fix(pi): render input dialogs as free-text questions

apps/mobile/src/features/threads/QuestionAttachments.tsx

@@ -224,7 +224,11 @@ export function QuestionAttachments(props: {
             focusedRef.current = false;
             onInputFocusChange?.(false);
           }}
-          placeholder="Or type a custom answer"
+          placeholder={
+            props.question.initialAnswer !== undefined
+              ? "Type your answer"
+              : "Or type a custom answer"
+          }
           className="min-h-[54px] rounded-2xl border border-input-border bg-input px-3.5 py-3 font-sans text-base text-foreground"
         />
       </TextInputWrapper>

apps/web/src/components/chat/ChatComposer.tsx

@@ -3472,7 +3472,9 @@ export const ChatComposer = memo(function ChatComposer(props: ChatComposerProps)
                         : activePendingProgress
                           ? isChoiceOnlyPendingQuestion
                             ? "Choose an option above"
-                            : "Type your own answer, or leave this blank to use the selected option"
+                            : isLiteralPendingAnswer
+                              ? "Type your answer"
+                              : "Type your own answer, or leave this blank to use the selected option"
                           : projectSelectionRequired
                             ? "Choose a project above to start a thread"
                             : showProviderUnavailable

packages/provider-pi/src/server/adapter.test.ts

@@ -3954,32 +3954,51 @@ describe("PiAdapterV2", () => {
     }).pipe(Effect.scoped, Effect.provide(layerTest)),
   );
 
-  it.effect("keeps an input dialog's title as the header above its placeholder", () =>
-    Effect.gen(function* () {
-      const fake = yield* makeFakePi;
-      const { runtime, takeEvent } = yield* openRuntime(fake);
-      yield* runtime.ensureThread({
-        threadId: THREAD_ID,
-        modelSelection: modelSelection("default"),
-        runtimePolicy,
-      });
-      yield* fake.emit({
-        type: "extension_ui_request",
-        id: "ui-input-placeholder",
-        method: "input",
-        title: "Name",
-        placeholder: "Your name",
-      });
-      const event = yield* takeEvent(
-        (event) =>
-          event.type === "turn_item.updated" && event.turnItem.type === "user_input_request",
-      );
-      if (event.type !== "turn_item.updated" || event.turnItem.type !== "user_input_request") {
-        return assert.fail("expected a user input request");
-      }
-      assert.equal(event.turnItem.questions[0]?.header, "Name");
-      assert.equal(event.turnItem.questions[0]?.question, "Your name");
-    }).pipe(Effect.scoped, Effect.provide(layerTest)),
+  it.effect.each(["  SQLite\n ", "", undefined])(
+    "asks the complete input title as free text and returns the exact answer %j",
+    (answer) =>
+      Effect.gen(function* () {
+        const fake = yield* makeFakePi;
+        const { runtime, takeEvent } = yield* openRuntime(fake);
+        yield* runtime.ensureThread({
+          threadId: THREAD_ID,
+          modelSelection: modelSelection("default"),
+          runtimePolicy,
+        });
+        yield* fake.emit({
+          type: "extension_ui_request",
+          id: "ui-input-placeholder",
+          method: "input",
+          title: "Which database?\n1. Postgres\n2. SQLite",
+          placeholder: "1,3; custom answer",
+        });
+        const event = yield* takeEvent(
+          (event) =>
+            event.type === "turn_item.updated" && event.turnItem.type === "user_input_request",
+        );
+        if (event.type !== "turn_item.updated" || event.turnItem.type !== "user_input_request") {
+          return assert.fail("expected a user input request");
+        }
+        assert.equal(event.turnItem.questions[0]?.header, "Question");
+        assert.equal(
+          event.turnItem.questions[0]?.question,
+          "Which database?\n1. Postgres\n2. SQLite",
+        );
+        assert.deepEqual(decodeUserInputQuestions(event.turnItem.questions)[0]?.options, []);
+        assert.equal(event.turnItem.questions[0]?.initialAnswer, "");
+        yield* runtime.respondToRuntimeRequest({
+          requestId: event.turnItem.requestId,
+          answers: answer === undefined ? {} : { "ui-input-placeholder": answer },
+        });
+        const response = yield* fake.takeRequest("extension_ui_response");
+        if (answer === undefined) {
+          assert.isTrue(response["cancelled"]);
+          assert.isUndefined(response["value"]);
+        } else {
+          assert.equal(response["value"], answer);
+          assert.isUndefined(response["cancelled"]);
+        }
+      }).pipe(Effect.scoped, Effect.provide(layerTest)),
   );
 
   it.effect("emits a valid empty select option and returns its original value", () =>

packages/provider-pi/src/server/adapter.ts

@@ -3594,25 +3594,21 @@ function piQuestion(
             description: option || "Empty value",
             value: option,
           }))
-      : method === "editor"
-        ? []
-        : [
-            {
-              label: "Submit empty value",
-              description: "Send an empty string to the extension.",
-              value: "",
-            },
-          ];
-  // Pi's select and editor dialogs carry only a title, so show it once, as the question.
-  // Extensions may send a blank placeholder, which is not a valid question.
-  const detail = [recordString(event, "message"), recordString(event, "placeholder")].find(
-    (text) => text !== undefined && text.trim().length > 0,
-  );
+      : [];
+  // Input/editor placeholders are hints, not question content.
+  const detail =
+    method === "select"
+      ? [recordString(event, "message"), recordString(event, "placeholder")].find(
+          (text) => text !== undefined && text.trim().length > 0,
+        )
+      : undefined;
   return {
     id: questionId,
     header: detail === undefined ? "Question" : title,
     question: detail ?? title,
-    ...(method === "editor" ? { initialAnswer: recordString(event, "prefill") ?? "" } : {}),
+    ...(method !== "select"
+      ? { initialAnswer: method === "editor" ? (recordString(event, "prefill") ?? "") : "" }
+      : {}),
     options,
   };
 }