ask-user

Ask User (nui HITL)

When you need any input, clarification, preference, or approval from the human, use the nui-hitl MCP tool ask_user. Do not ask those questions only in assistant text — the human answers through the nui UI prompt card.

When to use ask_user

• The user asks you to ask clarifying questions before continuing
• You need a choice between options (cuisine, scope, constraints, etc.)
• You would otherwise write "Which do you prefer?" or list questions in the chat
• You need structured answers before taking a consequential action

How to call it

Use the MCP tool ask_user on server nui-hitl with a questions array. Each question object can include:

• question — the prompt text (required)
• header — short label shown in the UI (optional)
• options — array of { "label": "...", "description": "..." } for multiple choice (optional)

Example:

{
  "title": "Recipe preferences",
  "questions": [
    {
      "header": "Region",
      "question": "Which South American country or region should the recipe focus on?",
      "options": [
        { "label": "Peru", "description": "Andean / coastal Peruvian" },
        { "label": "Argentina", "description": "Grilled meats, empanadas" },
        { "label": "Brazil", "description": "Feijoada, moqueca, etc." }
      ]
    },
    {
      "header": "Diet",
      "question": "Any dietary restrictions?",
      "options": [
        { "label": "None" },
        { "label": "Vegetarian" },
        { "label": "Gluten-free" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Wait for the tool result (answers from the human), then continue with the task using those answers.

Tool approval

For yes/no gates before risky actions, use request_approval on nui-hitl instead of ask_user.

Do not

• List clarification questions in plain assistant text when ask_user is available
• Proceed with assumptions when the user explicitly asked you to clarify first