{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7163320876","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.02875","title":"Handoff Debt: The Rediscovery Cost When Coding Agents Take Over Interrupted Tasks","display_name":"Handoff Debt: The Rediscovery Cost When Coding Agents Take Over Interrupted Tasks","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-06-01","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7163320876","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.02875"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.02875","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.02875","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"type":"preprint","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.02875","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5137771963","display_name":"Dipesh KC","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"KC, Dipesh","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5114747733","display_name":"Anjila Budathoki","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Budathoki, Anjila","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":[],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10260","display_name":"Software Engineering Research","score":0.28290000557899475,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1710","display_name":"Information Systems"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10260","display_name":"Software Engineering Research","score":0.28290000557899475,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1710","display_name":"Information Systems"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12607","display_name":"Personal Information Management and User Behavior","score":0.08020000159740448,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1802","display_name":"Information Systems and Management"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/18","display_name":"Decision Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10028","display_name":"Topic Modeling","score":0.07249999791383743,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/successor-cardinal","display_name":"Successor cardinal","score":0.9176999926567078},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/handover","display_name":"Handover","score":0.7540000081062317},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/coding","display_name":"Coding (social sciences)","score":0.680400013923645},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/task","display_name":"Task (project management)","score":0.5831000208854675},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/protocol","display_name":"Protocol (science)","score":0.5673999786376953},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/work","display_name":"Work (physics)","score":0.34610000252723694}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C75306776","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7632662","display_name":"Successor cardinal","level":2,"score":0.9176999926567078},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111852164","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1414679","display_name":"Handover","level":2,"score":0.7540000081062317},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.7445999979972839},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C179518139","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5140297","display_name":"Coding (social sciences)","level":2,"score":0.680400013923645},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780451532","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q759676","display_name":"Task (project management)","level":2,"score":0.5831000208854675},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780385302","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q367158","display_name":"Protocol (science)","level":3,"score":0.5673999786376953},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C31258907","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1301371","display_name":"Computer network","level":1,"score":0.3781999945640564},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C18762648","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42213","display_name":"Work (physics)","level":2,"score":0.34610000252723694},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C33676613","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13415176","display_name":"Dimension (graph theory)","level":2,"score":0.32249999046325684},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C79403827","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3988","display_name":"Real-time computing","level":1,"score":0.302700012922287},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C48103436","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q599031","display_name":"State (computer science)","level":2,"score":0.2865000069141388},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2777904410","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7397","display_name":"Software","level":2,"score":0.28439998626708984},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C132964779","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2110223","display_name":"Raw data","level":2,"score":0.27059999108314514},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2781085045","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7318308","display_name":"Reversing","level":2,"score":0.2615000009536743},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C206729178","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2271896","display_name":"Scheduling (production processes)","level":2,"score":0.25769999623298645},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C120314980","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q180634","display_name":"Distributed computing","level":1,"score":0.2574999928474426}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.02875","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.02875","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.02875","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.02875","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"sustainable_development_goals":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Coding-agent":[0],"benchmarks":[1],"evaluate":[2],"whether":[3,146],"a":[4,10,47,58,147],"single":[5],"uninterrupted":[6],"agent":[7,31,60,111,160],"can":[8],"resolve":[9],"repository":[11,76],"issue.":[12],"Real":[13],"software":[14],"work":[15,49,156],"is":[16,50,149,157],"messier:":[17],"tasks":[18,95],"are":[19,127,134],"interrupted,":[20],"reassigned,":[21],"reviewed,":[22],"and":[23,68,83,96,115,129],"resumed":[24],"from":[25],"partial":[26],"states":[27],"left":[28],"by":[29,113,119],"another":[30,159],"or":[32,52],"engineer.":[33],"We":[34],"study":[35],"this":[36],"missing":[37],"dimension":[38],"through":[39],"\\emph{handoff":[40],"debt}:":[41],"the":[42,66,90],"rediscovery":[43],"cost":[44],"imposed":[45],"when":[46],"predecessor's":[48],"opaque":[51],"incomplete.":[53],"Our":[54],"takeover":[55,98],"protocol":[56,91],"interrupts":[57],"coding":[59],"at":[61],"deterministic":[62],"handoff":[63,74],"points,":[64],"freezes":[65],"repository,":[67],"evaluates":[69],"successor":[70,101,105],"agents":[71],"under":[72],"four":[73],"views:":[75],"state":[77],"only,":[78],"raw":[79],"trace,":[80],"summary":[81],"notes,":[82],"structured":[84],"notes.":[85],"Across":[86,103],"75":[87],"source":[88],"tasks,":[89],"generates":[92],"181":[93],"handoff-point":[94],"724":[97],"runs":[99],"per":[100],"model.":[102],"three":[104],"models,":[106],"context-bearing":[107],"handoffs":[108],"reduce":[109],"median":[110],"events":[112],"20--59\\%":[114],"cumulative":[116],"prompt":[117],"tokens":[118],"42--63\\%":[120],"relative":[121],"to":[122,161],"repository-only":[123],"takeover.":[124],"Solved-rate":[125],"effects":[126],"smaller":[128],"model-dependent,":[130],"but":[131,151],"efficiency":[132],"gains":[133],"consistent.":[135],"These":[136],"findings":[137],"suggest":[138],"that":[139,155],"coding-agent":[140],"evaluation":[141],"should":[142],"report":[143],"not":[144],"only":[145],"task":[148],"solved,":[150],"also":[152],"how":[153],"costly":[154],"for":[158],"resume.":[162]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-07-01T06:00:48.157686","created_date":"2026-06-04T00:00:00"}