When to use it
Prototype starts with the relevant contracts, launches the application, and makes small changes that you review manually.
/cg-prototype
Improve the dashboard layout and interactions. Launch the application
and iterate with me until the experience is right.Give feedback normally. Within the agreed scope, the agent continues in the same working context. It defers application test authoring, test suites, and browser regression testing. It still runs what is needed to present the preview, keeps contracts truthful, and preserves binding detectors.
If an iteration changes contract YAML, the agent runs cg verify in that iteration. Graph verification does not prove that the application behaves correctly.
What remains on disk
The programme roadmap records your objective, scope, launch instructions, cumulative changes, feedback, reviewed conditions, and known gaps. A separate durable record under .agents/cg/prototypes/ records lifecycle state and source snapshots. It survives plan cleanup; it is evidence about delivery, not the authority for a contract rule. A later session can recover the work without the previous conversation.
You can explore the next prototype while an accepted programme goes through delivery. Keep a separate programme record and roadmap for each.
Review and acceptance
Silence does not approve a prototype. You review the experience; the agent records that review against a source snapshot. Changed reviewed inputs before handoff require affected review.
Acceptance is about the working experience. It does not prove production readiness, and it does not close the initiative.
Hand-off into delivery
A handed-off prototype enters prepare directly. Preparation uses the prototype code that already exists, including relevant uncommitted files. It assigns incomplete behavior, integration gaps, and deferred tests to ordinary delivery Steps. It does not assume the prototype is green or rebuild it by default.
To finish a selected prototype’s remaining production work, use /cg-sign-off and name the programme. A bare “sign this off” during iteration grants completion intent only; the agent still asks for acceptance of the whole prototype. You do not need to invoke each intervening skill yourself.
Visible changes to the accepted experience return for affected human acceptance. Tests and internal repairs that preserve it do not require repeating the entire prototype review. Closing a prototype does not merge code.
States
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Iterating | The agent is implementing feedback. |
| Awaiting review | A source snapshot is ready for your feedback. |
| Approved | The reviewed experience is accepted; delivery is unfinished. |
| Handed off | The accepted roadmap and implementation have entered normal delivery. |
| Suspended / Abandoned | Work is retained; neither state grants merge eligibility. |
| Closed | Final sign-off recorded a successful delivery command for the resulting source. |
You can keep a prototype indefinitely. Abandonment does not delete code. Resuming exploration clears previous acceptance and closure evidence.
Merge protection
Draft PRs and prototype labels make unfinished work visible. They do not enforce completion. Repositories can adopt a required delivery-readiness check alongside their normal CI and reviews:
cg delivery verify --base origin/main --gate "npm test && cg verify"This protects against accidental premature completion, stale receipts, and simple marker removal. It is not an adversarial security boundary or a substitute for CI and required review.