Answer the assistant's questions

Sometimes the assistant stops and asks you something before it can continue. The question waits above the message box until you answer it or skip it; the panel around it is introduced in The AI assistant.

Answer a question

1. Read the question in the panel above the message box, and click one of the choices. On a single question, your choice is sent straight away.
2. To answer in your own words, type in the message box below the or type below divider and press Enter (or click Send). While the question waits, the box reads Or type a custom answer….
3. When your answer goes through, the panel closes, and the question card in the conversation shows what you answered.

While a question is open, the message box answers the question instead of starting a new message. The panel stays until you answer or skip the question. A Mind's own chat answers questions the same way; that side is on Questions from a Mind.

Answer a set of questions

When the assistant asks more than one question, the panel shows them one at a time, with a step counter such as 2/5 and a progress bar. The card in the conversation carries a count, for example 3 questions.

• Clicking a choice moves you to the next question; choices stay clickable, so after Back you can pick a different one.
• To answer in your own words, type and press Enter, or click Continue. Continue waits until the step has an answer, and mid-set the box reads Type a custom answer, then Next (or pick a choice above)….
• Back returns to the previous question, and the answer you gave comes with it: a choice is highlighted again, and words you typed return to the message box. To type instead of a returned choice, click Clear selection - type a custom answer.
• On the last question, clicking a choice sends all of your answers together; typing an answer and pressing Enter does the same. Until then, Send waits.

Read the question card

The question also appears in the conversation, where its card shows where it stands:

• Asking question… shows while the assistant is writing the question and while it waits for your answer.
• Assistant needs your input marks a question that was never answered or skipped: the assistant did not get what it asked for. If the panel is not open any more, send your answer in your own words.
• Answered: the card lists your answer under each question.
• Skipped: the question was closed without an answer. If the question text never arrived, a short note reads Question skipped instead.
• Question not delivered: the question could not reach you. The card keeps the choices it would have offered, and says "The assistant's question could not be delivered. You can reply in your own words instead."

Skip a question

Click Cancel on the panel to skip the question. The panel closes, the assistant continues without that answer, and the card marks the question Skipped. When the skip goes through, anything you had typed for the question is cleared.

Cancel is greyed out while the panel is not connected, while an answer is streaming, or while an answer or a skip is being sent. The connection states are described in Retry and recover from errors.

If the skip does not go through, a toast appears:

• Cannot cancel, with "This question is missing a tool id. Try refreshing the chat." Refresh the chat, then click Cancel again.
• Could not cancel question: the skip was refused. Try again, or answer the question instead.

More messages and their fixes are listed in Minds troubleshooting.

Questions, answered

How do I answer a question the assistant asks?

Read it in the panel above the message box and click a choice, or type your own answer and press Enter. On a single question your choice is sent straight away, and the panel closes when your answer goes through.

Can I close the question panel without answering?

No. The panel has one close control, Cancel, and it skips the question. If you do not want to skip it, answer it with a choice or in your own words.

I skipped a question by mistake. Can I still answer it?

The question is closed, and its card shows it as skipped. If the answer still matters, send it to the assistant as a normal message in the message box.

Where does my earlier answer go when I click Back?

It comes back with you: a choice you picked is highlighted on the question again, and words you typed return to the message box. Change the answer and move on, or click Clear selection - type a custom answer to type instead of the choice.

Why does the conversation say "Asking question…"?

That note shows while the question is being written and while it waits for you. Answer it in the panel above the message box; the card shows Answered once your answer goes through.

What does "Assistant needs your input" mean?

A question that was never answered or skipped keeps a waiting header on its card, so the assistant did not get what it asked for. If the panel is not open any more, send your answer as a message in your own words.

Why does the question card say "Question not delivered"?

The question could not reach you. The card says "The assistant's question could not be delivered. You can reply in your own words instead.", and it keeps the choices it would have offered. Send what the assistant asked about in your own words.

Where can I see what I answered?

In the conversation: the question card reads Answered and shows your answer under each question.