rapid-prototyper

Rapid Prototyper

Purpose

Fast validation through working prototypes. Creates complete, runnable code to test ideas before committing to full implementation:

1. Recalls your preferred tech stack from memory
2. Generates minimal but complete code
3. Makes it runnable immediately
4. Gets you visual feedback fast
5. Saves validated patterns for production

For ADHD users: Immediate gratification - working prototype in minutes, not hours. For aphantasia: Concrete, visual results instead of abstract descriptions. For all users: Validate before investing - fail fast, learn fast.

Activation Triggers

• User says: "prototype this", "quick demo", "proof of concept", "MVP"
• User asks: "can we build", "is it possible to", "how would we"
• User mentions: "try out", "experiment with", "test the idea"
• Before major feature: proactive offer to prototype first

Core Workflow

1. Understand Requirements

Extract key information:

{
  feature: "User authentication",
  purpose: "Validate JWT flow works",
  constraints: ["Must work offline", "No external dependencies"],
  success_criteria: ["Login form", "Token storage", "Protected route"]
}

2. Recall Tech Stack

Query context-manager:

search memories:
- Type: DECISION, PREFERENCE
- Tags: tech-stack, framework, library
- Project: current project

Example recall:

Found preferences:
- Frontend: React + Vite
- Styling: Tailwind CSS
- State: Zustand
- Backend: Node.js + Express
- Database: PostgreSQL (but skip for prototype)

3. Design Minimal Implementation

Prototype scope:

• ✅ Core feature working
• ✅ Visual interface (if UI feature)
• ✅ Basic validation
• ✅ Happy path functional
• ❌ Error handling (minimal)
• ❌ Edge cases (skip for speed)
• ❌ Styling polish (functional only)
• ❌ Optimization (prototype first)

Example: Auth prototype scope

✅ Include:
- Login form
- Token storage in localStorage
- Protected route example
- Basic validation

❌ Skip:
- Password hashing (use fake tokens)
- Refresh tokens
- Remember me
- Password reset
- Email verification

4. Generate Prototype

Structure:

prototype-{feature}-{timestamp}/
├── README.md              # How to run
├── package.json           # Dependencies
├── index.html             # Entry point
├── src/
│   ├── App.jsx           # Main component
│   ├── components/       # Feature components
│   └── utils/            # Helper functions
└── server.js             # If backend needed

Example: Auth Prototype

package.json:

{
  "name": "auth-prototype",
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "vite",
    "build": "vite build"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^18.2.0",
    "react-dom": "^18.2.0",
    "react-router-dom": "^6.20.0",
    "zustand": "^4.4.7"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@vitejs/plugin-react": "^4.2.1",
    "vite": "^5.0.8"
  }
}

src/App.jsx:

import { useState } from 'react';
import { BrowserRouter, Routes, Route, Navigate } from 'react-router-dom';
import { useAuthStore } from './store';

function LoginForm() {
  const [email, setEmail] = useState('');
  const [password, setPassword] = useState('');
  const login = useAuthStore(state => state.login);

  const handleSubmit = (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    // Prototype: Accept any credentials
    if (email && password) {
      login({ email, token: 'fake-jwt-token' });
    }
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ maxWidth: 400, margin: '100px auto' }}>
      <h1>Login</h1>
      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
        <input
          type="email"
          value={email}
          onChange={(e) => setEmail(e.target.value)}
          placeholder="Email"
          style={{ display: 'block', width: '100%', margin: '10px 0', padding: 8 }}
        />
        <input
          type="password"
          value={password}
          onChange={(e) => setPassword(e.target.value)}
          placeholder="Password"
          style={{ display: 'block', width: '100%', margin: '10px 0', padding: 8 }}
        />
        <button type="submit" style={{ padding: '10px 20px' }}>
          Login
        </button>
      </form>
    </div>
  );
}

function Dashboard() {
  const { user, logout } = useAuthStore();

  return (
    <div style={{ maxWidth: 800, margin: '50px auto' }}>
      <h1>Dashboard</h1>
      <p>Welcome, {user.email}!</p>
      <p>Token: {user.token}</p>
      <button onClick={logout} style={{ padding: '10px 20px' }}>
        Logout
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

function ProtectedRoute({ children }) {
  const isAuthenticated = useAuthStore(state => state.isAuthenticated);
  return isAuthenticated ? children : <Navigate to="/login" />;
}

export default function App() {
  return (
    <BrowserRouter>
      <Routes>
        <Route path="/login" element={<LoginForm />} />
        <Route
          path="/dashboard"
          element={
            <ProtectedRoute>
              <Dashboard />
            </ProtectedRoute>
          }
        />
        <Route path="/" element={<Navigate to="/dashboard" />} />
      </Routes>
    </BrowserRouter>
  );
}

src/store.js:

import { create } from 'zustand';
import { persist } from 'zustand/middleware';

export const useAuthStore = create(
  persist(
    (set) => ({
      user: null,
      isAuthenticated: false,
      login: (user) => set({ user, isAuthenticated: true }),
      logout: () => set({ user: null, isAuthenticated: false }),
    }),
    {
      name: 'auth-storage',
    }
  )
);

README.md:

# Auth Prototype

Quick prototype to validate JWT authentication flow.

## Run

npm install npm run dev

Open http://localhost:5173

## Test

1. Go to /login
2. Enter any email and password
3. Click Login
4. Should redirect to /dashboard
5. Refresh page - should stay logged in
6. Click Logout - should return to /login

## Notes

- Uses fake tokens (no real JWT validation)
- No password hashing
- Minimal styling
- No error handling

## Next Steps if Validated

1. Implement real JWT signing/verification
2. Add password hashing with bcrypt
3. Add proper error handling
4. Add refresh token flow
5. Add validation and security measures

5. Save to Artifacts

# Save complete prototype
# Linux/macOS: ~/.claude-artifacts/prototypes/auth-{timestamp}/
# Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.claude-artifacts\prototypes\auth-{timestamp}\
~/.claude-artifacts/prototypes/auth-{timestamp}/

6. Present to User

✅ Auth prototype ready!

📁 Location (Linux/macOS): ~/.claude-artifacts/prototypes/auth-20251017/
📁 Location (Windows): %USERPROFILE%\.claude-artifacts\prototypes\auth-20251017\

🚀 To run:
cd ~/.claude-artifacts/prototypes/auth-20251017
# Windows: cd %USERPROFILE%\.claude-artifacts\prototypes\auth-20251017
npm install
npm run dev

🎯 Test flow:
1. Visit http://localhost:5173/login
2. Enter any email/password
3. Click Login → Redirects to Dashboard
4. Refresh → Stays logged in
5. Click Logout → Returns to Login

✅ Validates:
- JWT token flow works
- Protected routes work
- State persistence works
- React Router integration works

❌ Not included (yet):
- Real JWT validation
- Password hashing
- Error handling
- Production security

**Does this validate what you needed?**
- If yes: I'll build production version
- If no: What needs adjusting?

Prototype Templates

Single-File HTML App

For quick UI demos:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Prototype</title>
  <script src="https://unpkg.com/vue@3"></script>
  <style>
    body { font-family: sans-serif; max-width: 800px; margin: 50px auto; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div id="app">
    <h1>{{ title }}</h1>
    <button @click="count++">Count: {{ count }}</button>
  </div>

  <script>
    const { createApp } = Vue;
    createApp({
      data() {
        return {
          title: 'Quick Prototype',
          count: 0
        }
      }
    }).mount('#app');
  </script>
</body>
</