[FEATURE] Add hook for when Claude is waiting for user input

[currenthandle]

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

When Claude stops to wait for user input (like the AskUserQuestion interactive prompt), there's no configurable hook that fires. I want to play an audio chime whenever Claude needs my attention so I know to check back on it.

Currently:

• Stop hook only fires when Claude finishes completely, not when waiting for input
• Notification hook with idle_prompt only fires after 60+ seconds idle (too slow for immediate feedback)

This means if Claude asks me a question via the interactive UI picker, I have no way to get notified. Claude just sits there waiting while I'm doing something else, not knowing it needs my input.

Proposed Solution

Either:

1. Add a new hook like WaitingForInput or Yield that fires whenever Claude yields control back to the user (including AskUserQuestion prompts, permission dialogs, etc.)

Or:
2. Expand the Stop hook to also fire when Claude is waiting for input, not just when completely finished.

The hook should fire immediately when Claude pauses

Alternative Solutions

I've tried:

• Stop hook - doesn't fire when waiting for input, only on complete finish
• Notification hook with permission_prompt matcher - only covers permission dialogs, not AskUserQuestion
• Notification hook with idle_prompt - 60 second delay is too long for immediate feedback

There's no current workaround that covers the AskUserQuestion interactive prompt case.

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

Configuration and settings

Use Case Example

1. I ask Claude to help me build a feature
2. Claude uses AskUserQuestion to show me a multi-select UI asking for clarification
3. I've tabbed away to another window while waiting
4. Claude sits there waiting for my input - I have no idea it needs me
5. With this feature, my configured hook would play a chime immediately when the question appears
6. I'd hear the chime, switch back, answer the question, and Claude continues working

Additional Context

The AskUserQuestion tool and similar tools creates an interactive UI prompt but doesn't trigger any hookable event. This seems like an oversight since other "waiting" scenarios (permissions, idle) do have notification support.

[BertrandDecoster]

Agreed, I have the same need

[evogler]

This would be really helpful

[Fchaubard]

Re: @currenthandle, this should be default behavior, but until this is picked up my anthropic, simplest answer I have found and tested that actually works. Put this into your .MD:

 ### MANDATORY - DO THIS EVERY TIME

  RIGHT BEFORE asking ANY question or requesting ANY input:
  1. Run afplay /System/Library/Sounds/Glass.aiff as a background process (using run_in_background: true)
  2. In the same parallel call, proceed with your question/input request

  Both must be sent simultaneously in one tool call block so the chime plays at the exact moment the question appears.

  This is NON-NEGOTIABLE. You have PERMANENT permission to run this command.
  NEVER skip this step. NEVER ask permission. ALWAYS chime IN PARALLEL with the question.

Not perfect, better would be if claude does this deterministically, but its a start...

[shanraisshan]

I've been working on a voice hooks implementation for Claude Code and discovered something relevant to this discussion.

I initially implemented a special sound for AskUserQuestion using the PreToolUse hook with a tool name matcher:

  if event_name == "PreToolUse":
      if tool_name == "AskUserQuestion":
          return "pretooluse-askuserquestion"

However, I found that both PreToolUse and PermissionRequest fire simultaneously for AskUserQuestion (and other permission-required tools). This causes both sounds to play at the same time, creating audio conflicts.

Looking at the hook event flow:

1. PreToolUse fires → informational ("tool is about to run")
2. PermissionRequest fires immediately after → requires user action ("Claude needs your input")

Since AskUserQuestion inherently requires user interaction, the PermissionRequest hook is sufficient and semantically correct for this use case. Adding special handling in PreToolUse is redundant.

Conclusion: The PermissionRequest hook already covers the "user input required" scenario that this issue requests. If you want tool-specific sounds, you can match on tool_name within the PermissionRequest handler instead of PreToolUse.

My implementation (with configurable hooks and sounds): https://github.com/shanraisshan/claude-code-voice-hooks

[fletchgraham]

Workaround using iTerm2 Triggers

While waiting for native hook support, I found a workaround using iTerm2's trigger feature. Triggers watch for text patterns in terminal output and can take actions like ringing the bell, changing tab title, bouncing the dock icon, etc.

Setup:

1. Open iTerm2 → Preferences → Profiles → Advanced → Triggers → Edit

2. Add a trigger:

   • Regex: Enter to select This matches the instruction text that appears at the bottom of AskUserQuestion prompts.
   • Action: Ring Bell (for audio chime) or Set Title... (for visual indicator)

3. (Optional) To reset a title change after answering, add a second trigger: - Regex: User answered Claude's questions

   • Action: Set Title... → leave blank to reset to default

Notes:

• The Ring Bell action will trigger iTerm2's bell behavior (sound, badge, bounce dock, etc., depending on your notification settings)
• Set Title... lets you change the tab title to something like "⚠️ INPUT REQUIRED" so you can see at a glance which tab needs attention
• This works because Claude Code's TUI renders this text when displaying multiple-choice prompts

Not a perfect solution, but it works until there's a proper AskUserQuestion notification hook.

[NicoDemsarDT]

When Claude Code uses the AskUserQuestion tool to ask for user input, it would be helpful if the terminal/CLI window could flash or blink in the taskbar to get the user's attention. This is especially useful when working in other applications like Visual Studio and waiting for Claude to complete a task and you have sounds off.