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# ASK steps read every reply and can ask only once

## What's new

ASK steps in structured v2 Playbooks now evaluate the end user's reply to the last re-ask before the step moves on. The **Max re-ask attempts** field now accepts 0.

* **Every reply is evaluated.** Previously, the AI Agent applied the re-ask limit before it read the reply to the last re-ask. The step discarded a valid answer given on the last re-ask and moved on with the fallback value or an empty variable. The Agent now reads that reply first and only then decides whether to move on.
* **Max re-ask attempts counts re-asks after the first question.** A value of 3 means the Agent asks once and re-asks up to 3 times, 4 questions in total. The default is 3 re-asks, so existing steps ask the same number of times as before.
* **Ask only once.** Set **Max re-ask attempts** to 0 and the Agent asks the question once, evaluates the reply, and moves on without re-asking.

Existing ASK steps keep their current settings.

See the [ASK step reference](/docs/automation/playbooks/step-reference#map-the-answer-using-reasoning) for configuration details.