AskUserQuestion option previews truncate ('N lines hidden') with no way to expand or scroll

Status Open
Maintainer reply None cached
Activity 1 comment · opened Jul 16, 2026

Description

When the model calls the AskUserQuestion tool with options that include multi-line preview content, the TUI renders a side-by-side layout (option list on the left, preview box on the right). If the preview content is taller than the box, it is cut off with a marker like:

── ✂ ── 8 lines hidden ──

There appears to be no way to reveal the hidden lines while the dialog is open.

What I tried

  • ctrl+o (transcript viewer) — the general "expand" binding; does not apply inside the open dialog
  • ctrl+e — only works inside the transcript viewer, not in the dialog
  • arrow keys — move the option selection, do not scroll the preview
  • mouse wheel — scrolls the terminal scrollback, not the preview box
  • The dialog footer hints "press n to add notes", but shows no hint for expanding the preview

I also checked the docs — the interactive-mode reference, the keybindings reference, and the changelog contain no binding for expanding or scrolling a preview inside the question dialog, so this looks like a genuine gap rather than an undocumented shortcut.

Why it matters

Previews exist precisely so the user can compare concrete alternatives (code snippets, UI mockups, config variants) before answering. When all but the first line is hidden, the user is asked to choose between options they cannot read. In practice this pushes users to answer blind, cancel the dialog, or ask the model to re-print the options as plain chat text — defeating the purpose of the preview feature.

Expected behavior

One (or more) of:

  • A key to expand or scroll the focused option's preview, advertised in the dialog footer next to the existing hints
  • Auto-sizing the preview box up to the available terminal height
  • At minimum: documenting the limitation (and any workaround) in the interactive-mode / keybindings docs

Steps to reproduce

  1. Have the model call AskUserQuestion with a single-select question whose options contain preview strings of ~10+ lines
  2. Observe the preview box renders only the first line plus ── ✂ ── N lines hidden ──
  3. Try to expand or scroll the preview — no key or mouse interaction reveals the hidden lines

Environment

  • Claude Code v2.1.211
  • Linux (devcontainer), interactive terminal session

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