name: ask-user description: Pattern for effectively interacting with users to gather information or get decisions. Use when you need user input. allowed-tools: AskUserQuestion

Ask User Skill

Pattern for effective user interaction.

When to Load This Skill

• You need to clarify requirements
• You need user to make a decision
• You have options to present

Principles

1. Be Specific, Not Open-Ended

Bad: "What do you want?" Good: "Should authentication use JWT or sessions?"

2. Offer Options When Possible

AskUserQuestion(
  questions: [
    {
      question: "Which authentication method should we use?",
      header: "Auth method",
      options: [
        { label: "JWT", description: "Stateless, good for APIs" },
        { label: "Sessions", description: "Stateful, good for web apps" }
      ],
      multiSelect: false
    }
  ]
)

3. Provide Context

Explain WHY you're asking:

• What decision depends on this
• What trade-offs exist
• What you recommend and why

4. Batch Related Questions

Ask related questions together:

questions: [
  { question: "Auth method?", ... },
  { question: "Token expiry?", ... },
  { question: "Refresh token?", ... }
]

When to Ask vs Decide

ASK when:

• Multiple valid approaches with different trade-offs
• User preference matters
• Scope is unclear
• Risk of wasted work

DECIDE when:

• Clear best practice exists
• Low impact choice
• Easily reversible
• Standard convention applies

Question Types

Clarification

"You mentioned 'fast' - do you mean response time < 100ms or just faster than current?"

Confirmation

"I understand you want X, Y, and Z. Is this correct?"

Decision

"Option A has [pros/cons]. Option B has [pros/cons]. Which do you prefer?"

Scope

"Should this also handle [related case] or just [original request]?"