fix: 20q now answers any question, not just yes/no

Allow open-ended questions like "What color is it?" or "How big is it?"
The model now gives brief descriptive answers (capped at 12 words) for
open questions while still answering Yes/No/Sometimes/Partly for binary
ones. Updated command descriptions and in-game prompts accordingly.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

matrixbot/commands.py

@@ -2772,9 +2772,10 @@ async def _generate_20q_thing() -> dict | None:
 async def _answer_20q(thing: str, category: str, question: str) -> str:
     system_msg = (
         f'You are playing 20 questions. You are thinking of: "{thing}" ({category}). '
-        "Answer the player's question with ONLY: Yes, No, Sometimes, or Partly. "
+        "Answer the player's question honestly and helpfully. "
-        "Do NOT reveal what you are thinking of. Do NOT give hints beyond the single word answer. "
+        "For yes/no questions: answer Yes, No, Sometimes, or Partly. "
-        "One word answer only."
+        "For open questions (color, size, shape, etc.): give a brief, accurate answer in 1-8 words. "
+        "CRITICAL: Do NOT say the name of the thing. Do NOT give it away. Keep answers short."
     )
     try:
         timeout = aiohttp.ClientTimeout(total=20)
@@ -2787,15 +2788,15 @@ async def _answer_20q(thing: str, category: str, question: str) -> str:
             ) as response:
                 data = await response.json()
                 raw = data.get("message", {}).get("content", "").strip()
-                # Only keep the first word to prevent leakage
+                # Cap at 12 words to prevent the model rambling and leaking the answer
-                first_word = raw.split()[0].rstrip(".,!?") if raw.split() else "..."
+                words = raw.split()
-                return first_word
+                return " ".join(words[:12]) if words else "..."
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error("20q answer error: %s", e, exc_info=True)
         return "..."
 
 
-@command("20q", "AI thinks of something — ask up to 20 yes/no questions with !q, guess with !answer")
+@command("20q", "AI thinks of something — ask up to 20 questions with !q, guess with !answer")
 async def cmd_20q(client: AsyncClient, room_id: str, sender: str, args: str):
     if room_id in _TWENTYQ_GAMES:
         g = _TWENTYQ_GAMES[room_id]
@@ -2819,14 +2820,14 @@ async def cmd_20q(client: AsyncClient, room_id: str, sender: str, args: str):
         "asked": [],
     }
     await send_html(client, room_id,
-        f"🤔 I've got something in mind! Hint: {thing_data['hint']}\nAsk yes/no questions with !q <question> (20 total) or guess with !answer <guess>",
+        f"🤔 I've got something in mind! Hint: {thing_data['hint']}\nAsk any question with !q <question> (20 total) or guess with !answer <guess>",
         f'<font color="#a855f7"><strong>🤔 20 Questions!</strong></font><br>'
         f'I\'m thinking of something — hint: <em>{thing_data["hint"]}</em><br>'
-        f'Ask with <code>!q &lt;question&gt;</code> (20 total) or guess with <code>!answer &lt;guess&gt;</code>',
+        f'Ask anything with <code>!q &lt;question&gt;</code> (20 total) or guess with <code>!answer &lt;guess&gt;</code>',
     )
 
 
-@command("q", "Ask a yes/no question in 20 Questions (!q <question>)")
+@command("q", "Ask a question in 20 Questions (!q <question>)")
 async def cmd_q(client: AsyncClient, room_id: str, sender: str, args: str):
     if room_id not in _TWENTYQ_GAMES:
         await send_text(client, room_id, "No 20Q game active. Start one with !20q")
@@ -2834,7 +2835,7 @@ async def cmd_q(client: AsyncClient, room_id: str, sender: str, args: str):
     g = _TWENTYQ_GAMES[room_id]
     question = sanitize_input(args.strip())
     if not question:
-        await send_text(client, room_id, "Ask a question, e.g. !q Is it alive?")
+        await send_text(client, room_id, "Ask a question, e.g. !q Is it alive? or !q What color is it?")
         return
     if g["questions_left"] <= 0:
         await send_text(client, room_id, "No questions left! Use !answer to make your final guess.")