ask-user

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Conventions for asking the user questions during a workflow via the AskUserQuestion tool. Other skills reference this to keep prompts consistent and structured.

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Sourcedesplega-ai/ai-toolbox

Added on2026-07-29

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add desplega-ai/ai-toolbox ask-user

SKILL.md Content

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Ask User

Thin helper that codifies how to ask the user questions during a workflow. Other skills (planning, research, brainstorming, implementing) reference this skill instead of duplicating AskUserQuestion conventions.

Core Rule

Use the AskUserQuestion tool — never as plain-text bullets in chat.

Asking in chat looks like a request for free-form prose; AskUserQuestion gives the user one click per decision and the answer is structured. Always prefer the tool.

When to Use

Clarifying ambiguous user input
Choosing between viable design options
Confirming a non-trivial assumption before acting on it
Approving a phase boundary, plan structure, or destructive action
Capturing a workflow preference (e.g., commit-per-phase)

When NOT to Use

Rhetorical questions or thinking-out-loud
Asking permission for trivial, reversible actions (just do them)
"Is the plan ready?" / "Should I proceed?" — those are not decisions, they're checkpoints; just present the artifact and stop

Conventions

Question shape

One sentence, ends with
```
?
```
Include enough context that the user doesn't need to scroll back
Don't reference invisible artifacts ("does the plan look good?" — they may not see it yet)

Options

2–4 mutually exclusive choices
Each option: 1–5 word label, plus a one-sentence description explaining the trade-off or implication
If you have a recommendation, put it first and append
```
(Recommended)
```
to the label
Never include "Other" — the tool adds it automatically

Header chip

Max 12 characters, names the axis of the choice (e.g.
```
Auth method
```
,
```
Approach
```
,
```
Scope
```
)

Multi-select

Use

multiSelect: true

only when choices are non-exclusive (e.g., "which features to enable?"). Default is single-select.

Batching

If you have multiple independent questions to ask at the same checkpoint, send them in one AskUserQuestion call (up to 4 questions) — don't ping-pong.

Good Example

question: "Which storage backend should the worker use?"
header: "Storage"
options:
  - label: "Postgres (Recommended)"
    description: "Existing infra, transactional, easy to query. Adds one new schema."
  - label: "Redis"
    description: "Faster but requires new ops. Lossy on eviction — bad fit for audit data."
  - label: "S3 + manifest"
    description: "Cheapest at scale but adds latency and a sync layer."

Bad Examples

"What do you think?"                      → too vague, no options
"Should I continue? (yes/no)"             → checkpoint, not a decision; just stop
"Pick one: A, B, C, D, E, F, G"           → too many options; collapse or split
"Want me to also fix the typo?"           → trivial reversible action; just do it