Asking Questions
The /ask command is the core of Lixir. It opens a structured modal, posts the question to the current channel, and resolves it according to the decision mode you pick.
/ask
Opens the question submission modal. Fill in the title, context, and question, then submit to post it to the current channel with voting buttons.
Usage:
/ask/ask can be used in any channel where Lixir has been added (subject to your tier's channel limit).
Decision modes
The modal lets the asker choose how the question is resolved. Free and Pro workspaces see the first two options below; the Team tier unlocks the rest.
| Mode | Behavior | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Any one can approve | First Approve/Reject/Discuss click ends voting. | All tiers |
| All must approve | Waits for unanimous approval from every channel member; any reject/discuss short-circuits. | All tiers |
| Majority | Resolves at the deadline (or once every member has voted) — strict plurality wins; ties → backlog. | Team |
| Quorum + majority | Same as majority, but needs N voters before it can resolve; below quorum at deadline → backlog. | Team |
| Poll — single choice | 2–10 named options; users pick one; closes at the deadline. Winning option becomes the decision; ties → backlog. | Team |
| Poll — multi-select | 2–10 named options; users may pick any number; closes at the deadline. | Team |
Deadlines
Every mode except Any one can approve can set a deadline (up to 30 days out). When it passes, a scheduled worker auto-resolves the question using the mode's rules and posts a threaded reply announcing the outcome. Because Any-one resolves on the first vote, it doesn't need one.
Free and Pro workspaces can use deadlines with All must approve — handy for time-boxed sign-offs where you still want unanimous agreement. Majority, quorum, and poll modes (which all require a deadline) are Team-only.
Reminders & nudges
Lixir actively chases votes so questions don't rot in your channel:
- Deadline reminders — Non-voters are pinged at configurable offsets before the deadline (defaults: 24h and 1h out).
- Stale-question nudges — Optional. For deadline-less questions, Lixir can re-ping non-voters once a question has been open for N hours (24/48/72).
- Asker escalation — Optional. If a question still has zero votes after N hours, Lixir DMs the asker with suggestions to ping approvers, add a deadline, or defer to a meeting.
- Delivery channel — Choose between in-channel ephemeral pings (quiet, default) or direct messages (louder).
All four settings live in App Home → Nudging. See the Nudging page for the full breakdown of each option.
Allow deferral to meeting
By default every question shows a Discuss at Meeting button so anyone can move it to the backlog. For time-sensitive approvals where async-only is the rule, uncheck Allow deferral to meeting in the question modal — the button is hidden, and if the deadline passes with no votes the question is recorded as Expired — no votes before deadline instead of being shelved. A deadline is required when deferral is off.
Deferred questions show up in the channel's meeting backlog — see Meeting Agenda for how to review and clear them.
Limits
| Tier | Questions | Channels |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 10 lifetime | 1 |
| Pro | Unlimited | 1 |
| Team | Unlimited | Unlimited |