Developing

This project can run fully in local dev without setting up PostgreSQL manually.

Deployment Modes

For mode definitions and intended CLI behavior, see doc/DEPLOYMENT-MODES.md.

Current implementation status:

canonical model: local_trusted and authenticated (with private/public exposure)

Prerequisites

Node.js 20+
pnpm 9+

Dependency Lockfile Policy

GitHub Actions owns pnpm-lock.yaml.

Do not commit pnpm-lock.yaml in pull requests.
Pull request CI validates dependency resolution when manifests change.
Pushes to master regenerate pnpm-lock.yaml with pnpm install --lockfile-only --no-frozen-lockfile, commit it back if needed, and then run verification with --frozen-lockfile.

Start Dev

From repo root:

pnpm install
pnpm dev

This starts:

API server: http://localhost:3100
UI: served by the API server in dev middleware mode (same origin as API)

pnpm dev runs the server in watch mode and restarts on changes from workspace packages (including adapter packages). Use pnpm dev:once to run without file watching.

pnpm dev:once auto-applies pending local migrations by default before starting the dev server.

pnpm dev and pnpm dev:once are now idempotent for the current repo and instance: if the matching Paperclip dev runner is already alive, Paperclip reports the existing process instead of starting a duplicate.

Inspect or stop the current repo's managed dev runner:

pnpm dev:list
pnpm dev:stop

pnpm dev:once now tracks backend-relevant file changes and pending migrations. When the current boot is stale, the board UI shows a Restart required banner. You can also enable guarded auto-restart in Instance Settings > Experimental, which waits for queued/running local agent runs to finish before restarting the dev server.

Tailscale/private-auth dev mode:

pnpm dev --tailscale-auth

This runs dev as authenticated/private and binds the server to 0.0.0.0 for private-network access.

Allow additional private hostnames (for example custom Tailscale hostnames):

pnpm paperclipai allowed-hostname dotta-macbook-pro

One-Command Local Run

For a first-time local install, you can bootstrap and run in one command:

pnpm paperclipai run

paperclipai run does:

auto-onboard if config is missing
paperclipai doctor with repair enabled
starts the server when checks pass

Docker Quickstart (No local Node install)

Build and run Paperclip in Docker:

docker build -t paperclip-local .
docker run --name paperclip \
  -p 3100:3100 \
  -e HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e PAPERCLIP_HOME=/paperclip \
  -v "$(pwd)/data/docker-paperclip:/paperclip" \
  paperclip-local

Or use Compose:

docker compose -f docker-compose.quickstart.yml up --build

See doc/DOCKER.md for API key wiring (OPENAI_API_KEY / ANTHROPIC_API_KEY) and persistence details.

Docker For Untrusted PR Review

For a separate review-oriented container that keeps codex/claude login state in Docker volumes and checks out PRs into an isolated scratch workspace, see doc/UNTRUSTED-PR-REVIEW.md.

Database in Dev (Auto-Handled)

For local development, leave DATABASE_URL unset. The server will automatically use embedded PostgreSQL and persist data at:

~/.paperclip/instances/default/db

Override home and instance:

PAPERCLIP_HOME=/custom/path PAPERCLIP_INSTANCE_ID=dev pnpm paperclipai run

No Docker or external database is required for this mode.

Storage in Dev (Auto-Handled)

For local development, the default storage provider is local_disk, which persists uploaded images/attachments at:

~/.paperclip/instances/default/data/storage

Configure storage provider/settings:

pnpm paperclipai configure --section storage

Default Agent Workspaces

When a local agent run has no resolved project/session workspace, Paperclip falls back to an agent home workspace under the instance root:

~/.paperclip/instances/default/workspaces/<agent-id>

This path honors PAPERCLIP_HOME and PAPERCLIP_INSTANCE_ID in non-default setups.

For codex_local, Paperclip also manages a per-company Codex home under the instance root and seeds it from the shared Codex login/config home ($CODEX_HOME or ~/.codex):

~/.paperclip/instances/default/companies/<company-id>/codex-home

If the codex CLI is not installed or not on PATH, codex_local agent runs fail at execution time with a clear adapter error. Quota polling uses a short-lived codex app-server subprocess: when codex cannot be spawned, that provider reports ok: false in aggregated quota results and the API server keeps running (it must not exit on a missing binary).

Worktree-local Instances

When developing from multiple git worktrees, do not point two Paperclip servers at the same embedded PostgreSQL data directory.

Instead, create a repo-local Paperclip config plus an isolated instance for the worktree:

paperclipai worktree init
# or create the git worktree and initialize it in one step:
pnpm paperclipai worktree:make paperclip-pr-432

This command:

writes repo-local files at .paperclip/config.json and .paperclip/.env
creates an isolated instance under ~/.paperclip-worktrees/instances/<worktree-id>/
when run inside a linked git worktree, mirrors the effective git hooks into that worktree's private git dir
picks a free app port and embedded PostgreSQL port
by default seeds the isolated DB in minimal mode from the current effective Paperclip instance/config (repo-local worktree config when present, otherwise the default instance) via a logical SQL snapshot

Seed modes:

minimal keeps core app state like companies, projects, issues, comments, approvals, and auth state, preserves schema for all tables, but omits row data from heavy operational history such as heartbeat runs, wake requests, activity logs, runtime services, and agent session state
full makes a full logical clone of the source instance
--no-seed creates an empty isolated instance

After worktree init, both the server and the CLI auto-load the repo-local .paperclip/.env when run inside that worktree, so normal commands like pnpm dev, paperclipai doctor, and paperclipai db:backup stay scoped to the worktree instance.

That repo-local env also sets:

PAPERCLIP_IN_WORKTREE=true
PAPERCLIP_WORKTREE_NAME=<worktree-name>
PAPERCLIP_WORKTREE_COLOR=<hex-color>

The server/UI use those values for worktree-specific branding such as the top banner and dynamically colored favicon.

Print shell exports explicitly when needed:

paperclipai worktree env
# or:
eval "$(paperclipai worktree env)"

Worktree CLI Reference

pnpm paperclipai worktree init [options] — Create repo-local config/env and an isolated instance for the current worktree.

Option	Description
`--name <name>`	Display name used to derive the instance id
`--instance <id>`	Explicit isolated instance id
`--home <path>`	Home root for worktree instances (default: `~/.paperclip-worktrees`)
`--from-config <path>`	Source config.json to seed from
`--from-data-dir <path>`	Source PAPERCLIP_HOME used when deriving the source config
`--from-instance <id>`	Source instance id (default: `default`)
`--server-port <port>`	Preferred server port
`--db-port <port>`	Preferred embedded Postgres port
`--seed-mode <mode>`	Seed profile: `minimal` or `full` (default: `minimal`)
`--no-seed`	Skip database seeding from the source instance
`--force`	Replace existing repo-local config and isolated instance data

Examples:

paperclipai worktree init --no-seed
paperclipai worktree init --seed-mode full
paperclipai worktree init --from-instance default
paperclipai worktree init --from-data-dir ~/.paperclip
paperclipai worktree init --force

Repair an already-created repo-managed worktree and reseed its isolated instance from the main default install:

cd ~/.paperclip/worktrees/PAP-884-ai-commits-component
pnpm paperclipai worktree init --force --seed-mode minimal \
  --name PAP-884-ai-commits-component \
  --from-config ~/.paperclip/instances/default/config.json

That rewrites the worktree-local .paperclip/config.json + .paperclip/.env, recreates the isolated instance under ~/.paperclip-worktrees/instances/<worktree-id>/, and preserves the git worktree contents themselves.

pnpm paperclipai worktree:make <name> [options] — Create ~/NAME as a git worktree, then initialize an isolated Paperclip instance inside it. This combines git worktree add with worktree init in a single step.

Option	Description
`--start-point <ref>`	Remote ref to base the new branch on (e.g. `origin/main`)
`--instance <id>`	Explicit isolated instance id
`--home <path>`	Home root for worktree instances (default: `~/.paperclip-worktrees`)
`--from-config <path>`	Source config.json to seed from
`--from-data-dir <path>`	Source PAPERCLIP_HOME used when deriving the source config
`--from-instance <id>`	Source instance id (default: `default`)
`--server-port <port>`	Preferred server port
`--db-port <port>`	Preferred embedded Postgres port
`--seed-mode <mode>`	Seed profile: `minimal` or `full` (default: `minimal`)
`--no-seed`	Skip database seeding from the source instance
`--force`	Replace existing repo-local config and isolated instance data

Examples:

pnpm paperclipai worktree:make paperclip-pr-432
pnpm paperclipai worktree:make my-feature --start-point origin/main
pnpm paperclipai worktree:make experiment --no-seed

pnpm paperclipai worktree env [options] — Print shell exports for the current worktree-local Paperclip instance.

Option	Description
`-c, --config <path>`	Path to config file
`--json`	Print JSON instead of shell exports

Examples:

pnpm paperclipai worktree env
pnpm paperclipai worktree env --json
eval "$(pnpm paperclipai worktree env)"

For project execution worktrees, Paperclip can also run a project-defined provision command after it creates or reuses an isolated git worktree. Configure this on the project's execution workspace policy (workspaceStrategy.provisionCommand). The command runs inside the derived worktree and receives PAPERCLIP_WORKSPACE_*, PAPERCLIP_PROJECT_ID, PAPERCLIP_AGENT_ID, and PAPERCLIP_ISSUE_* environment variables so each repo can bootstrap itself however it wants.

Quick Health Checks

In another terminal:

curl http://localhost:3100/api/health
curl http://localhost:3100/api/companies

Expected:

/api/health returns {"status":"ok"}
/api/companies returns a JSON array

Reset Local Dev Database

To wipe local dev data and start fresh:

rm -rf ~/.paperclip/instances/default/db
pnpm dev

Optional: Use External Postgres

If you set DATABASE_URL, the server will use that instead of embedded PostgreSQL.

Automatic DB Backups

Paperclip can run automatic DB backups on a timer. Defaults:

enabled
every 60 minutes
retain 30 days
backup dir: ~/.paperclip/instances/default/data/backups

Configure these in:

pnpm paperclipai configure --section database

Run a one-off backup manually:

pnpm paperclipai db:backup
# or:
pnpm db:backup

Environment overrides:

PAPERCLIP_DB_BACKUP_ENABLED=true|false
PAPERCLIP_DB_BACKUP_INTERVAL_MINUTES=<minutes>
PAPERCLIP_DB_BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS=<days>
PAPERCLIP_DB_BACKUP_DIR=/absolute/or/~/path

Secrets in Dev

Agent env vars now support secret references. By default, secret values are stored with local encryption and only secret refs are persisted in agent config.

Default local key path: ~/.paperclip/instances/default/secrets/master.key
Override key material directly: PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_MASTER_KEY
Override key file path: PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_MASTER_KEY_FILE

Strict mode (recommended outside local trusted machines):

PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_STRICT_MODE=true

When strict mode is enabled, sensitive env keys (for example *_API_KEY, *_TOKEN, *_SECRET) must use secret references instead of inline plain values.

CLI configuration support:

pnpm paperclipai onboard writes a default secrets config section (local_encrypted, strict mode off, key file path set) and creates a local key file when needed.
pnpm paperclipai configure --section secrets lets you update provider/strict mode/key path and creates the local key file when needed.
pnpm paperclipai doctor validates secrets adapter configuration and can create a missing local key file with --repair.

Migration helper for existing inline env secrets:

pnpm secrets:migrate-inline-env         # dry run
pnpm secrets:migrate-inline-env --apply # apply migration

Company Deletion Toggle

Company deletion is intended as a dev/debug capability and can be disabled at runtime:

PAPERCLIP_ENABLE_COMPANY_DELETION=false

Default behavior:

local_trusted: enabled
authenticated: disabled

CLI Client Operations

Paperclip CLI now includes client-side control-plane commands in addition to setup commands.

Quick examples:

pnpm paperclipai issue list --company-id <company-id>
pnpm paperclipai issue create --company-id <company-id> --title "Investigate checkout conflict"
pnpm paperclipai issue update <issue-id> --status in_progress --comment "Started triage"

Set defaults once with context profiles:

pnpm paperclipai context set --api-base http://localhost:3100 --company-id <company-id>

Then run commands without repeating flags:

pnpm paperclipai issue list
pnpm paperclipai dashboard get

See full command reference in doc/CLI.md.

OpenClaw Invite Onboarding Endpoints

Agent-oriented invite onboarding now exposes machine-readable API docs:

GET /api/invites/:token returns invite summary plus onboarding and skills index links.
GET /api/invites/:token/onboarding returns onboarding manifest details (registration endpoint, claim endpoint template, skill install hints).
GET /api/invites/:token/onboarding.txt returns a plain-text onboarding doc intended for both human operators and agents (llm.txt-style handoff), including optional inviter message and suggested network host candidates.
GET /api/skills/index lists available skill documents.
GET /api/skills/paperclip returns the Paperclip heartbeat skill markdown.

OpenClaw Join Smoke Test

Run the end-to-end OpenClaw join smoke harness:

pnpm smoke:openclaw-join

What it validates:

invite creation for agent-only join
agent join request using adapterType=openclaw
board approval + one-time API key claim semantics
callback delivery on wakeup to a dockerized OpenClaw-style webhook receiver

Required permissions:

This script performs board-governed actions (create invite, approve join, wakeup another agent).
In authenticated mode, run with board auth via PAPERCLIP_AUTH_HEADER or PAPERCLIP_COOKIE.

Optional auth flags (for authenticated mode):

PAPERCLIP_AUTH_HEADER (for example Bearer ...)
PAPERCLIP_COOKIE (session cookie header value)

OpenClaw Docker UI One-Command Script

To boot OpenClaw in Docker and print a host-browser dashboard URL in one command:

pnpm smoke:openclaw-docker-ui

This script lives at scripts/smoke/openclaw-docker-ui.sh and automates clone/build/config/start for Compose-based local OpenClaw UI testing.

Pairing behavior for this smoke script:

default OPENCLAW_DISABLE_DEVICE_AUTH=1 (no Control UI pairing prompt for local smoke; no extra pairing env vars required)
set OPENCLAW_DISABLE_DEVICE_AUTH=0 to require standard device pairing

Model behavior for this smoke script:

defaults to OpenAI models (openai/gpt-5.2 + OpenAI fallback) so it does not require Anthropic auth by default

State behavior for this smoke script:

defaults to isolated config dir ~/.openclaw-paperclip-smoke
resets smoke agent state each run by default (OPENCLAW_RESET_STATE=1) to avoid stale provider/auth drift

Networking behavior for this smoke script:

auto-detects and prints a Paperclip host URL reachable from inside OpenClaw Docker
default container-side host alias is host.docker.internal (override with PAPERCLIP_HOST_FROM_CONTAINER / PAPERCLIP_HOST_PORT)
if Paperclip rejects container hostnames in authenticated/private mode, allow host.docker.internal via pnpm paperclipai allowed-hostname host.docker.internal and restart Paperclip

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Developing

Deployment Modes

Prerequisites

Dependency Lockfile Policy

Start Dev

One-Command Local Run

Docker Quickstart (No local Node install)

Docker For Untrusted PR Review

Database in Dev (Auto-Handled)

Storage in Dev (Auto-Handled)

Default Agent Workspaces

Worktree-local Instances

Worktree CLI Reference

Quick Health Checks

Reset Local Dev Database

Optional: Use External Postgres

Automatic DB Backups

Secrets in Dev

Company Deletion Toggle

CLI Client Operations

OpenClaw Invite Onboarding Endpoints

OpenClaw Join Smoke Test

OpenClaw Docker UI One-Command Script

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DEVELOPING.md

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DEVELOPING.md

File metadata and controls

Developing

Deployment Modes

Prerequisites

Dependency Lockfile Policy

Start Dev

One-Command Local Run

Docker Quickstart (No local Node install)

Docker For Untrusted PR Review

Database in Dev (Auto-Handled)

Storage in Dev (Auto-Handled)

Default Agent Workspaces

Worktree-local Instances

Worktree CLI Reference

Quick Health Checks

Reset Local Dev Database

Optional: Use External Postgres

Automatic DB Backups

Secrets in Dev

Company Deletion Toggle

CLI Client Operations

OpenClaw Invite Onboarding Endpoints

OpenClaw Join Smoke Test

OpenClaw Docker UI One-Command Script