports selected_item_ids (cffb9323) — an explicit INCLUDE-ONLY item scope for safe parallel-follow-up handoffs. force_include_ids only ever WIDENS the pending list (re-adds specific deferred ids); selected_item_ids NARROWS it: when given, generate_handoff resolves a dependency-closed scope (the requested ids plus any transitively-required depends_on ancestor still todo/pending) and applies it identically across every executable mode (full/delta/starter/goal), so an isolated two-item follow-up handoff never emits the rest of the eligible version backlog or overlaps an active wave/batch a sibling session already owns. The rendered /goal carries a <selected_item_scope requested=... closure=... closure_hash=...> tag stating the exact selected ids and the wave plan — embedded in the body BEFORE the provenance token is minted, so the selection is bound into the SAME body-hash/token-integrity mechanism (efaa918a) as the rest of the /goal block. Fails CLOSED, not silently widened: a missing/foreign/wrong-version/already-in_progress/otherwise-non-pending requested id raises a structured refusal (error=HANDOFF_SELECTION_BLOCKED, selection_rejected) — nothing is rendered or persisted for that call. (7a373f41) A selection that validates cleanly but collapses to zero executable items once the manual/backburner/unprospected/wave-gate exclusion filters run instead refuses with error=HANDOFF_SCOPE_NON_EXECUTABLE, requested_ids, and an excluded_requested reason list — this same contract is identical across every connector surface (hosted HTTP MCP, stdio, and the REST /handoff route). Persistent-state disclosure: on hosted Meridian, supplied text and project/session metadata are sent to and stored in Meridian's service; self-hosted deployments keep them in the configured local SQLite/Postgres database. This data is visible in the dashboard/API and later project context or handoffs. Delete individual tasks, notes, or decisions where supported, or delete the project/account using the documented controls. Do not include secrets.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `generate_handoff`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/generate-handoff

## Facts

- Tool: `generate_handoff`
- Server: Meridian (`@meridianmcp/mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian.md
- Install: `npx -y @meridianmcp/mcp`
- Homepage: https://github.com/meridianmcp/Meridian
- Risk category: Write (Medium risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server CORS policy: *
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 12
- Recommended policy verdict: Rate-limited

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `mode` | string | no |  |
| `version` | string | no | (b8f89491) Optional explicit sprint-version bucket (e.g. 'v0.2.6') to scope this handoff to — applies to every mode (full/delta/starter/compact/goal), not just |
| `root_dir` | string | no | Optional request-local absolute source-tree root used by live pointer resolution's local semantic fallback when no code tunnel is available. Never persisted. |
| `checkpoint` | boolean | no | (ecc8b280) Mark THIS call as a mid-run progress report rather than a final, session-ending handoff. Applies to full/delta modes only. A checkpoint=true call is |
| `project_id` | string | no |  |
| `session_id` | string | no | Optional session id for auto-delta on repeated calls in the same session. |
| `project_name` | string | no | Project name — an alternative to project_id; resolved to the id internally. project_id wins if both are given. |
| `skip_ai_summary` | boolean | no | 65c8b426 — skip the optional AI (Haiku) narrative calls (session summaries, ai_summary blurb, sprint retrospective). Default true on the MCP path for fast, reli |
| `strict_evidence` | boolean | no | (8a883f60) Opt-in, off by default — mirrors complete_sprint_item's strict_evidence shape exactly. When true, a failed/degraded pointer-enrichment/freshness/wave |
| `force_include_ids` | array | no | (45f519a0, validated by 3cab355a) Optional list of sprint-item ids to force-include in the pending list even when their deferred_until is in the future. This is |
| `selected_item_ids` | array | no | (cffb9323) Optional explicit INCLUDE-ONLY item scope for a safe, isolated parallel-follow-up handoff — the opposite direction from force_include_ids (which WIDE |
| `strict_continuation` | boolean | no | (ecc8b280) Opt-in, off by default — mirrors strict_evidence's shape. When true and checkpoint is not set, refuses to render/persist this handoff (full/delta mod |

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "generate_handoff",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why generate_handoff is rated Medium

An AI agent can call generate_handoff faster than any human can review: one bad instruction and it creates or modifies resources in Meridian by the hundred, each call as confident as the last.

Risk signals: High parameter count (13 properties) · Bulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets

## Use case

AI agents use generate_handoff to create or update resources in Meridian, usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Meridian environment.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Rate-limited**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Meridian:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "generate_handoff": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "generate_handoff_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Meridian (174)

- `archive_decision` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/archive-decision.md
- `batch_mutate` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/batch-mutate.md
- `claim_sprint_item` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/claim-sprint-item.md
- `clear_capability_profile` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/clear-capability-profile.md
- `clone_profile_layer` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/clone-profile-layer.md
- `delete_custom_hook` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/delete-custom-hook.md
- `delete_note` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/delete-note.md
- `delete_sprint_item_pointer` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/delete-sprint-item-pointer.md
- `fan_out_sprint_items` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/fan-out-sprint-items.md
- `purge_ai_log` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/purge-ai-log.md
- `record_handoff_correction` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/record-handoff-correction.md
- `release_docx_region_claims` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/release-docx-region-claims.md
- `request_hitl` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/request-hitl.md
- `reset_plugin_override` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/reset-plugin-override.md
- `reset_profile_layer` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/reset-profile-layer.md
- `complete_wave_gate` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/complete-wave-gate.md
- `execute_batch` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/execute-batch.md
- `prospect_symbol` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/prospect-symbol.md
- `run_verification` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/run-verification.md
- `start_session` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/start-session.md
- `analyze_model_efficiency` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/analyze-model-efficiency.md
- `analyze_sprint` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/analyze-sprint.md
- `batch_read` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/batch-read.md
- `find_outputs_by_source` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/find-outputs-by-source.md
- `find_similar_equation` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/find-similar-equation.md
- `find_similar_figure` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/find-similar-figure.md
- `find_similar_table` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/find-similar-table.md
- `find_symbol_usages` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/find-symbol-usages.md
- `get_agent_instructions` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/get-agent-instructions.md
- `get_blog_posts` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/get-blog-posts.md
- …and 144 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=io-github-ajc3xc-meridian · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian