Ethan Williams
d2bbf4a835
## Summary Adds a first-party `ask_user` tool to Zed's native agent (`crates/agent`) that lets the agent ask the user a question and get an answer back through a proper **elicitation form** rather than free-form chat text. This is a step towards the interactive-question experience requested in [discussion #48784](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/discussions/48784) (implement the ACP elicitation spec for agent questions). Zed already renders elicitation forms client-side; this wires the native agent up to that existing rail so the agent can drive single-select and/or free-text prompts. ## What it does The tool takes: - `question` — the prompt shown to the user - `options` — optional list of selectable choices (single-select) - `allow_free_text` — whether the user may type a custom answer instead of picking an option The agent decides the shape of each question: | `options` | `allow_free_text` | Result | | --- | --- | --- | | 2+ | `false` | Single-select only | | 2+ | `true` | Single-select with a free-text "other" field | | empty | `true` | Free-text only | A typed answer takes precedence over a selected option, and the tool always resolves (a cancelled or failed elicitation is reported back to the agent rather than hanging). ## Demo https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9d438d87-af65-4fa2-b500-b1232007d0a0 ## Implementation - `thread.rs` — new `ThreadEvent::Elicitation(ElicitationRequest)` variant plus `ToolCallEventStream::request_elicitation`, mirroring the existing `prompt_for_decision` permission rail. - `agent.rs` — handles the elicitation event by building a session-scoped `acp::CreateElicitationRequest` and routing it through `AcpThread::request_elicitation`, piping the response back to the tool. - `tools/ask_user_tool.rs` — the tool itself, including schema construction and response extraction. - Registered in the `write` and `ask` profiles and excluded from the tool-permissions setup UI. No client-side UI changes were needed — the existing elicitation form rendering handles it. ## Tests `cargo test -p agent ask_user` — 5 unit tests covering schema construction, validation, and accept/decline/cancel handling. Release Notes: - Added an `ask_user` tool that lets the agent ask the user a question with selectable options and/or free-text input, rendered as an elicitation form
Zed
Welcome to Zed, a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter.
Installation
On macOS, Linux, and Windows you can download Zed directly or install Zed via your local package manager (macOS/Linux/Windows).
Other platforms are not yet available:
- Web (tracking discussion)
Developing Zed
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md for ways you can contribute to Zed.
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Licensing
Zed source code is licensed primarily under GPL-3.0-or-later, with Apache-2.0 components where marked.
License information for third party dependencies must be correctly provided for CI to pass.
We use cargo-about to automatically comply with open source licenses. If CI is failing, check the following:
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Sponsorship
Zed is developed by Zed Industries, Inc., a for-profit company.
If you’d like to financially support the project, you can do so via GitHub Sponsors. Sponsorships go directly to Zed Industries and are used as general company revenue. There are no perks or entitlements associated with sponsorship.