ask-tty

ask-tty

stdin proxy for Claude Code. When the Bash tool needs interactive input (passwords, confirmations, passphrases), ask-tty gets it from you.

Problem

Claude Code's Bash tool doesn't support interactive stdin. Commands like sudo, ssh, gpg, or anything requiring user input will hang and timeout.

Solution

ask-tty adds stdin support to the Bash tool through a three-layer architecture:

┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐
│ Claude Code │────▶│ ask-tty CLI │────▶│ Service  │────▶│ Adapter  │
│ (Bash tool) │     │             │     │ (/ask)   │     │(optional)│
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └────┬─────┘     └──────────┘
                                             │
                                        ┌────▼─────┐
                                        │   You    │
                                        └──────────┘

Layer	What	Role
Skill	Claude Code plugin	Teaches Claude to use ask-tty when stdin is needed
CLI	ask-tty script	Sends prompt to service, returns reply to stdout
Service	HTTP server	Queues prompts, waits for your reply
Adapter	Optional	Pushes prompts to external channels (Telegram, etc.)

Install (Claude Code Plugin)

claude plugin add miyago9267/ask-tty

This installs the skill — it teaches every Claude Code session to use ask-tty for stdin. You still need to set up the service and CLI below.

Setup

1. Deploy the Service

git clone https://github.com/miyago9267/ask-tty.git
cd ask-tty
cp .env.example .env
# Set ASK_TTY_SECRET (generate with: openssl rand -hex 16)
bun install
bun run start

Without an adapter

The service works standalone. Check pending prompts and respond via HTTP:

# List pending prompts
curl "https://your-server.com/pending?secret=YOUR_SECRET"

# Respond to a prompt
curl -X POST https://your-server.com/respond \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"secret":"YOUR_SECRET","reply":"my-password"}'

With Telegram adapter

Set these in .env:

ASK_TTY_ADAPTER=telegram
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-bot-token    # from @BotFather
OWNER_CHAT_ID=your-chat-id           # send a message to bot, check logs
WEBHOOK_URL=https://your-server.com/telegram/webhook

Prompts will be pushed to your Telegram. Reply directly in chat.

2. Install CLI

./install.sh

Installs ~/bin/ask-tty and the Claude Code skill.

3. Configure CLI

On every machine where you use Claude Code:

mkdir -p ~/.config/ask-tty
cat > ~/.config/ask-tty/config << EOF
ASK_TTY_URL=https://your-server.com/ask
ASK_TTY_SECRET=your-secret
EOF
chmod 600 ~/.config/ask-tty/config

Usage

Once installed, Claude Code automatically uses ask-tty when stdin is needed.

# sudo (password auto-deleted from adapter if --sensitive)
echo $(ask-tty "sudo password" --sensitive) | sudo -S systemctl restart nginx

# Confirmation
ANSWER=$(ask-tty "Delete all logs? (y/N)")

# General input
VALUE=$(ask-tty "Enter new hostname")

# Custom timeout
ask-tty "Approve deployment?" --timeout 300

Flag	Short	Description
--sensitive	-s	Treat as secret (adapter may auto-delete)
--timeout N	-t N	Timeout in seconds (default: 120, max: 300)

API

Endpoint	Method	Auth	Description
/ask	POST	secret in body	Submit a prompt, blocks until replied
/respond	POST	secret in body	Reply to a pending prompt
/pending	GET	secret in query	List pending prompts
/health	GET	none	Service status

Writing an Adapter

Adapters hook into the service to push prompts to external channels. See src/adapters/telegram.ts as a reference.

An adapter:

1. Calls setOnNewAsk(callback) to receive new prompts
2. Registers a webhook route on the Hono app to receive replies
3. Calls resolveNextAsk(reply) when a reply arrives

Security

• Passwords marked --sensitive are handled by the adapter (e.g., Telegram deletes the message)
• Shared secret authenticates all requests
• Passwords never enter Claude's context — they flow through ask-tty directly to the command
• Config files are chmod 600

Requirements

• Service: Bun, server with HTTPS (for adapters with webhooks)
• CLI: curl, jq (optional, has fallback)
• Claude Code: v2.1.80+

License

MIT