singularity-forge/docs/user-docs/remote-questions.md

Remote Questions

Remote questions allow SF to ask for user input via Slack, Discord, or Telegram when the current run-control mode and permission profile require a human decision. When SF encounters a decision point that needs human input, it posts the question to your configured channel and polls for a response.

Setup

Discord

/remote discord

The setup wizard:

1. Prompts for your Discord bot token
2. Validates the token against the Discord API
3. Lists servers the bot belongs to (or lets you pick)
4. Lists text channels in the selected server
5. Sends a test message to confirm permissions
6. Saves the configuration to ~/.sf/PREFERENCES.md

Bot requirements:

• A Discord bot application with a token (from Discord Developer Portal)
• Bot must be invited to the target server with these permissions:
  • Send Messages
  • Read Message History
  • Add Reactions
  • View Channel
• The DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN environment variable must be set (the setup wizard handles this)

Slack

/remote slack

The setup wizard:

1. Prompts for your Slack bot token (xoxb-...)
2. Validates the token
3. Lists channels the bot can access (with manual ID fallback)
4. Sends a test message to confirm permissions
5. Saves the configuration

Bot requirements:

• A Slack app with a bot token (from Slack API)
• Bot must be invited to the target channel
• Typical scopes for public/private channels: chat:write, reactions:read, reactions:write, channels:read, groups:read, channels:history, groups:history

Telegram

/remote telegram

The setup wizard:

1. Prompts for your Telegram bot token (from @BotFather)
2. Validates the token against the Telegram API
3. Prompts for the chat ID (group or private chat)
4. Sends a test message to confirm permissions
5. Saves the configuration

Bot requirements:

• A Telegram bot token from @BotFather
• Bot must be added to the target group chat (or use private chat with the bot)
• The TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN environment variable must be set

Configuration

Remote questions are configured in ~/.sf/PREFERENCES.md:

remote_questions:
  channel: discord          # or slack or telegram
  channel_id: "1234567890123456789"
  timeout_minutes: 5        # 1-30, default 5
  poll_interval_seconds: 5  # 2-30, default 5

How It Works

1. SF encounters a decision point during autonomous mode
2. The question is posted to your configured channel as a rich embed (Discord) or Block Kit message (Slack)
3. SF polls for a response at the configured interval
4. You respond by:
   • Reacting with a number emoji (1️⃣, 2️⃣, etc.) for single-question prompts
   • Replying to the message with a number (1), comma-separated numbers (1,3), or free text
5. SF picks up the response and continues execution
6. A ✅ reaction is added to the prompt message to confirm receipt

Response Formats

Single question:

• React with a number emoji (single-question prompts)
• Reply with a number: 2
• Reply with free text (captured as a user note)

Multiple questions:

• Reply with semicolons: 1;2;custom text
• Reply with newlines (one answer per line)

Timeouts

If no response is received within timeout_minutes, the prompt times out and SF continues with a timeout result. The LLM handles timeouts according to the task context — typically by making a conservative default choice or pausing autonomous mode.

Commands

Command	Description
/remote	Show remote questions menu and current status
/remote slack	Set up Slack integration
/remote discord	Set up Discord integration
/remote status	Show current configuration and last prompt status
/remote disconnect	Remove remote questions configuration

Discord vs Slack Feature Comparison

Feature	Discord	Slack
Rich message format	Embeds with fields	Block Kit
Reaction-based answers	✅ (single-question)	✅ (single-question)
Thread-based replies	Message replies	Thread replies
Message URL in logs	✅	✅
Answer acknowledgement	✅ reaction on receipt	✅ reaction on receipt
Multi-question support	Text replies (semicolons/newlines)	Text replies (semicolons/newlines)
Context source in prompt	✅ (footer)	✅ (context block)
Server/channel picker	✅ (interactive)	✅ (interactive + manual fallback)
Token validation	✅	✅
Test message on setup	✅	✅

Troubleshooting

"Remote auth failed"

• Verify your bot token is correct and not expired
• For Discord: ensure the bot is still in the server
• For Slack: ensure the bot token starts with xoxb-

"Could not send to channel"

• Verify the bot has Send Messages permission in the target channel
• For Discord: check the bot's role permissions in Server Settings
• For Slack: ensure the bot is invited to the channel (/invite @botname)

No response detected

• Ensure you're replying to the prompt message (not posting a new message)
• For reactions: only number emojis (1️⃣-5️⃣) on single-question prompts are detected
• Check that timeout_minutes is long enough for your response time

Channel ID format

• Slack: 9-12 uppercase alphanumeric characters (e.g., C0123456789)
• Discord: 17-20 digit numeric snowflake ID (e.g., 1234567890123456789)
• Enable Developer Mode in Discord (Settings → Advanced) to copy channel IDs