diff --git a/packages/freesewing.lab/page-templates/workbench.js b/packages/freesewing.lab/page-templates/workbench.js
index 575eff69926..b62ffd34aec 100644
--- a/packages/freesewing.lab/page-templates/workbench.js
+++ b/packages/freesewing.lab/page-templates/workbench.js
@@ -1,13 +1,16 @@
 import Page from 'shared/components/wrappers/page.js'
 import useApp from 'site/hooks/useApp.js'
 import WorkbenchWrapper from 'shared/components/wrappers/workbench.js'
+import { useRouter } from 'next/router'
 
 const WorkbenchPage = ({ pattern }) => {
   const app = useApp()
+  const router = useRouter()
+  const { preload, from } = router.query
 
   return (
     <Page app={app} noLayout>
-      <WorkbenchWrapper app={app} pattern={pattern} />
+      <WorkbenchWrapper {...{ app, pattern, preload, from }} />
     </Page>
   )
 }
diff --git a/packages/freesewing.shared/components/workbench/preload.js b/packages/freesewing.shared/components/workbench/preload.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b6108397087
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/freesewing.shared/components/workbench/preload.js
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import yaml from 'js-yaml'
+import axios from 'axios'
+
+const preload = {
+  github: async (id, pattern) => {
+    let result
+    try {
+      result = await axios.get(`https://api.github.com/gists/${id}`)
+    }
+    catch (err) {
+      console.log(err)
+      return [false, 'An unexpected error occured']
+    }
+
+    if (result.data.files['pattern.yaml'].content) {
+      let g = yaml.load(result.data.files['pattern.yaml'].content)
+      if (g.design !== pattern.config.name) return [
+        false, `You tried loading a configuration for ${g.design} into a ${design} development environment`
+      ]
+
+      return g
+    }
+    else return [false, 'This gist does not seem to be a valid pattern configuration']
+  }
+}
+
+export default preload
+
diff --git a/packages/freesewing.shared/components/wrappers/workbench.js b/packages/freesewing.shared/components/wrappers/workbench.js
index 9c2cb7a7414..0bc2b470180 100644
--- a/packages/freesewing.shared/components/wrappers/workbench.js
+++ b/packages/freesewing.shared/components/wrappers/workbench.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import unset from 'lodash.unset'
 import defaultSettings from 'shared/components/workbench/default-settings.js'
 import DraftError from 'shared/components/workbench/draft/error.js'
 import theme from 'pkgs/plugin-theme/src/index.js'
+import preloaders from 'shared/components/workbench/preload.js'
 
 // Views
 import Measurements from 'shared/components/workbench/measurements/index.js'
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ const hasRequiredMeasurements = (pattern, gist) => {
  * keeping the gist state, which will trickly down
  * to all workbench subcomponents
  */
-const WorkbenchWrapper = ({ app, pattern }) => {
+const WorkbenchWrapper = ({ app, pattern, preload=false, from=false }) => {
 
   // State for gist
   const [gist, setGist] = useLocalStorage(`${pattern.config.name}_gist`, defaultGist(pattern, app.locale))
@@ -71,6 +72,14 @@ const WorkbenchWrapper = ({ app, pattern }) => {
     ) updateGist(['_state', 'view'], 'measurements')
   })
 
+  // If we need to preload the gist, do so
+  useEffect(async () => {
+    if (preload && from && preloaders[from]) {
+      const g = await preloaders[from](preload, pattern)
+      // FIXME: Continue here
+    }
+  }, [preload, from])
+
   // Helper methods to manage the gist state
   const updateGist = (path, content) => {
     const newGist = {...gist}