show-then-ask

Attach rendered HTML, image, and text previews to blocking user-choice questions via the Intendant CLI.

14|Updated Mar 2, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/intendant-dev/Intendant --skill show-then-ask-intendant-dev
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: show-then-ask
Source: https://github.com/intendant-dev/Intendant/tree/main/skills/show-then-ask
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/intendant-dev/Intendant --skill show-then-ask-intendant-dev

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Describing design variants or before/after changes in prose forces users to imagine outcomes instead of seeing them. This Skill renders actual previews — interactive HTML prototypes, screenshots, or text snippets — as cards on the Intendant dashboard question rail, so the user judges real artifacts and the answer returns directly to the agent. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Visual variant comparison: Attach up to 4 self-contained HTML prototypes, images, or text snippets to intendant ctl ask and let the user pick between rendered options. - Blocking or parked questions: Block until the user answers (the choice prints to stdout), or use --park to return immediately while the answer lands on the durable agenda item. - Use Case: While restyling a landing page, generate two prototype HTML files, run intendant ctl ask "Which landing direction?" with --preview-html for each, and proceed with the variant the user selects. ## Quick Start Ask the Intendant CLI to present two self-contained HTML prototype files as preview cards on a blocking dashboard question and use the returned answer to decide which design to implement.

Frequently Asked Questions about show-then-ask

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I ask a user to choose between design prototypes from an AI agent?▼

Write each prototype as a self-contained HTML file, then run intendant ctl ask with --option flags and --preview-html flags mapping labels to files. The command blocks until the user answers on the dashboard and prints their choice to stdout.

How to show before and after screenshots for approval in Intendant?▼

Pass the screenshots with --preview-image flags, for example --preview-image Before=before.png --preview-image After=after.png, alongside options like Ship it and Needs work. Supported formats are png, jpg, gif, webp, and bmp, inferred from the file extension.

Does intendant ctl ask work without blocking the agent session?▼

Yes, the --park flag returns immediately while the question stays open as a durable agenda item. The user's answer is delivered back to your session when it arrives, which suits preference questions that are not gating progress.

What are the HTML preview limitations in the Intendant dashboard?▼

HTML previews must be single self-contained files with inlined CSS/JS and data: URLs for images, capped at 2 MB each. They render in a sandboxed frame where scripts run but external fetches and daemon APIs do not resolve, so live dev servers are not supported.

What happens when an intendant ctl ask question times out?▼

The command exits nonzero with best-judgment guidance, but the question is not expired. On a durable-agenda daemon it stays open as an agenda item with an item_id in the --json result, so you can proceed provisionally and reconcile if a late answer arrives.