Suggest next actions after completing any task. Auto-invocation via Stop hook (resources/next-trigger.sh) using JSON decision:"block" (registered in the settings.json Stop array). Fires when assistant response contains completion keywords (locale patterns in data/*.regex). stall-detect - detect stalled follow-up steps and invoke /fix [stall-detect.md], ask-gates - recording-skip / decision-deferral forced-ask / TaskList primary-source / current-work confirmation gates [ask-gates.md], suggestion-patterns - per-context "After X" next-action option templates [suggestion-patterns.md]. Use when "next action", "what next", "stall", "stuck", "not progressing", "follow-up missing" is mentioned.

Install

openclaw skills install @drumrobot/next

Next Action Suggester

Topic Dispatch

When this skill is invoked with a topic specifier (e.g., /next suggestion-patterns or Skill("next", "suggestion-patterns")), load and follow only the matching topic file. Do not echo the Topics table or summarize other topics in the response. The Topics table below is an index — for a normal invocation, follow the Instructions and Read each topic when you reach the step that references it.

Topics

Topic	Description	Guide
stall-detect	Detect stalled follow-up steps and invoke /fix	stall-detect.md
ask-gates	Step 0.3/0.4/0.5/0.7 ask gates: recording-skip, decision-deferral forced-ask, TaskList primary-source, current-work confirmation	ask-gates.md
suggestion-patterns	Per-context "After X" next-action option templates	suggestion-patterns.md

After task completion, use AskUserQuestion to suggest next steps and get user selection.

When to use

Automatically use after any task completion:

Code writing/modification complete
Configuration changes complete
File creation complete
Commit/push complete
Skill/agent creation complete
Bug fix complete

Instructions

Step 0: Stall Detection (mandatory)

Before suggesting next actions, run the stall-detect topic.

If stall detected → topic invokes /fix. If no stall → proceed to Step 0.3.

Step 0.3–0.7: Ask gates (HARD STOP)

Before composing any next-action ask, pass four gates: 0.3 skip the ask entirely for recording/management topics (fix-plan, archive, todo, session rename); 0.4 if the completion report defers a decision to the user as prose ("let me know and I'll …", "whether to commit/PR is up to you"), that deferral is a decision axis — force an AskUserQuestion instead of ending on the text; 0.5 call TaskList as the primary source for option accuracy (never quote tasks from stale summary memory); 0.7 when the user's current activity is unclear (2+ in_progress tasks, ambiguous scope, handed-off manual work), ask "what are you working on / waiting on" first — separate "in progress" from "waiting on", and prefer free-text via Other over guess options.

Read ask-gates.md before composing options — it holds the skip-target topic list, the TaskList primary-source Don't/Do, the current-work confirmation triggers, and the in-progress-vs-waiting-on examples. If Step 0.3 marks the work skip-target → report only, no ask; otherwise proceed to Step 1.

Step 1: Identify completed task type

Identify the type of task just completed.

Step 2: Use AskUserQuestion tool

HARD STOP — Read suggestion-patterns.md BEFORE composing options. suggestion-patterns.md holds per-context "After X" option templates that include diversity sources (pending tasks, open PRs, dependency follow-ups, session wrap-up, etc.). Skipping this Read = ad-hoc option list = high risk of missing candidate sources. Step 2 entry without suggestion-patterns.md Read = skill bypass (skill-usage.md "Multi-topic topic .md Read mandatory" violation).

Option diversity (HARD STOP)

Fill all 4 option slots whenever possible. AskUserQuestion supports max 4 options + auto "Other" = 5 candidates total. Composing only 2-3 options when 4+ candidates exist = under-recommendation. The user typically phrases this as "no more candidates?" or "any more suggestions?".

Candidate discovery sources (enumerate all before composing)

Source	What to look for
Visible TaskList	All pending/in_progress entries (call `TaskList` per Step 0.5)
Just-completed work	Direct follow-ups (commit / push / verify / test / publish)
Open PRs / issues	`gh pr list --search "involves:@me state:open"` / `gh issue list` (when relevant)
Recent commits awaiting CI	`gh run list --limit 5` for pending CI watch
fix_plan.md / checklist.md	Project-tracked next items (Ralph or general workspace)
Session wrap-up	`/cleanup` if multiple tasks done + no immediate user follow-up
Other (free text)	Auto-provided by AskUserQuestion

#	Don't (forbidden)	Do (correct alternative)
1	Compose 2-3 options + end Step 2	Enumerate sources above → fill 4 slots. Cap at 4 only if exhausted
2	"User can pick Other for anything else" rationale for fewer options	Other is for unexpected branches. Explicit options surface options the user might not think of
3	Skip Read of suggestion-patterns.md because "I know the patterns"	suggestion-patterns.md is updated with new "After X" templates regularly. Read every time
4	Treat just-completed work as the only source	Each candidate discovery source row is a separate enumeration. Cover all rows before stopping

Self-check (every time before calling AskUserQuestion)

Did I Read suggestion-patterns.md this turn? → If no, Read first
Did I enumerate all 7 candidate discovery sources? → If skipped any, revisit before composing
Do I have 4 options or did I stop at 2-3? → If <4 and candidates remain, add until 4 or exhausted
Are options diverse (different action types: progress task / external follow-up / wrap-up / verify)? → If all 3 are the same family, broaden

typescript

AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [{
    question: "What would you like to do next?",
    header: "Next Action",
    multiSelect: true,
    options: [
      { label: "Option 1", description: "Description" },
      { label: "Option 2", description: "Description" },
      { label: "Option 3", description: "Description" },
      { label: "Option 4", description: "Description" }
    ]
  }]
})

Step 3: Register and execute selected action(s)

If 2 or more actions are selected, register each via TaskCreate and execute sequentially. If only 1 is selected, execute it directly.

Suggestion Patterns

Per-context option templates for "After X" completions (code change, feature, bug fix, config, commit, push, PR fix-commit re-review, PR creation reviewer matrix, skill/agent creation, file creation, refactoring, complex workflow, exploration, session wrap-up, PR consolidate).

Read suggestion-patterns.md for the matching context's option set before calling AskUserQuestion. Several patterns carry their own HARD STOP gates (re-review policy, Copilot availability, session wrap-up priority) — follow the pattern's gate, not a generic option list.

Rules

Always 2-4 options - AskUserQuestion limitation
Be specific - "Run npm test" instead of just "Test"
Context-based - Adjust based on project/situation
Use multiSelect - When multiple actions can be done together
Register then execute - When 2+ options are selected, TaskCreate then run sequentially. If only 1, execute directly
State conditions when proposing merge - When including PR merge in options, the description must show condition state in the form CI:✅ Review:✅ TestPlan:x/y. Actual merge runs only via the /github-flow merge skill — direct gh pr merge is forbidden