UAI-1 is the current public message standard for structured AI-to-AI communication.
UAIX shield mark Public interoperability charter UAIX.org Universal Artificial Intelligence Exchange Public standards publication
Current UAI-1
  • Current version UAI-1
  • Plain-English definition Open message format for auditable AI-to-AI exchange
  • Current attribution Michael Joseph Kappel, MCP
  • Start here Get Started, Project Handoff, UAI-1, validator, roadmap, and changelog

Guides

Using UAIX Project Handoff with Coding Agents

Practical guide for using one repo-local Project Handoff bundle across Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini Code Assist, local agents, vendors, and humans without creating official adapter claims.

  • Record UAIX-DOC-0414
  • Path /en-us/guides/project-handoff-coding-agents/
  • Use Canonical public record

Document status

Public standards page Published on UAIX as part of the current public standards record
Code
UAIX-DOC-0414
Surface
Guides
Access
Public and linkable

How to use this page

Use this guide to keep Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini Code Assist, local agents, vendors, and humans pointed at the same repo-local Project Handoff bundle without claiming official adapters.

Use beside

Project HandoffOpenAI / Codex GuideContext Budget GuideAgent File Handoff

Cross-Agent Handoff

One local bundle for many coding-agent surfaces

Point Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini Code Assist, local agents, vendors, and humans at AGENTS.md, readme.human, and .uai files without turning pointer files into official adapters.

Front door

AGENTS.md stays canonical

Tool-specific files should be tiny redirects back to the shared handoff bundle so constraints and current state do not drift.

Records

.uai files carry typed state

Context, stack, constraints, progress, decisions, operations, and test-plan records keep durable project memory inspectable.

Boundary

Compatibility is not certification

These are practical pickup patterns, not official adapters, SDKs, CLIs, hosted import validators, or endorsement claims.

Use beside

Project HandoffMain AGENTS.md, readme.human, and .uai pattern.OpenAI / Codex GuideOpenAI runtime boundary and write-back pattern.Context Budget GuideKeep one shared bundle from becoming one shared archive.Agent File HandoffDropped-file intake and disposition.RoadmapCurrent and planned tooling boundaries.
Pickup PromptShared local handoff start
Read AGENTS.md first, then readme.human, then the listed .uai files. Summarize current truth, constraints, expected touchpoints, and targeted checks before editing.

Use this shape in a tool-specific pointer when the tool does not automatically prefer AGENTS.md.

One Handoff Bundle, Many Agent Surfaces. UAIX Project Handoff keeps durable project memory in repo-local files so Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini Code Assist, local agents, vendors, and humans can load the same current state before work begins.

This is a practical compatibility guide. It does not announce official UAIX adapters for these products, and it does not turn tool-specific pointer files into new sources of truth.

Current Support Boundary

  • The supported pattern is local repository memory: AGENTS.md, root readme.human, typed .uai records, and optional agent-file-handoff/ intake folders.
  • Tool-specific files can point into that bundle, but they should stay thin and should not duplicate policy, support claims, roadmap status, or project truth.
  • These mappings are compatibility patterns, not official adapters, certified integrations, SDKs, CLIs, hosted import validators, automatic repository writers, or endorsement claims.
  • Agent runtimes may execute tasks, ask for approvals, call tools, or produce traces. Project Handoff preserves the project memory and the review boundary.

Tool Mapping

Surface Best local entry Keep it thin by
Codex Root AGENTS.md, root readme.human, the loaded .uai files, and optional repo skill .agents/skills/uaix-handoff/. Use AGENTS.md as the front door and keep the skill as workflow guidance, not project truth.
Claude Code Root CLAUDE.md pointer that imports or redirects to AGENTS.md. Let Claude-specific files say where to start; keep constraints and state in the shared handoff bundle.
Cursor A minimal Cursor rule or project note that says to read AGENTS.md, then readme.human, then the listed .uai files. Avoid copying long rules into Cursor settings when the same rule belongs in AGENTS.md or .uai/constraints.uai.
GitHub Copilot .github/copilot-instructions.md as a short pointer when a repo needs Copilot repository instructions. Use the Copilot file for handoff pickup order and safety reminders only; keep durable project state in .uai.
Gemini Code Assist A root GEMINI.md or equivalent workspace instruction pointer, when useful for that repo. Keep Gemini-specific wording limited to how it should load the shared bundle and report checks.
Other local agents Start from AGENTS.md and resolve only repo-local @uai[] references. Block parent-directory escapes, executable intake, hidden generated includes, and unsupported support claims.

Adopt This In A Repo

  1. Create root AGENTS.md as the canonical agent-facing front door.
  2. Create root readme.human for the human-readable handoff explanation.
  3. Create typed .uai/ records for context, stack, constraints, decisions, progress, operations, and test-plan guidance.
  4. Add agent-file-handoff/Content/, agent-file-handoff/Improvement/, and agent-file-handoff/Archive/ only when dropped-file intake is part of the workflow.
  5. Add tool-specific pointer files only when the tool benefits from them, and keep every pointer aimed back at AGENTS.md.
  6. Run targeted local checks for the changed handoff surface and record remaining blockers without claiming validator-backed conformance.

Do Not Claim

  • Do not claim official UAIX certification, UAI-1 conformance, validator-backed handoff compliance, or vendor endorsement from this pattern alone.
  • Do not claim hosted .uai upload/import validation, automatic repository writes, automatic LLM Wiki sync, SDK, CLI, or official adapter support unless public tooling and evidence exist.
  • Do not put secrets, credentials, raw customer data, privileged operations, hidden prompts, or production-only details into portable handoff files.
  • Do not add CI pickup, scheduled jobs, watchers, daemons, queue folders, or always-on services just to make Agent File Handoff visible.

Copyable Pickup Prompt

Code example
You are working in this repository.

1. Read AGENTS.md first.
2. Read root readme.human as briefing context.
3. Load every @uai[] file listed in AGENTS.md.
4. Inspect active agent-file-handoff/Content/ and agent-file-handoff/Improvement/ intake before broad work.
5. Summarize current project truth, hard constraints, expected touchpoints, and targeted checks before editing.
6. Do not claim certification, conformance, official adapter support, automatic writes, hosted import, SDK, CLI, or endorsement unless repo evidence proves it.
7. Do not place secrets, credentials, private data, or production-only details into handoff files.

How This Relates To OpenAI Guidance

Use the OpenAI and Codex guide when the task centers on OpenAI Agents, Codex, Skills, MCP, sessions, traces, approvals, or runtime handoffs. Use this page when a repository needs the same handoff bundle to work across multiple coding-agent surfaces without inventing separate truth for each tool.