Multi-Tool Failover

Sessions are tool-bound. Projects are not. The baton + universal skill format
bridge any agent gap.

Tradeoff: Some tool-specific features are unavailable when the active tool
changes. Worth it: zero work loss when one tool runs out of context, hits a
limit, or has a bug.

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Supported tools and their adapters

Tool	Entry file	Skills read
Claude Code	CLAUDE.md + .claude/skills/	SKILL.md (native)
Codex CLI	AGENTS.md + .codex/AGENTS.md	SKILL.md (since v0.42)
Cursor	.cursorrules (generated from AGENTS.md)	inline rules
Antigravity	AGENTS.md	SKILL.md (since v1.0)
Kiro	AGENTS.md + steering files	SKILL.md (since launch)
Gemini CLI	GEMINI.md (generated)	inline
Copilot	.github/copilot-instructions.md	inline
Windsurf	.windsurfrules (generated)	inline
Aider	CONVENTIONS.md (generated)	inline
OpenCode	CLAUDE.md (compatible)	SKILL.md

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Failover triggers

1. Hard limit hit: Claude Code 5-hour usage cap, Codex turn limit, etc.
2. Tool-specific bug: agent gets stuck on a specific tool's quirk.
3. Capability mismatch: current task needs a feature the active tool lacks
   (computer use, browser, specific MCP).
4. Cost optimization: routine work moved to a local LLM via OpenCode.

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Failover protocol

From current tool (sending side)

1. Invoke baton-handoff skill. Write .workflow/state/baton.md.
2. Commit any outstanding work-in-progress to a branch with a clear name
   (e.g., wip/T-014-refresh-tokens).
3. State in the session summary: "Handing off to [next-tool] for [reason]."
4. End session.

To next tool (receiving side)

1. Open the project in the next tool.
2. Session-start hook fires; baton is detected.
3. Read CLAUDE.md (or relevant adapter file) and AGENTS.md.
4. Read .workflow/state/baton.md. Address blockers first.
5. Resume from next_action.

The next tool doesn't need to know the previous tool's specifics — the baton
is plain markdown.

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Local LLM fallback

For runaway-cost prevention or air-gapped work, route to a local LLM:

• OpenCode with qwen2.5-coder:32b or deepseek-coder-v2
• Aider with ollama/codestral or lmstudio/yi-coder
• Continue.dev for IDE-integrated local agents

The .workflow/state/budget-ledger.jsonl triggers an automatic suggestion to
fail over to local when the daily cap is approaching.

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Capability matrix (when to pick which tool)

Need	Best tool
Spec-driven work with EARS	Kiro, Claude Code
Multi-agent orchestration	Antigravity, Claude Code (subagents)
Browser automation (visual)	Claude Code + Playwright MCP, Antigravity
Long-running refactor	Claude Code (Sonnet+Opus tiers)
Quick edit, free	Cursor (free tier), Gemini CLI
Local/offline	OpenCode, Aider with Ollama
GitHub PR automation	Codex CLI, Copilot
Enterprise / regulated	Kiro (AWS-native), Claude Code (audit logs)

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This skill is working when: users can switch tools mid-project without
losing context. Track resume-after-switch success in
governance/telemetry/resume-success.jsonl.