Ask Claude

Purpose

Use local Claude Code CLI as an external advisor for focused questions, reviews, or design checks. The workflow is local-first and always leaves a Markdown artifact.

When to Use

• Need a Claude second opinion from Codex App or another shell-capable agent.
• Want reviewable output from claude -p saved for later.
• Do not use when Claude CLI is missing or unauthenticated.
• Do not use as an MCP fallback.

Inputs

• A specific prompt or task.
• Local claude command available in PATH.
• Optional artifact directory.

Workflow

Run through APX:

apx ask-claude "Review this patch for correctness"

Equivalent nested APX and direct CLI calls:

apx ask claude "Review this patch for correctness"

claude -p "Review this patch for correctness"

If claude is missing, stop and ask the user to install/configure Claude Code CLI. Verify with:

claude --version

Output

APX writes:

.apx/artifacts/claude-<slug>-<timestamp>.md

Artifact sections:

• Original user task
• Final prompt sent to Claude CLI
• Claude output (raw)
• Concise summary
• Action items / next steps

Verification

apx check ask-claude
apx ask-claude "Return OK only" --json

Confirm JSON includes provider, artifactPath, promptLength, and raw output in stdout. Open the artifact before applying advice.

Failure Modes

• Missing CLI: do not use MCP; ask user to install/configure claude.
• Auth failure: keep artifact if APX created one, report CLI stderr.
• Broad prompt: narrow the question before running to avoid noisy advice.