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Handoffs and forwards

Two ways to move work between agents. A handoff moves one task to a fresh console of the CLI you name, usually a different one. A forward sends finished results to the next agent in line.

Updated October 22, 20262 min read

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Hand off a task#

Say or type pass this task to codex, or hand off to gemini.

  1. Symvibe asks for a summary

    It types a request into the source console for a summary of the task and where it stands. If more than one console could be the source, the thread asks you to @ mention it.

  2. It waits for the answer

    Up to four minutes. Without a summary, the new console still opens, with nothing typed into it.

  3. It starts the destination

    A fresh console of the CLI you named.

  4. It delivers the brief

    Once that console is up, it types and submits the summary with the instruction to continue the task from exactly that state.

  • The source console keeps running. Close it when you no longer need it.
  • One handoff runs at a time, and the destination is one of the built-in CLIs.
  • If the new console asks whether to trust the folder, Symvibe does not answer for you. Approve it in that console within about two minutes and the brief is delivered; after that the brief is not sent, and the thread shows it so you can paste it yourself.
  • The summary request and the brief are turns of each agent, on its own plan.

Forward finished results#

Say when they finish, pass it to Codex, or when group 1 finishes pass everything to group 2.

  • When every source console has reported, their full replies are typed into the destination as one digest and submitted.
  • With several destinations, each gets a different part as far as the replies can be divided, and an agent left without a part stays free; work that cannot be divided goes whole to the first one. to everyone sends the whole digest to each.
  • Up to 24,000 characters per reply and about 72,000 per digest; longer replies are cut. Results stay forwardable for 30 minutes after they finish. A forward said before its sources have an order waits up to four hours for one; once they are working, it waits at most 30 minutes from the order, then sends the replies that came in.

Which one to use#

Handoff
Switching CLIs in the middle of a task, for example when one agent is stuck. The source still has to write the summary, so an agent that is out of usage cannot hand off its task this way.
Forward
Pipelines: builders, then reviewers; three investigations, then one agent that writes the fix.

Keep going#

Groups and teamsForward from one group to another. How orders reach your agentsHow the brief is typed and submitted. Voice and typed commandsMore phrasings.

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