# Feature Prototype on a Branch, Before You Commit

Source: https://maito.app/workflows/build-a-quick-prototype

Maito builds a quick working version of an idea on a branch, opens a draft pull request and tells you what a proper build would need.

See an idea working on a branch before committing the team to it.

[Product](https://maito.app/workflows/team/product) · [Software](https://maito.app/workflows/industry/software) · When you ask · Updated October 19, 2026

Works with

-   Slack
-   Email

## How do you build a quick prototype?

To build a quick prototype, describe the idea to Maito in Slack. It reads your code, builds a working version on a separate branch, runs your tests, opens a draft pull request, and tells you what the prototype leaves out. You see the idea working before the team commits to it.

## How it's done today

Ideas get debated in docs for weeks.

## What Maito does

1.  Read the idea
2.  Build a rough version on a branch
3.  Share a preview and a video

## Example

**Leo** (11:40 AM):

Prototype a dark mode toggle in settings.

**Maito** (12:06 PM):

Prototype is on branch prototype/dark-mode-toggle, draft PR #482. Not merged.

• Settings > Appearance has Light, Dark and System  
• The choice is saved and applied before first paint, so there is no white flash  
• 41 lines changed across 3 files; the 212 existing tests still pass

**The catch:** 14 components use hardcoded colors (#fff, #1a1a1a), mostly the billing page and chart legends. They stay light in dark mode, which makes the billing page look broken. A proper build needs a pass over those.

I opened the preview in a browser and recorded it. Attached: dark-mode-demo.mp4 (28 seconds).

Whether to build it properly is the team's call.

**Alex** (12:15 PM):

Fix the billing page on the same branch so we can see it end to end.

**Maito** (12:31 PM):

Done. Billing now follows the toggle, 6 colors moved to theme variables. New video attached: dark-mode-billing.mp4.

## How to set it up

When you ask Build a quick prototype

Set up

Nothing to set up. Ask in Slack or by email whenever you need it.

## What it won't do

A prototype shows that an idea can work, not that it is ready to ship. Design polish, edge cases and rollout are for a real build.

## Questions

### Does the prototype get merged?

No. It stays on a branch as a draft pull request until your team decides.

### Does it run our tests?

Yes. It runs your existing tests and reports whether they still pass.

### Is the prototype production code?

No. It shows the idea working, and the reply lists what a proper build still needs.

## More product workflows

-   [Answer "what happens if we change X?" Know what a change would touch before you put it on the roadmap. Product · When you ask Works with Slack, Email.](https://maito.app/workflows/answer-what-happens-if-we-change-x)
-   [Write a spec with the edge cases Turn a feature idea into a spec that includes the cases the code already handles. Product · When you ask Works with Notion, Confluence.](https://maito.app/workflows/write-a-spec-with-the-edge-cases)
-   [Group user feedback into themes See what users ask for most, with counts and quotes. Product · On a schedule Works with Intercom, Pylon, Granola, Fireflies, SurveyMonkey.](https://maito.app/workflows/group-user-feedback-into-themes)
-   [Investigate a drop in a metric When sign-ups or activation drop, get a first answer on why. Product · When you ask Works with Amplitude, Mixpanel, Datadog, Sentry.](https://maito.app/workflows/investigate-a-drop-in-a-metric)
-   [Write release notes customers will read Turn the engineering changelog into plain notes for customers. Product · When something happens Works with Slack, Email.](https://maito.app/workflows/write-release-notes-customers-will-read)
-   [Prep for a customer interview Know the customer's usage and history before the interview. Product · When you ask Works with Amplitude, Mixpanel, Intercom, Pylon, HubSpot, Salesforce.](https://maito.app/workflows/prep-for-a-customer-interview)

[See all workflows](https://maito.app/workflows)

## Put your AI teammate to work.

Set it up in minutes. Start with this one, and let it earn the next one.

[Put Maito to work](https://maito.app/login?returnTo=%2Fworkflows%2Fbuild-a-quick-prototype)[Book a demo](mailto:support@maito.app?subject=Maito%20demo)