[FEATURE] Custom TUI components for plugins/skills #17462
Description
Preflight Checklist
- I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
- This is a single feature request (not multiple features)
Problem Statement
Problem
When a skill uses AskUserQuestion, Claude must first execute, interpret the skill instructions, then call the tool. This creates unnecessary latency and Claude "overhead" text before the UI appears.
Current flow:
/cook-menu
→ Claude reads skill.md
→ Claude runs bash to scan files
→ Claude calls AskUserQuestion
→ User sees UI (finally!)
Compare to /plugin:
/plugin
→ Native UI appears immediately
Proposed Solution
Allow skills to declare AskUserQuestion prompts in frontmatter or a structured format that Claude Code renders immediately without Claude mediation.
When invoked, Claude Code would:
- Run the scan command
- Immediately render AskUserQuestion UI
- Pass result to Claude for action execution
Alternative Solutions
No response
Priority
Medium - Would be very helpful
Feature Category
Interactive mode (TUI)
Use Case Example
Building /cook-menu - an artifact management skill. Want users to see selection UI instantly, not after Claude's processing delay.
Example skill.md:
---
description: Interactive menu for managing cook artifacts
user-invocable: true
immediate-ui:
- type: scan
command: "ls cook/*.cook.md"
into: artifacts
- type: ask
question: "Which artifact?"
header: "Artifact"
options-from: artifacts
---Current Workaround
Using AskUserQuestion through Claude works but:
- Adds 2-3 seconds latency
- Claude outputs explanation text before UI
- Feels less responsive than native commands
Additional Context
No response