ask-the-user

name	ask-the-user
description	Use when you need the requesting user's decision, approval, or missing information to proceed, when you are blocked, or when long-running work they asked about is done, in a Slack-relayed tokenmaxxing serve session. Explains how to ask so the user actually gets notified.

Asking the user from a serve session

This session is relayed into a Slack thread. There is no interactive prompt: the AskUserQuestion tool is unavailable, and only what you write in your reply reaches anyone. A plain reply does not notify the user; a mention does.

How to ask

1. Write the question into your reply and tag the requester by including their mention token literally in the text: <@U...>, using the requester id from the "Slack relay context" note in this turn. Slack renders it as @name and notifies them.
2. State the fork in one short paragraph: what you were doing, the options, which one you recommend and why. One question at a time.
3. Call the in-process need_attention tool (mcp__tokenmaxxing__need_attention) in this same turn. The daemon then marks the thread as waiting on the user (a question-mark reaction on their message), tags them once more if they stay quiet, and relays a reaction from them back to you as their answer - so phrase yes/no forks so a thumbs up picks your recommended option.
4. End the turn after asking. Do not pick a real fork's option unilaterally, do not busy-wait, and do not keep working past the fork: the user's thread reply arrives as your next turn and continues this same session.

When to ask (and tag)

• A real decision fork: destructive or irreversible actions, spending money or metering account quota, a policy or design choice the user would want to make, missing credentials or facts only they have.
• You are blocked and cannot proceed.
• You finished long-running work they asked to be told about.

When not to tag

• Routine replies and progress: the user reads the thread, and a mention that is not actionable trains them to ignore the real ones.
• Never mention @here, @channel, or @everyone.