# HANDOFF.md

## Purpose
Immediate baton-pass for the next fresh implementation session.

## Current objective
Investigate and improve subagent / ACP delegation reliability with evidence-first debugging. Focus on current failure modes, what is already fixed, and the highest-confidence next fix.

## Use these state files first
1. `WIP.subagent-reliability.md` — canonical state for this pass
2. `memory/tasks.json` — task tracking for reliability items
3. `memory/2026-03-04-subagent-delegation.md` — earlier delegation context
4. `memory/2026-03-13.md` if present, otherwise append today’s evidence there
5. `external/openclaw-upstream/` — for any core-runtime fix work

## Related tasks
- `task-20260304-2215-subagent-reliability` — in progress
- `task-20260304-211216-acp-claude-codex` — open

## Known truths
- TUI noise suppression was already patched locally and upstreamed earlier.
- User still wants actual subagent reliability improved, not just UI noise hidden.
- Prior ACP failures included Claude/Codex runtime exits.
- Fresh-session implementation discipline is now the expected approach for non-trivial work.

## Highest-priority next actions
1. Inspect prior task/session evidence and current runtime state.
2. Reproduce or otherwise concretely characterize present failures.
3. Split findings into:
   - ACP runtime issues
   - generic subagent/session issues
   - completion-event / delivery issues
4. If a fix is feasible now, implement the smallest high-confidence fix and validate it.
5. Update WIP + memory + tasks before ending.

## Success criteria
- Clear current-state diagnosis.
- Evidence-backed fix or sharply scoped next fix plan.
- State files updated with paths, commands, and outcomes.