> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.plain.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Handoffs

> What Ari does when it cannot help: how it hands the thread to your team, and when.

When Ari can't or shouldn't help, it hands the thread to your team.

## What triggers a handoff

* The customer asks for a human

* The customer is frustrated or angry

* The request is about sales, billing, a security issue, or an incident

* Ari's search finds no relevant knowledge, or its draft doesn't pass its own quality check

* A user is @-mentioned on a Slack thread

* Anything you've told Ari to handoff via Custom Instructions

## What happens mechanically

Ari genuinely transfers ownership. It sends a short handoff message to the customer (you can turn this off in preferences), unassigns itself, and never continues helping after handing off.

## Customizing the handoff

The handoff message is written by Ari each time; there's no template to edit. To shape it, use [Custom Instructions](/docs/product/agents/ari/custom-instructions) to set expectations ("the team replies within 2 hours"), have Ari collect details your team needs, or force specific topics to always go to a human.

## Continue work after handoff

Use the `Ari unassigned` workflow trigger to start a workflow when Ari handsoff, for example:

1. Have the workflow post to Slack so that you know about the handoff

2. Kick off a Sidekick investigation

3. Automatically assign someone else from the team

Use this [Workflow Template](https://app.plain.com/~/workflows/gallery/investigate-unassigned-threads) to get started.