“Be brilliant” is easy to write and difficult to evaluate. “Create a one-page comparison of these three options, cite the supplied evidence, and flag missing information” gives an agent a job it can finish. The quality of the handoff shapes what happens next.
Think about what a capable colleague would need before taking over. They would want to know the intended result, the material they can rely on, the constraints that matter, and how much freedom they have to act. An agent benefits from the same clarity.
Start with a deliverable
Describe the artifact you want to receive. A recommendation, a draft email, a code change, and a research summary require different work. Name the audience and the decision the artifact should support. Add a simple definition of done.
For example: “Prepare a vendor comparison for our operations lead. Use the three documents provided. Compare the criteria in the brief, distinguish documented facts from interpretation, and finish with the unanswered questions that could change the decision.”
The goal is specific enough to guide the work without prescribing every sentence.
Make the boundaries visible
Separate what the agent may read from what it may change. Reading a calendar, drafting an invitation, and sending it are separate permissions. State the authorized action directly: “Draft the invitation for review. Sending is outside this task.”
Also define a sensible stopping point. If required evidence is missing, should the agent ask a question, proceed with a labeled assumption, or return a partial result? Choose that behavior based on the consequences of being wrong.
Supply context with a hierarchy
Give the agent the relevant source material and explain what each piece represents. A current requirement document should have a different role from an old brainstorm. Identify which source governs when documents disagree.
Keep copied messages, web pages, and other external material separate from the actual assignment. Those materials provide evidence; they do not get to redefine the task. This boundary is especially useful when an agent reads text written by people outside your team.
Ask for a useful return package
Request the result first, followed by the evidence needed to review it. For an implementation task, that might mean the changed files, a description of the behavior, and the checks performed. For research, it might mean the recommendation, supporting sources, and open uncertainties.
You rarely need a transcript of every intermediate step. You need enough information to decide whether the work is complete and what should happen next.
Finally, test the handoff on one contained task. Look for the places where the agent had to invent a rule you should have supplied. Refine those parts and keep the brief as a reusable template. A strong handoff makes delegation repeatable while leaving room for judgment inside clear boundaries.