How Handoff works
Handoff is a local-first job application assistant for Claude Code: slash commands and an MCP server for the assistant, a SQLite database, a dashboard and a shared browser.
The pieces
- Claude Code runs the slash commands (
/discover,/tailor,/email,/applyand others). - The MCP server gives the assistant a fixed set of tools to read and write the database. It has no tool to send, submit or read secrets.
- SQLite holds your facts, jobs, drafts, answers and history in one file on your computer.
- The dashboard listens only on
127.0.0.1. It is where you review, edit, send and submit. - A shared Chromium lets the assistant fill forms in a real browser that you can see and take over.
- The vault is encrypted storage for your mail login and site passwords. The assistant cannot read it.
How it avoids invented claims
Every statement in a CV, cover letter or email must cite one of your saved facts, and numbers must match the fact they cite. The server checks this before saving a document and refuses unsupported text. It also checks writing rules, such as sentence length and structure, so drafts read like a person wrote them.
Where the human steps are
Sending an email, pressing Submit on a form, creating an account and typing a password are human actions. The database also blocks job state changes that skip the rules, and daily limits cap how many jobs are added and how many applications go out.
It improves as you use it
Answers you give, gaps you close, your preferences and finished site profiles are saved locally and reused. Nothing is trained; the improvement comes from what you teach it.
The full design and boundaries are in DESIGN.md.