diff --git a/apply.ts b/apply.ts
index 721892fd..2d48f5fe 100644
--- a/apply.ts
+++ b/apply.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import path from "path";
 import Git from "nodegit";
 import { combineRewrittenLists } from "./git-reconcile-rewritten-list/combineRewrittenLists";
 
-import { createQuestion } from "./util/createQuestion";
+import { question } from "./util/createQuestion";
 import { isDirEmptySync } from "./util/fs";
 
 import { filenames } from "./filenames";
@@ -93,46 +93,47 @@ export async function applyIfNeedsToApply({
 		return {
 			neededToApply: false,
 		};
-	} else {
-		if (!autoApplyIfNeeded) {
-			const question = createQuestion();
-
-			const answerRaw: string = await question("\nneed to --apply before continuing. proceed? [Y/n/(a)lways] ");
-			console.log({ answerRaw });
-
-			const answer: string = answerRaw.trim().toLowerCase();
-
-			const userAllowedToApply: boolean = ["y", "yes", ""].includes(answer);
-			console.log({ userAllowedToApply });
-
-			const userAllowedToApplyAlways: boolean = ["a", "always"].includes(answer);
-
-			if (!userAllowedToApply && !userAllowedToApplyAlways) {
-				return {
-					neededToApply: true,
-					userAllowedToApplyAndWeApplied: false,
-				};
-			}
-
-			if (userAllowedToApplyAlways) {
-				await config.setBool(configKeys.autoApplyIfNeeded, 1);
-			}
-		}
+	}
 
-		await apply({
-			repo,
-			pathToStackedRebaseTodoFile,
-			pathToStackedRebaseDirInsideDotGit, //
-			...rest,
-		});
+	const allowedToApply = autoApplyIfNeeded || (await askIfCanApply(config));
+	if (!allowedToApply) {
+		return {
+			neededToApply: true,
+			userAllowedToApplyAndWeApplied: false,
+		};
 	}
 
+	await apply({
+		repo,
+		pathToStackedRebaseTodoFile,
+		pathToStackedRebaseDirInsideDotGit, //
+		...rest,
+	});
+
 	return {
 		neededToApply: true,
 		userAllowedToApplyAndWeApplied: true, //
 	};
 }
 
+const askIfCanApply = async (config: Git.Config): Promise<boolean> => {
+	const answer = await question(
+		"need to --apply before continuing. proceed? [Y/n/(a)lways] ", //
+		(ans) => ans.trim().toLowerCase()
+	);
+
+	const userAllowedToApply: boolean = ["y", "yes", ""].includes(answer);
+	const userAllowedToApplyAlways: boolean = ["a", "always"].includes(answer);
+
+	if (userAllowedToApplyAlways) {
+		await config.setBool(configKeys.autoApplyIfNeeded, 1);
+	}
+
+	const canApply = userAllowedToApply || userAllowedToApplyAlways;
+
+	return canApply;
+};
+
 const getPaths = (
 	pathToStackedRebaseDirInsideDotGit: string //
 ) =>
diff --git a/util/createQuestion.ts b/util/createQuestion.ts
index 050925df..b265dc1a 100644
--- a/util/createQuestion.ts
+++ b/util/createQuestion.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,17 @@
 import readline from "readline";
 
-export const createQuestion = (
-	rl = readline.createInterface(process.stdin, process.stdout) //
-) => (
-	q: string //
-): Promise<string> =>
-	new Promise<string>((r) =>
-		rl.question(q, (ans) => {
-			r(ans);
-		})
-	);
+export const createQuestion =
+	(
+		rl = readline.createInterface(process.stdin, process.stdout) //
+	) =>
+	(
+		q: string //
+	): Promise<string> =>
+		new Promise<string>((r) =>
+			rl.question(q, (ans) => {
+				r(ans);
+			})
+		);
+
+export const question = (q: string, cb: (ans: string) => string, { prefix = "\n" } = {}): Promise<string> =>
+	createQuestion()(prefix + q).then(cb);