Specify the information contract at every agent handoff…

At each handoff point between sequential agents, specify the exact information contract (what specific output the next agent needs from the current agent) to make dependencies explicit and auditable.

When This Fires

When designing any sequential multi-step workflow (Map agent dependencies and arrange in topological order…)
When a downstream step frequently needs to redo work because the upstream step's output was incomplete
When handoffs between steps feel fuzzy or require "figuring out" what to do with the previous step's output
Complements Add verification checkpoints at every coupling point where… (coupling point verification) with the specification of what to verify

Common Failure Mode

Vague handoffs: "After brainstorming, move to outlining." What does brainstorming deliver to outlining? A list of ideas? Clustered themes? A thesis statement? The vagueness means the outlining step starts by sorting through unstructured brainstorming output — re-doing work that brainstorming should have delivered. Contract: "Brainstorming delivers 5-7 key points clustered into 3 themes. Outlining consumes the themed clusters as section headers."

The Protocol

(1) For each sequential handoff in a workflow, define the contract: What the upstream step produces: specific, named output in a defined format. What the downstream step requires: specific, named input with content requirements. Match verification: can the upstream output be consumed by the downstream step without additional processing? (2) If there's a gap (upstream produces something the downstream can't directly use) → either adjust the upstream to produce the right format or add a transformation step between them. (3) Document contracts alongside the workflow sequence (Map agent dependencies and arrange in topological order…). (4) During execution, verify at each handoff: did the previous step produce the contracted output? If not → the handoff is failing, and downstream steps will underperform.