Rite Prototype

$rite-prototype: answer one question with throwaway code

A prototype is throwaway code for exactly one question. Choose its shape from that question.

0. Read core rules

Read .agents/skills/devrites-lib/reference/standards/core.md first: the operating rules and the Persistence-before-stopping discipline apply even to throwaway code. The other rule files load on demand.

1. Name the question

If the user did not give the question explicitly, ask one short question to pin it down. Examples that count as "the question":

• "Does this reducer correctly model add / undo / re-add of the same item?"
• "Which of these three settings layouts feels right?"
• "Will the proposed state machine deadlock when X overlaps Y?"

A vague request such as "explore this feature" is not enough. Ask once for a specific question.

2. Pick the branch

Read the user's prompt and surrounding code, then choose one branch:

If genuinely ambiguous and the user is AFK: pick by the surrounding code (backend module → Logic; page / component → UI) and state the assumption in a comment at the top.

Variations must differ in structure. Colour or padding changes alone do not answer a design question. Give each variation a different information architecture or interaction model.

3. Rules that apply to both branches

1. Mark it as throwaway. Place the prototype near its eventual use, but use a name that clearly identifies it: prototype/, __prototype__, .scratch/, etc. Obey the project's existing routing / module convention; don't invent a new top-level structure.
2. Provide one run command. Use the project's existing task runner: pnpm <name>, python <path>, or bun <path>.
3. No persistence by default. State lives in memory. Persistence is usually the thing the prototype is checking, not a dependency. If the question explicitly involves a DB, hit a scratch DB or a local file with a name like PROTOTYPE — wipe me.
4. Skip polish. Add no tests, abstractions, or error handling beyond what is needed to run and answer the question.
5. Surface 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. Delete or absorb when done. After answering the question, delete the prototype or fold the validated decision into production code.

4. Capture the answer

The answer is the only durable output. Before declaring the prototype done, write one of:

• An entry in the active feature's decisions.md (.devrites/work/<slug>/decisions.md) with the question and the answer.
• A NOTES.md next to the prototype if no active feature exists.

If the user is present, ask for the verdict directly. In AFK, the prototype remains incomplete until the verdict is filled in. A blank VERDICT: ___ is not an answer. Mark it not yet complete. Queue the question and do not delete the prototype until a later pass records the verdict.

Where this slots in

$rite-prototype is a scoped detour, not a separate phase. Typical uses:

• During $rite-clarify (between spec and define): a product/constraint question is undecidable on paper; prototype it, capture the answer, return to $rite-clarify.
• Mid-build: $rite-build hit a state-model ambiguity that the spec doesn't resolve. Drop into a Logic prototype, capture the answer, return.

After the prototype answers the question and the answer is recorded, return to the calling phase. The prototype itself does not ship.

Output

Done: prototype answered <question>.
Changed: <prototype path | deleted after absorption>; decisions.md or NOTES.md
Evidence: run command <cmd -> result>; verdict <one line>
Open: <none | non-blocking delete/absorb follow-up>
Next: <single command returning to the calling phase>
Record: <.devrites/work/<slug>/decisions.md | NOTES.md path>
↻ Hygiene: /clear after the answer is recorded; delete or absorb throwaway code before shipping

If the verdict is missing, use the shared Awaiting human form. The prototype is not Done, and Resume: points to the queued verdict question.