mcpField
A
ask-user

ask-user

github.com/desplega-aiAgent workflows36284 installsUpdated today
Repository

About ask-user

A workflow skill that standardizes how other skills ask users for decisions. It distinguishes useful decision questions from routine checkpoints and defines formats for questions and options.

Key features

  1. 01Guidelines for when to ask
  2. 02One-sentence question format
  3. 03Mutually exclusive option conventions
  4. 04Rules for batching questions

Use cases

  1. 01Clarifying ambiguous requests
  2. 02Selecting between design options
  3. 03Confirming consequential assumptions
  4. 04Getting approval for destructive actions

Install

Copy the command and run it in a terminal.

$npx skills add https://github.com/desplega-ai/ai-toolbox --skill ask-user

After installing, type/ask-userin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.

Details

From the project README

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

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