Prototype Contribution Paths
Choose a spec-first workflow for maintaining, projecting, or implementing Proto UI Prototypes.
These guides are for contributors preparing to maintain, extend, or review Proto UI Prototypes. They start from the cataloged P-* and T-* graph rather than treating “write a new Prototype” as the default contribution.
Choose a contribution path
Section titled “Choose a contribution path”Maintain an existing Prototype
Section titled “Maintain an existing Prototype”Start from applicable P/T entities, implementation, and public projections. This path covers behavior fixes, regression coverage, docs, demos, and drift reconciliation.
Read Maintaining an Existing Prototype
Project Base into a design language
Section titled “Project Base into a design language”Base already owns the protocol. The derived P adds design-language props, tokens, rules, visual anatomy, and an explicit compatibility boundary. This is the clearest current complete path for Prototype authors.
Read Projecting Base into a Design Language
Implement an approved Base semantic slice
Section titled “Implement an approved Base semantic slice”This is advanced work. Implementation begins only after a maintainer checkpoint approves the independent subject, information paths, negative boundary, public API, P/T graph, and evidence scope.
Read Implementing an Approved Base Semantic Slice
Every new public Prototype must appear on a reachable website page in the same pull request. The demo should consume the real public package export and prefer the Prototype’s own anatomy and triggers. Use minimal, explicitly disclosed external orchestration only when there is no natural trigger or public controls must be demonstrated. See the Prototype Author Checklist for delivery checks.
Before proposing a new Base subject
Section titled “Before proposing a new Base subject”Proto UI does not admit a Base Prototype because a component name is familiar or a styled library wants an inheritance point. A Base subject must own an independent, cross-host, testable input-fact-to-observable-output path with substantive executable evidence.
Conceptual reading sequence
Section titled “Conceptual reading sequence”If you are still deciding what kind of Prototype work you have:
- Read Why You Usually Do Not Need a New Prototype
- Use Writing a Custom Primitive Prototype to understand a leaf authoring entry inside an approved boundary
- Continue to Writing a Compound Prototype when the approved subject is a family
- For presentation and compatibility deltas, read Building a Styled Library on Top of Base
- Follow How to Read Reference Implementations from P/T entities into source and public projections
Current boundary
Section titled “Current boundary”These guides do not infer a general Adapter contribution workflow from the incomplete Module, Host Capability, and Adapter-profile catalog. See Adapter Contribution Guide Deferred for that boundary.
Use the Prototype Author Checklist before opening a pull request.