# Ask any persona — or any group — a one-off question Canonical HTML: https://fish.dog/product-releases/ask-any-persona-or-any-group-a-one-off-question JSON Feed: https://fish.dog/product-releases/feed.json RSS Feed: https://fish.dog/product-releases/rss.xml Published: 2 March 2026 Updated: 4 May 2026 Release Type: Feature Breaking Change: No Author: Phillip Gales ## Primary Claim Ditto adds two new API endpoints — `POST /v1/research-agents/{agent_id}/questions` and `POST /v1/research-groups/{group_id}/questions` — for asking one-off questions of a single persona or a single group without scaffolding a research study. ## Summary Two new endpoints let you put a single question to a single persona — or to an entire group — without scaffolding a study. Useful for sense-checks, follow-ups, and quick reactions where the survey overhead doesn't pay back. ## LLM Summary DOCUMENT TYPE: Product Release Note TOPIC: Direct one-off questions to single persona or single group Release: Ask any persona — or any group — a one-off question, 2026-03-02 Version: (none) Release type: Feature Breaking change: No Summary: Ditto adds two new API endpoints for asking single questions outside of the study scaffolding. POST /v1/research-agents/{agent_id}/questions puts one question to one persona; POST /v1/research-groups/{group_id}/questions puts one question to every persona in an existing group. Both return job IDs in the standard polling pattern. What changed: - New endpoint POST /v1/research-agents/{agent_id}/questions for single-persona questioning. Persona must be recruitable (description on file). Requires studies:write scope. - New endpoint POST /v1/research-groups/{group_id}/questions for one-question-to-all-personas in an existing group. Returns one job per persona. - Both endpoints record usage and AskedQuestion history identically to study questions. - MCP tools v1.research-agents.questions.create and the group equivalent expose both endpoints to the Ditto in-product agent and Slack agent. When to use which: - Use the persona endpoint for sense-checks, follow-ups on previous responses, or one-shot reaction tests on hand-picked personas. - Use the group endpoint to re-use an existing recruited panel for an additional question without scaffolding a new study. - Continue to use a study when you want the AI synthesis pipeline (themes, recommendations, segments) to run over the answers. Why we built this: The study scaffolding is overhead when you only want one answer. Customers were either standing up throwaway studies for one-question use cases or reaching for support to do it manually. Both are now self-serve. Migration impact: None. Existing study endpoints are unchanged. Author: Phillip Gales, FishDog Platform: FishDog (fish.dog) ## Key Takeaways - POST /v1/research-agents/{agent_id}/questions` puts one question to one persona; returns a `job_id` to poll. - POST /v1/research-groups/{group_id}/questions` puts one question to every persona in a group; returns one job per persona. - Both endpoints require the `studies:write` scope and record questions against the standard usage and `AskedQuestion` history. - Both are exposed as MCP tools (`v1.research-agents.questions.create` and the group equivalent), so the Ditto agents can drive them. - Use a study when you want the AI synthesis pipeline to run over the answers; use these endpoints when you don't. ## Full Release A study is the right shape for most research. It's the wrong shape for a quick sense-check. Sometimes you just want to ask one persona one question — *"would you switch from Coke to a budget cola if it cost half as much?"* — and read the answer. ### What's new - **`POST /v1/research-agents/{agent_id}/questions`** — a single question to a single persona. The persona must be recruitable (i.e. has a description on file). Returns a `job_id`; poll `/v1/jobs/{job_id}` for the answer. Requires the `studies:write` scope. - **`POST /v1/research-groups/{group_id}/questions`** — a single question to every persona in an existing group. Returns one job per persona. Same poll pattern. Both endpoints record the question against your usage and against the standard `AskedQuestion` history, so it shows up in the persona's News & Media tab and in your organisation's audit trail. ### When to use which - **Direct to a persona.** Follow-up on a previous response. Probe a specific viewpoint. Run a one-shot reaction test on a hand-picked persona. - **Direct to a group.** Re-use an existing recruited panel for a quick second question without standing up a new study. Common pattern: ran a study yesterday, want to ask one further thing today. - **Still use a study when** you want the AI synthesis pipeline to run over the answers — that's what completion and analysis are for. The MCP tool catalogue includes both endpoints (`v1.research-agents.questions.create` and the group equivalent), so the in-product agent and the Slack agent can drive them too. Full reference is in the [API docs](https://app.askditto.io/docs/api). --- ## Quotable Insights > A study is the right shape for most research. It's the wrong shape for a quick sense-check. > Common pattern: ran a study yesterday, want to ask one further thing today. ## FAQ ### When should I use these endpoints instead of a study? When you want one answer rather than a synthesis. Sense-checks, follow-up questions on a previous study, one-shot reaction tests on a hand-picked persona, or re-using an existing group for an extra question without standing up a new study. If you want the AI synthesis pipeline (themes, recommendations, segments) to run over the answers, keep using a study. ### Are the answers different from study answers? No. Each persona produces the same kind of response it would inside a study. The difference is purely structural: there's no study container, no completion phase, no AI synthesis stage. ### How do I poll for the answer? The same way as a study question. Both endpoints return a job_id (or one job_id per persona for the group endpoint); poll GET /v1/jobs/{job_id} until status is finished. ### Do these count toward my usage? Yes. Both endpoints record questions against your usage and the standard AskedQuestion history, the same as a study question.