question.ask

One to four questions with tappable options, a default, and a timeout.

Direction: Harness → Chips
Sent by: a harness
Requires a run: yes
Schema: question.ask.json

Fields

Every event also carries the envelope.

Field	Required	Type	Description
v	yes	1	Protocol major version.
type	yes	"question.ask"
id	yes	string	The event’s own id. Stable across a retry of the same event.
ts	yes	string	When it happened, by Chips’ clock. Stamped on the way in; a value the sender writes is replaced.
workspace_id	yes	string	A workspace identifier: ws_ followed by a ULID.
space_id	no	string	The space, when the event belongs to one.
run_id	no	string	The run, when the event belongs to one.
seq	no	number	Assigned by the server on append, monotonic per workspace. Absent on the way in.
idempotency_key	no	string	Required on every client-originated write. Sending the same key twice is a no-op.
actor	yes	object	The participant an event is attributed to.
actor.kind	yes	"person" | "harness" | "agent" | "system"	Whether a person, a harness, one of a harness’s agents or Chips itself acted.
actor.id	yes	string	The participant id, or system for Chips.
actor.harness_id	no	string	For an agent: the harness it speaks through, whose budget and runs are the agent’s (ADR 0087). Filled in by Chips.
ask_id	yes	string	Minted by the harness, so a retry is the same ask.
questions	yes	object[]	One to four questions.
questions[].question_id	yes	string	Stable, so answers land on the right question.
questions[].prompt	yes	string	What is being asked.
questions[].options	yes	object[]	Two to four options.
questions[].options[].value	yes	string	What comes back in question.answered.
questions[].options[].label	yes	string	What the person taps.
questions[].options[].description	no	string	What choosing it means.
questions[].multi_select	no	boolean	Whether more than one option may be chosen.
questions[].allow_free_text	no	boolean	Whether the person may type instead.
questions[].default_value	no	string	What the harness will take if nobody answers. Its presence lowers the notification tier.
timeout_seconds	no	number	How long to wait for an answer.
on_no_answer	no	"use_default" | "cancel" | "continue"	What the harness will do if the timeout passes.

Example

{
  "v": 1,
  "type": "question.ask",
  "id": "evt_01K4ZQPX000000000000000069",
  "ts": "2026-09-02T14:22:05.004Z",
  "workspace_id": "ws_01K4ZQPX000000000000000001",
  "space_id": "spc_01K4ZQPX000000000000000002",
  "actor": {
    "kind": "harness",
    "id": "hrn_01K4ZQPX000000000000000004"
  },
  "run_id": "run_01K4ZQPX000000000000000005",
  "ask_id": "qst_01K4ZQPX000000000000000009",
  "questions": [
    {
      "question_id": "delivery-window",
      "prompt": "Northwind can ship on the 19th or the 26th. Which should I confirm?",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "19",
          "label": "19 September",
          "description": "The date on the PO."
        },
        {
          "value": "26",
          "label": "26 September",
          "description": "A week later, but a full pallet."
        }
      ],
      "multi_select": false,
      "allow_free_text": true,
      "default_value": "19"
    }
  ],
  "timeout_seconds": 3600,
  "on_no_answer": "use_default"
}