hardkoded/streamdeck-claude-answer/ask-on-streamdeck

Ask on the Stream Deck

Put a multiple-choice question on the user's Stream Deck and wait for a keypress. Use this in place of the normal question flow when the user has asked for questions on the deck.

How to ask

Pipe a JSON spec into claude-ask (the plugin puts it on your PATH):

cat <<'JSON' | claude-ask
{
  "header": "Approach",
  "question": "Retries time out under load. Which fix?",
  "timeout": 180,
  "options": [
    {"label": "Add jitter", "description": "Smallest change. Fixes the retry pile-up."},
    {"label": "Token bucket", "description": "Fairer, but adds state to maintain."}
  ]
}
JSON

Run it in the background so you are not blocked while the user walks to the deck, then read the answer when the task completes.

Answer arrives on stdout as {"index":0,"label":"Add jitter","cancelled":false}.

Exit codes: 0 answered, 2 the user chose to answer in the terminal, 3 timed out, 4 another question already owns the deck.

Writing labels that fit

A key is 72px. Labels are auto-sized and wrapped, but two or three short words is the ceiling for comfortable reading.

• Good: Add jitter, Token bucket, Skip it
• Too long: Add jitter to the retry backoff

Keep the reasoning in description — the user reads that in the terminal while deciding, and presses the key to answer.

Rules

• Always print the full question and all descriptions in your reply too. The keys

cannot hold enough text to decide from alone.

• Fall back, never guess. On exit code 2, 3, or 4, ask the same question in the

terminal instead. Do not pick an option on the user's behalf.

• Do not use this for anything a label cannot convey — approving a specific command,

confirming a destructive action, or any choice where the exact wording matters. Ask in the terminal where the user can read it.

• One question at a time. The deck holds a lock; a second question gets exit code 4.