| name | prototype |
| description | Build a throwaway prototype to answer a design question before committing to an implementation. Use when sanity-checking a data model, state machine, or design approach. |
Prototype
A prototype is throwaway code that answers a question. The question decides the shape.
Pick a Branch
Identify the question being answered:
- "Does this data model / state machine feel right?" → Build a minimal C++ harness that exercises the key state transitions or data operations
- "What should this protocol look like?" → Sketch the sdp struct definitions and walk through the request/response flow
If genuinely ambiguous, default to whichever branch matches the surrounding code.
Rules
- Throwaway from day one, clearly marked. Name the file or directory so a reader instantly knows it's a prototype:
proto_xxx.cpp, scratch_xxx.sdp
- One command to build. Use
./qmake.sh. The result must compile and run without thinking
- No persistence by default. State lives in memory unless persistence is the question being answered
- Skip the polish. No full error handling beyond what makes it runnable. The point is to learn fast and delete
- Surface the state. After every operation, log the full relevant state so the question can be answered
- Delete or absorb when done. Never leave prototype code rotting in the codebase
Capture the Answer
The answer is the only thing worth keeping. Capture it in a NOTES.md next to the prototype, or in an SVN commit message, or as an ADR:
## Question
[What were we trying to learn?]
## Answer
[What did we find out?]
## Decision
[What will we do as a result?]
Then delete the prototype and invoke /plan to begin the real implementation.
