[Feature Request] AskUserQuestion: optional free-text comment for the whole answer set at submit time
Problem
When Claude asks multiple questions via the AskUserQuestion tool, the user can only respond within the structure of those questions: pick an option, or type a custom answer via "Other" - always scoped to one specific question.
There is no way to attach an overarching comment that applies to the answer set as a whole. In practice this comes up constantly: while answering the individual questions, the user realizes they want to add a general instruction or constraint that doesn't belong to any single question, e.g.:
- "Whichever options apply - keep the implementation minimal, no refactoring."
- "My answers to Q2 and Q3 are related: if the first approach turns out too complex, fall back to the simpler variant for both."
- "Also, please double-check the edge case X once you start."
Current workarounds (and why they fall short)
- Abuse "Other" on one of the questions - the comment gets attached to the wrong scope; the model may interpret it as an answer to that specific question rather than a global instruction.
- Send a follow-up message after submitting - by then the model has already resumed working on the basis of the answers alone; the follow-up arrives one turn too late and may interrupt or be queued.
- Cancel the dialog and answer in free text - loses the whole benefit of the structured question UI.
Proposed solution
Add an optional free-text field at the final submit step of the AskUserQuestion UI (after all questions are answered, before/at "Submit"): something like "Additional comment (optional)".
The content would be passed back to the model alongside the structured answers - e.g. as a top-level comment field next to the existing answers/annotations in the tool result - clearly marked as an overarching instruction that applies to the entire answer set.
Why this fits the existing design
The tool result schema already supports per-question annotations (free-text notes on a selection). A single set-level comment field is the natural completion of that design: per-question notes for local nuance, one global field for cross-cutting instructions.