Handoff MCP Server
Claude forgets everything between sessions. handoff-mcp gives it a memory that survives the context window: it tracks the progress of your work - goals, decisions and their rationale, dead-ends, open questions, the next step - and at the boundary of a session produces a prioritised, token-budgeted brief so the next session resumes already knowing where you left off.
People connecting memory tools to Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in Python.
VERIFIED ACTIVE
LAST COMMIT 2026-07-11 · ★ 2 · #201 OF 259 MAINTAINED MEMORY · VERIFIED 2026-08-25
MIT · Python servers · how we verify → /methodology
01 · Install Handoff
before you install - you'll need
Set HANDOFF_PROJECT, HANDOFF_EMBED_BASE_URL, HANDOFF_EMBED_MODEL, HANDOFF_LLM_MODEL before connecting. HANDOFF_VAULT, HANDOFF_SEMANTIC are optional or environment-specific per the README.
Claude Code
claude mcp add kirill-sviridov-handoff-mcp -- uvx handoff-mcpClaude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config
{
"mcpServers": {
"kirill-sviridov-handoff-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"handoff-mcp"
]
}
}
}Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.
Using another client? Same JSON, different key
Claude Desktop · mcpServers
Cursor · mcpServers
VS Code · servers
Windsurf · mcpServers
Zed · context_servers
Cline · mcpServers
Roo Code · mcpServers
Continue · mcpServers
LibreChat · mcpServers
Gemini CLI · mcpServers
Codex CLI · mcp_servers
Full setup guides: every client.
02 · Evidence
Security posture
What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.
runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions
repo age created 2026-07-07 - young repo, little track record yet
license MIT - declared in the repository
pypi package handoff-mcp - check the name against the project README before installing (PyPI has no namespace ownership)
registry namespace io.github.kirill-sviridov is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner
03 · What Handoff can do
Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.
Limitations (from the README)
Honest edges of v0.4, so you know what you're adopting: - Supersession is explicit, not inferred. handoff-mcp never decides on its own that one memory retires another - the agent must say so, via supersedes (by id) or supersedes_query (by best match). That is deliberate (it's what keeps the brief deterministic and auditable), but it means the quality of the memory depends on the agent actually logging retractions. It
Latest releases
v0.4.0 · 2026-07-11
Added · Claude Code plugin. The repo is now a plugin marketplace: install with · /plugin marketplace add kirill-sviridov/handoff-mcp then /plugin install handoff-mcp@handoff-mcp. · Bundles the MCP server (via uvx…
v0.3.2 · 2026-07-10
Changed · Package author metadata name corrected to "Kirill Sviridov". · uv tool install handoff-mcp · PyPI · CHANGELOG.md
v0.3.1 · 2026-07-10
Fixed · checkpoint now accepts a project parameter, mirroring the other memory tools (log_event, get_brief, note_entity, consolidate). Previously it used the session's default project unconditionally, so a session that…
04 · Who maintains Handoff
Handoff is maintained by kirill-sviridov. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Jul 2026.
05 · Facts
- repository
- github.com/kirill-sviridov/handoff-mcp
- category
- memory - ranked #201 of 259 actively-maintained memory servers as of 2026-08-25.
- release cadence
- 4 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-07-11)
- registry
- io.github.kirill-sviridov/handoff-mcp (active, first published 2026-07-07 · 3 versions)
- packages
- pypi:handoff-mcp
06 · Handoff FAQ
What is Handoff?
Claude forgets everything between sessions. handoff-mcp gives it a memory that survives the context window: it tracks the progress of your work - goals, decisions and their rationale, dead-ends, open questions, the next step - and at the boundary of a session produces a prioritised, token-budgeted brief so the next session resumes already knowing where you left off.
Is Handoff still maintained?
Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-07-11 and it shipped 4 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.
How do I install Handoff?
Run `uvx handoff-mcp`. The README documents 6 environment variables (HANDOFF_VAULT, HANDOFF_PROJECT, HANDOFF_SEMANTIC…) to set first. Set HANDOFF_PROJECT, HANDOFF_EMBED_BASE_URL, HANDOFF_EMBED_MODEL, HANDOFF_LLM_MODEL before connecting. HANDOFF_VAULT, HANDOFF_SEMANTIC are optional or environment-specific per the README. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.
Does Handoff run locally?
Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via uvx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.
07 · Alternatives to Handoff
Alternatives to Handoff
Maintained memory servers if Handoff isn't the fit.
- Codebase Memory Codebase knowledge graph for AI agents - 159 languages, sub-ms queries, 99% fewer tokens. ★ 40,198 · 2026-08-23
- Tradememory Protocol MCP memory for AI trading agents. Store trades, recall similar setups, track strategy performance. ★ 1,412 · 2026-08-11
- Superlog Open-source agent that observes and fixes your application. Query logs, traces, metrics, incidents. ★ 1,394 · 2026-08-23
- Persome Local-first personal memory and model server for trusted MCP agents on macOS. ★ 1,314 · 2026-08-21
- Neo4j Memory MCP Neo4j Knowledge Graph Memory Server ★ 979 · 2026-04-10
- Projectmem Local-first memory + judgment layer for AI coding agents - warns before repeating failed fixes. ★ 750 · 2026-08-06
Pairs well with
Servers that cover what Handoff doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.