agy ask

The quick mode: one question in, one answer out, ~3 seconds on the default gemini-3.8-flash-low. Zero tools by design (restricted profile, question-only prompt), so it needs no setup and works on a fresh install — run it first as the smoke test: ask --prompt "reply with OK".

ask is the only persona that runs in the foreground: the call blocks, records an ask-... job ID (emitted on stderr as job=ask-... and listed by status), and returns the answer on stdout. staffer, researcher, reviewer, and implementer instead return a background job id (see the jobs skill, ../jobs/SKILL.md).

Dispatch

• Continue a completed job with continue --job <id> --prompt "..." when the task and persona are the same and prior context helps, even if the user does not say "continue". Keep each job ID with its assignment; if the target is unclear, check known jobs before asking the user.
• Start fresh for a different task or persona, an independent opinion, or an explicit fresh start. Carry relevant findings and artifact paths into the new brief.
• Pass the user's task and explicit authorizations verbatim. On follow-up, add decisions and constraints from the host chat that the worker has not seen. Continuation does not expand authorization.
• Run the companion unsandboxed; in Codex, request escalated execution. Follow ../jobs/SKILL.md for collection and recovery. After an execution timeout, obtain explicit user confirmation before continuing or restarting.

Locating the companion

This skill file lives at <plugin-root>/skills/ask/SKILL.md; resolve the companion path relative to this skill directory:

node "<skill-dir>/../../companion/agy-companion.mjs" ask [flags] --prompt "question"

Flags (all optional)

• --prompt <text> / --prompt-file <path> / --stdin — the question, from exactly one of these three sources. Use file/stdin for a long question.
• --model <id> or --effort low|medium|high — default model is gemini-3.8-flash-low.
• --timeout <dur> — default 2m.

For a follow-up to an earlier ask run, use continue --job <id> --prompt "question" with the ask-... job ID recorded on stderr (or listed by status). A continued ask job stays synchronous in the foreground.

ask is always restricted (it is tool-free, so there is nothing to unrestrict); --unrestricted is ignored with a note on stderr. That is fixed for ask alone — the tool-using personas default to unrestricted, where --restricted is an opt-in hardening flag. Execution style is likewise fixed per mode and no flag changes it.

Rules

• Pass the user's question through verbatim and return the answer verbatim. The [agy-staff] telemetry line arrives on stderr and is metadata for you, the calling agent — do not show it to the user; mention the follow-up ability in natural language when relevant, and give model/duration/token numbers only if asked.
• If the answer says "not sure", relay it as-is; do not silently substitute your own answer.
• Exit 5 means a resumable response timeout: explain it and ask whether the user wants to continue with the suggested timeout or stop. Continue only after explicit user confirmation, using continue --job <id> --timeout <dur> with the recorded ask-... job ID. For other companion errors, quote the error and add a concise diagnosis. Full failure protocol: ../jobs/SKILL.md.