This page addresses task continuity when switching providers, not whether a particular service is down. Use the provider-specific status guides below to diagnose availability; then establish what the interrupted task actually completed before handing it off.

Freeze the task boundary before switching.

Pause automatic retries. Save the working tree, untracked files, terminal output and last visible instruction. Record the branch and commit so the next tool starts from the same project state. Do not reset or discard changes merely because the response was interrupted.

Check for partial execution.

A missing response does not prove nothing ran. Inspect changed files and active processes. Check any external operation separately: a deployment, migration or payment may have completed even when its acknowledgement was lost. Do not rerun an irreversible operation until its outcome is known.

Handoff example: Three authentication files changed. The focused test has not run. The last deployment result is unknown. Next action: inspect the deployment record, then run the focused test before making further edits.

Build a provider-neutral checkpoint.

  1. State the goal and constraints.
  2. Attach the current diff and list untracked files.
  3. Separate observed command results from the previous assistant's claims.
  4. List rejected attempts so they are not repeated.
  5. Name one reversible next action and its verification command.

Remove credentials and private customer data before sending a checkpoint to another provider. ShardStitch can format surviving local evidence for a supported target; it cannot reconstruct unsaved chat-only reasoning or repair provider availability.

Resume without two agents competing.

Stop the original agent before authorizing the replacement to edit. Give the replacement the checkpoint, ask it to inspect the diff first, and verify one small step. When the original service returns, choose one owner for the working tree rather than letting both sessions continue independently.

Provider-specific diagnosis.

Build a verified AI coding handoff for a more detailed checkpoint structure.