Probe and PoC — Full Decision Flow

Searchable keywords: probe, PoC, proof of concept, scratchWorkspace, pocWorkspace, disableProbeClasses, SAP namespace, customer namespace, throwaway class

Probe vs PoC — Key Difference

	Probe	PoC
Intent	Throwaway — run once to test something	Validate an idea — may persist, needs proper home
Naming	Auto-derived (ZCL_{USER}_*)	Developer chooses a meaningful name
Location	scratchWorkspace (separate repo)	pocWorkspace (separate repo, manually set up)
Config	scratchWorkspace in .abapGitAgent	pocWorkspace in .abapGitAgent

Both always use Z*/Y* prefix and a customer namespace package (Z*, Y*, $*). Never use SAP namespace prefix or SAP-delivered package for probe/PoC objects.

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How to Determine the Project Namespace

Before applying the decision flow, determine the project namespace from objects.local.md:

objects.local.md shows Z*/Y* prefix  OR  no objects.local.md exists
  → Customer namespace project

objects.local.md shows CL_*, IF_*, /NAMESPACE/* prefix
  → SAP namespace project

---

Full Decision Flow

User asks to create an object
│
├── SAP namespace project AND user provides a Z*/Y* name
│   └── Ask: "Production objects here use CL_* prefix. Did you mean CL_MY_HELPER?
│           Or is this a PoC/probe object?"
│       ├── "PoC/probe"   →  continue as PoC or probe flow below
│       └── "Production"  →  correct the name to match project prefix, then proceed
│
├── User confirms PROBE
│   ├── Customer namespace project
│   │   ├── disableProbeClasses = false / not set
│   │   │   └── Create in current project (Z*/Y* prefix, Z*/Y*/$* package)
│   │   └── disableProbeClasses = true
│   │       ├── scratchWorkspace configured  →  create there (see workflow below)
│   │       └── scratchWorkspace NOT configured
│   │           └── STOP — tell user to configure scratchWorkspace in .abapGitAgent
│   │
│   └── SAP namespace project
│       ├── scratchWorkspace configured  →  create there (see workflow below)
│       └── scratchWorkspace NOT configured
│           └── STOP — tell user to configure scratchWorkspace in .abapGitAgent
│           (disableProbeClasses is irrelevant for SAP namespace projects —
│            they have no customer namespace packages to host probes)
│
└── User confirms POC
    ├── pocWorkspace.path configured in .abapGitAgent
    │   └── Read {pocWorkspace.path}/.abapGitAgent → get package property
    │       Show confirmation:
    │         "I'll create this PoC object in:
    │            Repo:    {pocWorkspace.path}
    │            Package: {package from that repo's .abapGitAgent}
    │          Is this correct, or do you want a different PoC repo?"
    │       ├── Confirmed        →  work in that repo using its naming/package rules
    │       └── Different repo   →  ask user for the path, then confirm again
    └── pocWorkspace.path NOT configured
        └── STOP — tell user to set up a PoC repo first (see setup below)

---

Probe Workflow (scratchWorkspace)

Naming — derive from scratchWorkspace config in .abapGitAgent:

• classPrefix (default: ZCL_{USER}_) + <PURPOSE>, max 30 chars
• Example: user=JOHN, purpose=OPEN_TRANSPORTS → ZCL_JOHN_OPEN_TRANSPORTS
• If name already exists in {path}/src/, append _2, _3, etc.

Workflow:

1. Read {scratchWorkspace.path}/.abapGitAgent to confirm folder property (e.g. /src/)
2. Write class files in {path}/src/
3. Commit and push from {path}:

   cd {path} && git add . && git commit -m "probe: <description>" && git push
   

4. Activate:

   cd {path} && abapgit-agent pull --files src/<classname>.clas.abap
   

5. Tell user (do NOT auto-run):

   Class activated. Run with: abapgit-agent run --class <CLASSNAME>
   

   Run the command from the original project directory, not {path}.

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PoC Workflow (pocWorkspace)

Once the user confirms the repo and package:

1. Read {pocWorkspace.path}/.abapGitAgent → get folder and package
2. Read {pocWorkspace.path}/guidelines/objects.local.md if it exists → use its naming rules
3. Write object files in {pocWorkspace.path}/{folder}/
4. Commit and push from {pocWorkspace.path}:

   cd {pocWorkspace.path} && git add . && git commit -m "poc: <description>" && git push
   

5. Activate:

   cd {pocWorkspace.path} && abapgit-agent pull --files {folder}/<name>.<ext> --sync-xml
   

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PoC Repo Setup (one-time, manual)

When pocWorkspace.path is not configured, tell the user to:

1. Create a git repo for the PoC:
     mkdir my-poc && cd my-poc && git init && git remote add origin <url>

2. Link it to an ABAP package:
     abapgit-agent init --package <POC_PACKAGE>

3. Add pocWorkspace to .abapGitAgent in the main project:
     "pocWorkspace": { "path": "/absolute/path/to/my-poc" }

Switching PoCs: update pocWorkspace.path to point to the new PoC repo. Claude always shows the current repo and package before creating anything — a stale path is caught before any files are written.