Session Takeover

Session takeover allows organization administrators to take control of PRDs that other team members are actively working on. This feature helps unblock work when someone is unavailable and maintains project momentum.

Overview

When a team member claims a PRD and starts working but becomes unavailable (vacation, sick, urgent priorities), an admin can take over their active session to continue the work. The original session is gracefully terminated, and work in progress is preserved.

Who Can Take Over Sessions

Session takeover is available to users with admin or owner roles in the organization, and only when:

Organization policy allows it — The "Allow admins to take over active sessions" setting is enabled

PRD is actively claimed — Someone else is currently working on the PRD

PRD status allows takeover — Status is in_progress or changes_requested

When Takeover is Available

PRD Status Requirements

Takeover is only available for PRDs in active development:

Status	Takeover Available	Reason
in_progress	✅ Yes	Active development work
changes_requested	✅ Yes	Addressing feedback
draft	❌ No	No active session needed
ready	❌ No	Not yet claimed
in_review	❌ No	Use review process instead

Session State Requirements

The PRD must have an active session with:

• Valid claim — Someone has claimed the PRD
• Recent activity — Session shows signs of recent work
• Uncommitted changes — Work in progress that needs continuation

How to Take Over a Session

From the Project Dashboard

Navigate to the dashboard and find the PRD in the Build stage

Click the PRD to open its context menu

Click "Take Over Session" (only visible to admins when policy allows)

Review the confirmation dialog:

Take Over Session
   
This will end [Team Member]'s active session on this PRD.
They will be notified that their session was taken over.
Any uncommitted work will be preserved in their workspace.
   
Do you want to continue?
   
[Cancel] [Take Over Session]

Click "Take Over Session" to proceed

What Happens During Takeover

When you take over a session:

Original user notification — Their session receives a message: "Session ended by [Your Name] due to administrative takeover"

Session termination — Their session is marked as terminated (not errored)

Work preservation — Any uncommitted changes remain in their workspace

Claim transfer — The PRD claim transfers to you

New session ready — You can immediately start a new session

After Taking Over

For the Admin (You)

• Start a new session by clicking "Resume Work" on the PRD
• Access the latest code and continue from where they left off
• Review their progress in the PRD's commit history
• Coordinate handoff when the original person returns

For the Original User

• Session history preserved — They can view their terminated session
• Work not lost — Uncommitted changes remain in their workspace
• Clear notification — They know exactly what happened and who took over
• Reclaim option — May be able to reclaim later (if org policy allows)

Reclaim After Takeover

If your organization enables the "Allow reclaim after takeover" setting:

When Reclaim is Available

The original user can reclaim the PRD if:

• Admin releases the claim — Admin explicitly releases their claim
• Admin goes idle — No activity on the PRD for an extended period
• Organization policy allows — The reclaim setting is enabled

How to Reclaim

Find the PRD on the dashboard

Click the PRD to open the context menu

Click "Reclaim Session" (if available)

Confirm the reclaim action

Organization Policies

Session takeover behavior is controlled by organization settings:

Allow Admins to Take Over Active Sessions

• Default: Enabled
• When enabled: Admins see "Take Over" actions on active PRDs
• When disabled: Takeover is completely unavailable

Allow Reclaim After Takeover

• Default: Enabled
• When enabled: Original users can reclaim under certain conditions
• When disabled: Manual coordination required for handback

See Organization Settings for details on configuring these policies.

Best Practices

When to Use Takeover

• Urgent blockers — Critical work that can't wait for the original person
• Extended absence — Team member is out sick or on vacation
• Skill requirements — Different expertise needed for the current phase
• Load balancing — Redistributing work during busy periods

Communication

• Notify the team when taking over a session
• Document the reason in the PRD or team chat
• Coordinate handback when the original person is available
• Use sparingly — Frequent takeovers can disrupt workflow

Alternatives to Consider

Before taking over, consider:

• Waiting if the delay isn't critical
• Pair programming — Working together when they return
• Different PRD — Starting other work while waiting
• Direct communication — Checking if they're available

Troubleshooting

"Take Over" action not visible

Check that:

You have admin/owner role in the organization

Organization policy "Allow admins to take over active sessions" is enabled

PRD status is in_progress or changes_requested

Someone else currently has the PRD claimed

Takeover fails with error

This can happen if:

• The original session ended naturally before takeover completed
• The PRD status changed during the takeover process
• Network connectivity issues

Refresh the page and try again, or contact the original user directly.

Can't reclaim after takeover

Check the organization's "Allow reclaim after takeover" policy. If disabled, you'll need to coordinate directly with the admin who took over.

Related Articles

• Project Dashboard — Understanding PRD stages and context menus
• Organization Settings — Configuring takeover policies
• Session Navigation — Managing agent sessions