@kivlor/pi-ask-user

ask_user tool for the Pi coding agent: ask the user one focused question and wait for the answer.

Install

pi install npm:@kivlor/pi-ask-user

--local/-l writes the declaration to the project's .pi/settings.json instead of the personal one. Manage installed extensions with pi config.

What it does

Registers an ask_user tool the model can call when a decision genuinely needs the user's input:

• With options: shows a selection dialog (ctx.ui.select).
• Without options: shows a free-form input dialog (ctx.ui.input).
• With allowOther (default true when options are given): appends an Other… choice that falls through to a free-form input.
• Returns the answer to the model as ordinary tool output. Cancellation (Esc, or a cancelled RPC response) returns a concise "user did not answer" result instead of throwing.

The tool description and system-prompt guidelines steer the model toward asking one decision at a time, preferring concrete options, and not asking about things it can determine itself.

RPC / Paseo safe

Only the standard extension dialogs are used, which work in the TUI and are forwarded through the RPC extension UI protocol. Nothing is gated on ctx.mode === "tui" and ctx.ui.custom() is never called, so the tool works from Paseo and other RPC clients. In json/print modes (no dialog-capable UI) the tool returns immediately instead of blocking.

Project-local alternative

The whole implementation is one file. To use it in a single project without installing the package, copy src/index.ts to <project>/.pi/extensions/ask-user.ts.

No state, no I/O, no subprocesses, no dependencies beyond pi's own packages.