Ask Questions If Underspecified

What it does

This skill enables AI agents to detect when user requests lack sufficient detail and automatically pause execution to ask clarifying questions. It prevents the generation of generic or incorrect outputs by ensuring all necessary context is gathered before proceeding with a task.

When to use it

• Vague project briefs: When a user describes a goal like "make a website" without specifying the type, features, or design preferences.
• Incomplete data requests: When a user asks for analysis on "sales figures" but fails to provide the specific time range or department involved.
• Ambiguous coding tasks: When a developer requests a script to "process files" without defining the file format, location, or transformation logic.
• Unclear creative direction: When a prompt asks for "a story" without defining the genre, tone, or target audience.

Key capabilities

• Analyzes incoming prompts for missing critical variables or ambiguous instructions.
• Generates targeted follow-up questions to resolve specific gaps in information.
• Halts task execution until the user provides the required details.
• Maintains context of the original request while seeking clarification.

Example prompts

• "I need you to write a marketing email for my new coffee shop, but I haven't told you about our unique selling points or target demographic yet."
• "Can you help me debug this code? (Note: The agent should ask which language and framework the code uses before attempting any fixes.)"
• "Create a workout plan for me. (The skill will prompt the user to specify their fitness level, available equipment, and daily time commitment.)"

Tips & gotchas

• This skill is most effective when paired with tasks requiring specific parameters; it may not trigger on open-ended creative writing where ambiguity is acceptable.
• Ensure your AI agent has a mechanism to store the user's answers to these clarifying questions so they can be referenced in the final output.