pi-ask — Claude Code-style multi-question picker for pi

A small pi-coding-agent extension that registers one tool (ask_pro) for showing a tabbed, multi-question picker in pi's TUI. Inspired by Claude Code's AskUserQuestion.

Features

• Multi-question — pass a list of questions; the user navigates between them with Tab / Shift+Tab or arrow keys
• Numbered options — 1–4 instant-pick
• Recommended answer — first option (or the one with recommended: true) is marked ⭐
• Single-select (default) — Enter on an option auto-advances to the next question; on the last question, Enter submits
• Multi-select — Enter toggles checkboxes; the last question shows a visible "Submit" row
• Cancelled detection — Esc resolves {cancelled: true}

Usage from an LLM

ask_pro({
  questions: [
    {
      header: "Auth",                         // 1-2 word tab label
      question: "Which auth approach?",
      options: [
        { label: "JWT in httpOnly cookie", description: "Stateless, scales horizontally", recommended: true },
        { label: "JWT in localStorage",     description: "Simpler client, XSS risk" },
        { label: "Server sessions + Redis",  description: "Revocable, but extra dep" },
      ],
      multiSelect: false,
    },
    {
      header: "Tokens",
      question: "Token storage?",
      options: [
        { label: "httpOnly cookie" },
        { label: "Bearer in Authorization" },
      ],
    },
  ],
})

Result:

// user picked "JWT in httpOnly cookie" + "Bearer in Authorization":
{ answers: { 0: 0, 1: 1 } }

// user pressed Esc:
{ cancelled: true }

UX

┌─ pi-ask — 2 questions ────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ◉ Auth    ○ Tokens                                              │
│                                                                 │
│ Q1 of 2: Which auth approach?                                  │
│                                                                 │
│   ❯ ⭐ JWT in httpOnly cookie                                   │
│       Stateless, scales horizontally                            │
│                                                                 │
│     JWT in localStorage                                         │
│     Simpler client, XSS risk                                    │
│                                                                 │
│     Server sessions + Redis                                     │
│     Revocable, but extra dependency                              │
│                                                                 │
│ ↑↓ navigate · 1-3 pick · tab/→ next · ⏎ next · esc cancel      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Keys

| Key | Action | |---|---| | ↑ / k | Move option up | | ↓ / j | Move option down | | 1 – 4 | Instant-pick that option | | Tab / → | Next question | | Shift+Tab / ← / Backspace | Previous question | | Space | Multi-select only: toggle the current option. On "Other…", opens the input dialog. | | Enter | Single-select: confirm + advance (or submit on last). Multi-select: advance to next question (or submit on last + all answered). Does NOT toggle. | | Esc | Cancel (returns {cancelled: true}) |

Multi-select follows the Claude Code convention: Space toggles, Enter advances/submits. Single-select uses Enter as the universal action key (toggle/pick + advance). When you're on the last question and all questions are answered, the footer shows ⏎ submit in accent color.

Limits

• 2–4 options per question (more is bad UX; the picker is meant for focused choices, not long lists)
• 1–6 questions per call (more = tab-switching fatigue)
• At most 1 recommended: true per question
• TUI and RPC modes only (hasUI: true); print mode returns an error

Setup

Drop the directory in ~/.pi/agent/extensions/:

ls ~/.pi/agent/extensions/pi-ask/
# index.ts picker.ts tests/ package.json tsconfig.json README.md

pi auto-discovers and loads it on next start. The ask_pro tool is then available to the LLM. No config required.

Development

cd ~/.pi/agent/extensions/pi-ask
bun test              # runs tests/picker.test.ts
bun run typecheck     # tsc --noEmit

CI: not configured (this is a single-file TUI component, low risk). Add .github/workflows/ci.yml if you want green-tick PRs.

Why a separate extension?

The picker is generic — any pi extension (soly, your own tool, etc.) can use ask_pro to drive multi-question Q&A without re-implementing the TUI. Keeping it separate from soly means:

• soly stays focused on the plan/execute/discuss workflow
• other extensions can adopt the same UX pattern
• the picker can evolve independently (new key bindings, themes, layouts)