AT-301e · Module 1

Handoff Validation

3 min read

Validation is the quality gate at the handoff boundary. Before the receiving agent begins work, the handoff itself is validated — context package completeness, schema compliance, and freshness. A context package with stale data is worse than no context package at all, because the receiver trusts it.

The validation checklist runs automatically. Schema validation: does the payload match the expected schema? No missing required fields, no type mismatches. Freshness check: is the data current? A lead qualification from 72 hours ago may have stale contact information. Completeness score: what percentage of optional fields are populated? A context package with only required fields is technically valid but operationally thin. Our target completeness score is 85.00% — meaning 85% of all fields (required and optional) are populated. Below 70%, the handoff is flagged for enrichment before the receiver starts working.

Do This

  • Validate every handoff automatically — schema, freshness, completeness
  • Set a 72-hour freshness window — data older than that triggers a refresh
  • Target 85.00% completeness — thin context packages create downstream discovery overhead

Avoid This

  • Trust that the sender packaged everything correctly — validation exists because trust is insufficient
  • Accept stale data because "it is better than nothing" — stale data misinforms decisions
  • Skip validation on internal handoffs — internal handoffs fail at the same rate as external ones