prototype

name

prototype

description

Build a throwaway prototype to flesh out a design before committing to it. Routes between two branches — a runnable terminal app for state/business-logic questions, or several radically different UI variations toggleable from one route. Use when the user wants to prototype, sanity-check a data model or state machine, mock up a UI, explore design options, or says "prototype this", "let me play with it", "try a few designs".

Prototype

A prototype is throwaway code that answers a question. The question decides the shape.

Gather context

If the user's context is just a number, assume it is a tim plan id and run tim show --full <number> before choosing a prototype branch. Use that plan text as the source of truth for the question being answered.

If the tim plan or the passed context includes any reference to a Linear issue, such as an issue ID or URL, read the issue before prototyping. Also inspect any documents linked from the issue itself or from its Linear project, because those documents often contain the product constraints and prior decisions the prototype needs to respect. The Linear document list command matches projects only by slug, not project name; when you only have the project name, first resolve the slug with linear project list --json | jq -r '.nodes[] | select(.name | test("<PROJECT NAME>";"i")) | "\(.name)\t\(.slugId)"'.

Before building, determine whether the prototype enhances an existing feature or explores a wholly new surface. For an existing feature, inspect the current implementation and user flow before choosing the prototype shape, especially for UI prototypes. The prototype should build on the existing behavior and constraints rather than replacing them from memory.

Pick a branch

Identify which question is being answered — from the user's prompt, the surrounding code, or by asking if the user is around:

• "Does this logic / state model feel right?" → LOGIC.md. Build a tiny interactive terminal app that pushes the state machine through cases that are hard to reason about on paper.
• "What should this look like?" → UI.md. Generate several radically different UI variations on a single route, switchable via a URL search param and a floating bottom bar.

The two branches produce very different artifacts — getting this wrong wastes the whole prototype. If the question is genuinely ambiguous and the user isn't reachable, default to whichever branch better matches the surrounding code (a backend module → logic; a page or component → UI) and state the assumption at the top of the prototype.

Rules that apply to both

1. Throwaway from day one, and clearly marked as such. Locate the prototype code close to where it will actually be used (next to the module or page it's prototyping for) so context is obvious — but name it so a casual reader can see it's a prototype, not production. For throwaway UI routes, obey whatever routing convention the project already uses; don't invent a new top-level structure.
2. One command to run. Whatever the project's existing task runner supports — pnpm <name>, python <path>, bun <path>, etc. The user must be able to start it without thinking.
3. No persistence by default. State lives in memory. Persistence is the thing the prototype is checking, not something it should depend on. If the question explicitly involves a database, hit a scratch DB or a local file with a clear "PROTOTYPE — wipe me" name.
4. Skip the polish. No tests, no error handling beyond what makes the prototype runnable, no abstractions. The point is to learn something fast and then delete it.
5. Surface the state. After every action (logic) or on every variant switch (UI), print or render the full relevant state so the user can see what changed.
6. Preserve existing functionality unless told otherwise. When a prototype enhances an existing feature, each variant should retain the feature's current essential capabilities and workflows unless the plan explicitly calls for removing or changing them. Radical UI changes are allowed if they are true improvements, but they must carry forward the important behavior, controls, data visibility, and edge states from the existing implementation.
7. Delete or absorb when done. When the prototype has answered its question, either delete it or fold the validated decision into the real code — don't leave it rotting in the repo.

When done

The answer is the only thing worth keeping from a prototype. Capture it somewhere durable (commit message, ADR, issue, or a NOTES.md next to the prototype) along with the question it was answering. If the user is around, that capture is a quick conversation; if not, leave the placeholder so they (or you, on the next pass) can fill in the verdict before deleting the prototype.