Ask User Questions
Better 'AskUserQuestion' - A lightweight MCP server/OpenCode plugin/Agent Skills + CLI interface which allows parallel AI agents ask questions to you. Be the human in the human-in-the-loop!
What is Ask User Questions?
Ask User Questions is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to better 'askuserquestion' - a lightweight mcp server/opencode plugin/agent skills + cli interface which allows parallel ai agents ask questions to you. be the human in the human-in-the-loop!
Better 'AskUserQuestion' - A lightweight MCP server/OpenCode plugin/Agent Skills + CLI interface which allows parallel AI agents ask questions to you. Be the human in the human-in-the-loop!
This server falls under the Coding Agents category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Better 'AskUserQuestion' - A lightweight MCP server/OpenCode
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y auq-mcp-serverManual Installation
npx -y auq-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Ask User Questions
Ask User Questions (AUQ) is a lightweight MCP server and CLI tool that lets AI agents pause and ask clarifying questions to a human via a separate terminal window, without blocking or cluttering the main AI workflow. It supports single-choice, multiple-choice, and free-text questions, handles parallel questions from multiple agents simultaneously, provides OS-level notifications, and includes a visible progress bar. It works with Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Codex CLI, and OpenCode, making it the practical 'human-in-the-loop' layer for long-running autonomous AI tasks where you need to inject intent without constantly babysitting the AI.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ or Bun (Bun is recommended for the default OpenTUI renderer — install from bun.sh)
- An MCP-compatible client: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Codex CLI
- A second terminal window where the AUQ CLI will display questions from agents
- npm, pnpm, yarn, or Bun package manager
Install the AUQ CLI globally
Install auq-mcp-server globally so both the MCP server process and the question-display CLI are available system-wide. Bun is recommended because the default renderer (OpenTUI) requires it; npm also works and falls back to the Ink renderer.
bun add -g auq-mcp-server
# or with npm:
npm install -g auq-mcp-serverAdd the MCP server to Claude Code
Register auq-mcp-server with Claude Code using the CLI. The server command is auq-mcp-server followed by the 'server' subcommand.
claude mcp add --transport stdio ask-user-questions -- bunx -y auq-mcp-server server
# If not using bun, replace 'bunx' with 'npx'Add the MCP server to Claude Desktop
For Claude Desktop, add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json. Restart Claude Desktop after saving.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ask-user-questions": {
"command": "bunx",
"args": ["-y", "auq-mcp-server", "server"]
}
}
}Open the AUQ question display in a separate terminal
In a separate terminal window, start the AUQ client CLI. This is where questions from AI agents will appear. Keep this window visible while the AI agent runs.
auq-mcp-server client
# or: bunx auq-mcp-server clientVerify the connection
In Claude Code, type /mcp to confirm ask-user-questions is listed and connected. Then start a task and the agent will use the ask_user tool to route questions to your separate terminal window.
Ask User Questions Examples
Client configuration (Claude Desktop)
Add this block to your claude_desktop_config.json to enable ask-user-questions for Claude Desktop.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ask-user-questions": {
"command": "bunx",
"args": ["-y", "auq-mcp-server", "server"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Use these prompts to trigger the agent to ask you clarifying questions via the AUQ terminal interface.
- "Refactor this codebase — ask me about any ambiguous architectural decisions before proceeding"
- "Set up CI/CD for this project and check with me before choosing a cloud provider"
- "Migrate the database schema — ask me to confirm before running any destructive operations"
- "Write and send marketing emails — ask me to approve the copy before anything goes out"
- "Implement user authentication — ask me which OAuth providers I want to support"Troubleshooting Ask User Questions
Questions from the agent do not appear in the AUQ client terminal
Make sure you ran auq-mcp-server client in a separate terminal and that it is connected. The server and client communicate via a shared local session store. If you installed with npm (not Bun), questions appear in the legacy Ink renderer — verify Bun is installed for the OpenTUI renderer.
The MCP tool call times out before the question is answered
Some MCP clients (especially Claude Desktop) have a global MCP tool timeout. AUQ questions wait for user input, which can exceed the timeout. In Codex CLI, add tool_timeout_sec = 99999 to the MCP server config. For clients with hard-coded timeouts, use Agent Skills mode instead.
bunx command not found when starting the server
bunx is part of Bun. Install Bun from bun.sh (curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash) or switch to npx by replacing 'bunx' with 'npx' in your config. Both work, but npx uses the legacy Ink renderer.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ask User Questions
What is Ask User Questions?
Ask User Questions is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that better 'askuserquestion' - a lightweight mcp server/opencode plugin/agent skills + cli interface which allows parallel ai agents ask questions to you. be the human in the human-in-the-loop! It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Ask User Questions?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y auq-mcp-server. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with Ask User Questions?
Ask User Questions works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Ask User Questions free to use?
Yes, Ask User Questions is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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