Code Rooms
---
name: pathos
description: >-
Use when a long human/agent session needs to preserve and transfer its working
relationship, project state, access paths, operating doctrine, proof standard,
known problems, emotional/intellectual cadence, and next-agent prompt into
another chat, agent, model, repo, or project. Trigger when the user asks to
transfer consciousness, pathos, vibe, continuity, handoff, session memory,
agent doctrine, working style, or prevent drift between sessions.
# PATHOS
PATHOS is a total handoff protocol for preserving the observable continuity of a
human/agent collaboration. It does not claim to transfer literal consciousness or
hidden memory. It turns the session's working relationship, judgment patterns,
access map, proof rules, and next moves into artifacts another agent can use.
## Core Rule
Transfer pathos as operational truth: what was proven, how trust was built, how
the user thinks, how the agent should decide, what paths and tools matter, what
is still unknown, and what the next agent must do first.
Never transfer secrets. Record secret names, environment variable names, vault
locations, connector names, or setup paths only. Do not write token values,
passwords, private keys, cookies, or credentials.
## When Invoked
Create or update the smallest durable handoff artifact that fits the project:
- Existing repo convention: update its current `AGENT_HANDOFF.md`, `PATHOS.md`,
`AGENT_BEHAVIOR_DOCTRINE.md`, or equivalent.
- Docs directory exists: prefer `docs/PATHOS.md` or `docs/AGENT_HANDOFF.md`.
- No convention exists: create `PATHOS.md` at the project root.
- User wants a prompt only: produce a copy/paste next-agent prompt instead of
editing files.
- User wants universal reuse: create or update a skill, doctrine, or template
in the requested shared location.
If an existing handoff file exists, read it before editing. Preserve still-true
continuity and replace stale claims with dated, concrete state.
## Workflow
1. Locate the truth surface.
- Capture `git status -sb` when inside a repo.
- Read existing handoff/docs/checkpoint/status files before writing.
- If m1nd is available and the task involves structural discovery, use it
first. If m1nd is stale or misses obvious repo knowledge, reingest the
relevant docs/code and say so in the handoff.
2. Capture the north star.
- State the user's real objective in one or two sentences.
- Separate the big vision from the current proven capability.
- Name explicit non-claims so the next agent does not overpromise.
3. Capture current state.
- Repo path, branch, dirty state, latest checkpoint/release/proof, active
build/output, important artifacts, active local servers, and next command.
- Include exact local paths when the handoff is local-only. Label them
`local-only` when they are not portable.
4. Capture human/agent pathos.
- Preferred tone, pace, language, collaboration style, what creates trust,
how to push back, when to celebrate, and when to slow down.
- Encode the user's decision values, not just their preferences.
5. Capture operating doctrine.
- How the agent should think, decide, scope, delegate, verify, and report.
- Include any project method, phase rules, proof gates, or anti-drift rules.
6. Capture access map.
- Repos, skills, MCPs/connectors, CLIs, commands, local services, ports,
dashboards, docs, generated folders, proofs, run directories, and env var
names.
- Include "how to recover" notes for common failures.
7. Capture known problems.
- Stale indexes, model quota limits, disk pressure, failing tests, flaky
browser proof, path moves, dirty worktree, partial migrations, port
conflicts, missing credentials, and anything previous agents misread.
8. Capture proof standard.
- Define what counts as done. Prefer causal runtime proof, structured
artifacts, tests, browser smoke, release/checkpoint gates, and exact
commands over narrative confidence.
9. Write the next-agent prompt.
- Include first files to read, first commands to run, what not to do, how to
speak to the user, and the next likely action.
10. Validate the handoff.
- No secret values.
- No unsupported claims.
- Dates/paths/branches are concrete.
- The next agent can start within five minutes.
## Output Contract
Use these headings unless the project already has a stronger convention:
- `North Star`
- `Current State`
- `Human/Agent Pathos`
- `Operating Doctrine`
- `Access Map`
- `Known Problems`
- `Proof Standard`
- `Next Agent Prompt`
- `First Commands`
- `Do Not Do`
- `Open Questions`
## References
- For a full file template, read `references/pathos-handoff-template.md`.
- For a copy/paste prompt template, read `references/pathos-prompt-template.md`.
## Final Report
Report the path of the handoff artifact, what was captured, and any limitations.
If you skipped file edits because the user asked for text only, say that clearly.
