AskUserQuestion auto-completes without user input in acceptEdits permission mode

Bug Description

When Claude Code is configured with "defaultMode": "acceptEdits" in settings, the AskUserQuestion tool auto-completes immediately without presenting the interactive picker to the user. The tool returns an empty response ("User has answered your questions: .") and the conversation proceeds as if the user made a selection.

Expected Behavior

AskUserQuestion should always require actual user input regardless of permission mode. It is fundamentally different from tool calls like Edit, Write, or Bash — it exists specifically to get user decisions. The acceptEdits mode should only auto-approve file operations and tool executions, not interactive questions.

Actual Behavior

Under acceptEdits mode, AskUserQuestion returns immediately with no answer content. The model then interprets the empty response as a selection (typically defaulting to the first option) and proceeds without any user input.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Set "defaultMode": "acceptEdits" in ~/.claude/settings.json:

``json
{
"permissions": {
"defaultMode": "acceptEdits"
}
}
``

1. Run any workflow that uses AskUserQuestion with multiple options
2. Observe that the question auto-completes without presenting the picker

Impact

This caused a complete auto-pilot situation where a plugin (oss-autopilot) made 3 sequential decisions on behalf of the user — vetting an issue, claiming it, and starting implementation — all without any actual user input. The user had to manually interrupt to stop the runaway flow.

Environment

• Claude Code with acceptEdits permission mode
• macOS (Darwin 25.3.0)