What happens if a user selects 'Other'?

The input captures their custom text and is included in the response.

Can questions be multi-select?

Yes, set multiSelect to true to allow multiple answers.

Why is a recommended option marked?

It nudges users toward best-practice choices while preserving autonomy.

ask-user-questions

Scanned

npx machina-cli add skill paulp-o/ask-user-questions-mcp/ask-user-questions --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

1.9 KB

Ask User Questions

Use this tool when you need to ask the user questions during execution. This allows you to:

Gather user preferences or requirements Clarify ambiguous instructions Get decisions on implementation choices as you work Offer choices to the user about what direction to take. Usage notes:

Users will always be able to select "Other" to provide custom text input Use multiSelect: true to allow multiple answers to be selected for a question Recommend an option unless absolutely necessary, make it the first option in the list and add "(Recommended)" at the end of the label For multiSelect questions, you MAY mark multiple options as "(Recommended)" if several choices are advisable Do NOT use this tool to ask "Is my plan ready?" or "Should I proceed?"

Usage

# Ask questions via CLI
npx auq ask '{"questions": [...]}'

# Or pipe JSON input
echo '{"questions": [...]}' | npx auq ask

Parameters

{
  "questions": [
    {
      "prompt": "Which authentication method would you like to use?",
      "title": "Auth",
      "options": [
        {"label": "JWT (Recommended)", "description": "Stateless, scalable"},
        {"label": "Session cookies", "description": "Traditional, server-side"}
      ],
      "multiSelect": false
    }
  ]
}

Field	Type	Required	Description
`questions`	array	Yes	1-5 question objects
`questions[].prompt`	string	Yes	Full question text
`questions[].title`	string	Yes	Short label (max 12 chars)
`questions[].options`	array	Yes	2-5 options with `label` and optional `description`
`questions[].multiSelect`	boolean	Yes	Allow multiple selections

Source

git clone https://github.com/paulp-o/ask-user-questions-mcp/blob/master/skills/ask-user-questions/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Ask-user-questions guides you to gather user preferences, clarify ambiguous instructions, and decide implementation direction through an interactive terminal UI. It ensures you receive precise input before proceeding.

How This Skill Works

The tool prompts the user with 1-5 questions, offering predefined options plus an 'Other' input. It supports single or multi-select, marks a recommended option, and returns structured selections to drive the workflow.

When to Use It

When you need user preferences before a feature design
When instructions are ambiguous and need clarification
When you must decide among implementation approaches
When presenting a set of options with an 'Other' custom input
When you want to collect multiple choices in one step

Quick Start

Step 1: Run npx auq ask with a questions array
Step 2: Review user selections and confirm
Step 3: Use the returned answers to steer execution

Best Practices

Start with a recommended option and label '(Recommended)'
Keep options concise and descriptive
Use multiSelect only when multiple choices are valid
Always include an 'Other' option for custom input
Validate input shape and handle defaults gracefully

Example Use Cases

Choosing authentication method (JWT vs cookies) with Other
Selecting UI themes in a setup wizard
Deciding deployment region and tech stack
Gathering feature flags before product demo
Collecting multiple compliance options in risk assessment

Frequently Asked Questions

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