# How to Hand Off a Task With Dependencies to an AI Assistant Hand off dependent tasks with prerequisites, evidence gates, fallback decisions, and clear authority for each step. By Righthand Team · 2026-10-07 Source: https://www.righthand.ai/blog/how-to-hand-off-a-task-with-dependencies-to-an-ai-assistant ## Quick answer Hand off a task with dependencies by naming what must be true before each step starts. Give the assistant a sequence, evidence requirements, and rules for missing inputs. Separate actions it may perform from decisions it must return to you. A dependency is satisfied by the required evidence, not by a vague update that someone is “working on it.” Many delegations fail because the main task is clear but the prerequisites are implicit. “Prepare the client announcement” may depend on an approved release date, final product wording, a verified recipient list, and permission to send. If any of those is missing, faster drafting does not make the announcement ready. ## Map the handoffs Write the task as a small chain. For each step, record its input, owner, output, and condition for continuing. If two steps can happen independently, say so. If a later action is irreversible or externally visible, put an explicit review point before it. A simple launch chain could be: 1. Confirm the approved release facts from the product owner. 2. Draft the announcement using those facts. 3. Validate the recipient list and sender identity. 4. Obtain approval of copy, recipients, and timing. 5. Perform the authorized action and report its actual outcome. Preparation can proceed while an approval is pending, but the pending approval does not disappear because the draft looks finished. ## Worked example: sending event invitations In this illustrative scenario, a team wants to invite customers to a workshop. Venue confirmation is pending, the attendee capacity is fixed, and the founder must approve the invitation. The assistant can draft the message and organize the list before venue confirmation, provided it clearly labels those artifacts as preliminary. It should not tell invitees that the venue is confirmed, reserve extra capacity, or send the draft to “save time.” Once the venue is confirmed, update the copy from the evidence and ask for the specified review. If confirmation misses the deadline, prepare the agreed fallback: postpone the invitation or propose an online event. The founder chooses. This preserves momentum without silently replacing the original plan with the assistant's preferred workaround. ## A dependency-aware brief > Prepare the workshop invitation. Use the approved attendee list and draft agenda. You may prepare copy now, but do not send it until the venue is confirmed and I approve the final copy, recipients, sender, and send time. If venue confirmation is missing by Tuesday at noon Pacific, show me the blocker and two options. Do not book another venue or change the event format. After any authorized send, report the recipients and available outcome evidence. Add the document links and names of approvers. “Ask someone on the team” can produce delays or incorrect authority. The assistant should know which person can satisfy each dependency. ## Choose sensible stop and fallback rules Define how long to wait, how often to check, and when to escalate. Avoid indefinite polling or repeated reminders. A dependency with no response path needs a decision owner, not a more persistent assistant. List acceptable substitutions explicitly. A different file format may be harmless if you authorize it; a different commercial term may not be. Without a stated fallback, the assistant should return the blocked step and the decision required. Ask for a short state summary when work pauses: completed preparation, unsatisfied prerequisites, next check, and owner of the decision. This helps you resume the task without reconstructing the whole conversation. After completion, verify the intended result at the relevant boundary. A prepared calendar invite is different from an invite sent through the account. A provider accepting a request may differ from a recipient receiving it. Use the best available evidence and state uncertainty plainly. ## Frequently asked questions ### Should every task need a long dependency map? No. A few lines are enough for simple work. Use more detail when the task crosses accounts, people, budgets, or approvals. The map should reduce ambiguity rather than become a project itself. ### Can the assistant continue if one input is missing? Allow independent preparation explicitly. Keep actions that rely on the missing input blocked until the requirement is met or you approve a new plan. ### What should I do after a blocker is resolved? Provide the new evidence and confirm any changed constraints. Ask the assistant to resume from the paused step rather than repeat already completed actions. Righthand's [task delegation](/features/task-delegation), [workflows](/features/workflows), and [follow-up management](/use-cases/follow-up-management) offer related building blocks.