Question tool throws if header length is >= 12 chars #7616

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1. kandros

   added

   bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't working

   on Jan 10, 2026
2. github-actions

   assigned

   rekram1-node

   on Jan 10, 2026
3. github-actions commented on Jan 10, 2026

   

   github-actionsBot

   on Jan 10, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

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   This issue might be a duplicate of existing issues. Please check:

   • [Bug] Question tool fails to parse JSON with French accented characters (UTF-8) #7484: Question tool fails to parse JSON with French accented characters (UTF-8) - related to character/parameter validation
   • [FEATURE]: Improve UX of question tool multi-select #7572: Improve UX of question tool multi-select - related to question tool improvements
   • Question Tool Keyboard Conflict and Agent Switch Issue #7496: Question Tool Keyboard Conflict and Agent Switch Issue - related to question tool bugs
   • Question tool content missing in Web UI (opencode serve) #7599: Question tool content missing in Web UI - another question tool bug

   Feel free to ignore if none of these address your specific case.
4. Makishima commented on Jan 10, 2026

   

   Makishima

   on Jan 10, 2026

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   The same thing happens to me. OC tries a few other options.
5. ookadoo commented on Jan 11, 2026

   

   ookadoo

   on Jan 11, 2026

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   This happens on Windows 11 (npm) when planning with free models as well, opencode version 1.1.13.
6. Makishima commented on Jan 13, 2026

   

   Makishima

   on Jan 13, 2026

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   By the way, what exactly is this header, and is it only allowed to be 12 characters long?
7. chindris-mihai-alexandru commented on Jan 20, 2026

   

   chindris-mihai-alexandru

   on Jan 20, 2026

   Last edited by chindris-mihai-alexandru

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   Ran into a similar issue but with the label field (30 char limit) instead of header (12 chars). The error message doesn't say which field failed or what the limit is, so the model just keeps retrying with similar invalid input.

   Would be great if validation errors included the field name and actual constraint, like:

   options[0].label: "Enable advanced mode (Recommended)" (35 chars) exceeds max of 30
   
8. kandros commented on Jan 21, 2026

   

   kandros

   on Jan 21, 2026

   ContributorAuthor

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   By the way, what exactly is this header, and is it only allowed to be 12 characters long?

   I guess it's the question itself that gets AI-generated
9. Skeptomenos commented on Jan 22, 2026

   

   Skeptomenos

   on Jan 22, 2026

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   Still reproducing on v1.1.32 with Claude (Anthropic).

   Screenshot

   The error shows the label field exceeding 30 characters:

   Error: The question tool was called with invalid arguments: [
     {
       "origin": "string",
       "code": "too_big",
       "maximum": 30,
       "inclusive": true,
       "path": ["questions", 0, "options", 0, "label"],
       "message": "Too big: expected string to have ≤30 characters"
     }
   ]
   

   Observations

   • The model's system prompt does include the constraint ("maxLength": 30 for label), but it frequently ignores it
   • When the error occurs, the model often retries with similar invalid input because the error message doesn't show the actual offending value
   • This breaks the flow and requires user intervention

   Suggested fixes (in order of preference)

   1. Auto-truncate labels/headers with ellipsis if they exceed limits (least disruptive)
   2. Increase limits - 30 chars for a label is quite restrictive (e.g., "Enable advanced mode (Recommended)" is a common pattern that exceeds it)
   3. Better error messages showing the actual value that failed, so the model can self-correct

   👍React with 👍2Reacted by Chindriș Mihai - Alexandru and hicdercpl
10. github-actions commented on Mar 26, 2026

    

    github-actionsBot

    on Mar 26, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

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    To stay organized issues are automatically closed after 90 days of no activity. If the issue is still relevant please open a new one.
11. github-actions

    closed this as completedon Mar 26, 2026