ask_user
Send questions to users via Slack and receive responses to continue workflows. This tool blocks until the user replies or times out, enabling interactive decision-making and input collection within Slack threads.
Instructions
Send a question to the user via Slack and wait for their reply.
Use this when you need user input or a decision. The user will be notified and can reply in the Slack thread. This will BLOCK until the user replies or the timeout is reached.
IMPORTANT - NON-BLOCKING USAGE: To avoid blocking, run this tool in a background agent/task. Example with Claude Code's Task tool:
This lets you continue working while waiting for the Slack reply. You'll be notified when the background task completes with the user's response.
Args: question: The question to ask the user. channel: Channel name or ID. Uses SLACK_DEFAULT_CHANNEL if not specified. context: Optional context to include (e.g., what you're working on). timeout_minutes: How long to wait for a reply (default 5 minutes, max 30).
Returns: Dict with success status and user's reply text if received.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| question | Yes | ||
| channel | No | ||
| context | No | ||
| timeout_minutes | No |