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date: 2026-06-10 tags: [claude-code, askuserquestion, skills, ux, footgun] status: active graduated_to:

AskUserQuestion caps at 4 options — past 4, overflow via "Other" or a lettered list

Symptom — A skill prompt was authored as "present the whole lens deck as an AskUserQuestion multi-select", but the deck has 5 options. Not buildable: the tool rejects a 5th option, so the prompt could never render as written.

Root cause — AskUserQuestion's options array is capped at 4 (maxItems: 4), plus an auto-injected "Other". Authoring guidance that assumes an arbitrary option count silently produces an unbuildable prompt — and even at ≤4, options carrying trade-offs read poorly in the interactive widget vs plain text (the CLAUDE.md mobile-first default already prefers formatted text over interactive prompts for choices that need explanation).

Fix — brainstorm's lens prompt keeps all five lenses by presenting the four named ones and routing the 5th through the built-in "Other" (noted in the question text), with a lettered Markdown list as the fallback when the options need explanation. Two valid patterns, same cap.

Guard — When a choice has more than 4 options: either overflow the extras through "Other", or drop AskUserQuestion for a lettered Markdown list (reply with the letters) — the latter is also the house default for any choice that carries trade-offs to read. Mark the recommended option(s) (Rec) in place.