ask_user — ask the user a clarifying question

ask_user hands control back to the user via a configured callback. Use it when the agent genuinely needs a decision — a destination directory, a yes/no on a risky action, a choice between equivalent approaches — and not for filler check-ins.

Schema

Arg	Type	Required	Description
question	string	yes	The question to ask.
choices	array[string]	no	Optional choices to render as a pick-list.

Wiring the callback

from chimera.tools.ask_user import AskUserTool

def cli_prompt(question: str, choices: list[str] | None) -> str:
    print(question)
    if choices:
        for i, c in enumerate(choices, 1):
            print(f"  {i}) {c}")
    return input("> ").strip()

tool = AskUserTool(callback=cli_prompt)

Without a callback, the tool raises an error — the protocol is “configure or don’t enable”.

Example invocation

{
  "question": "Run the migration against production?",
  "choices": ["yes", "no", "dry-run first"]
}

Output sample

dry-run first

(The raw user response, as a string.)

Notes

• Pair with the Wire channel for GUI front-ends — the wire’s UserQuestion / UserAnswer messages map onto this tool.
• For permission-style prompts (“approve this bash command?”), use the Permissions layer instead — it integrates with auditing.

See also

• Wire, Permissions.