## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work
> - The CLI onboarding wizard's custom-setup path collects server,
database, storage, and secrets configuration through `@clack/prompts`
text prompts, most of which show a sensible default
> - `@clack/prompts` runs each prompt's `validate` callback on the raw
typed value, and only substitutes `defaultValue` after validation passes
— so pressing Enter to accept a shown default hands the validator an
empty string
> - Eleven of the wizard's validators reject the empty string, which
makes their own displayed defaults unacceptable: accepting "Embedded
PostgreSQL port: 54329" fails with "Port must be an integer between 1
and 65535", "Backup directory" fails with "Backup directory is
required", and so on through every prompt in the custom path
> - This pull request makes each affected validator accept empty input
when a default exists, while keeping all real validation for typed input
> - The benefit is that the custom-setup wizard is walkable by pressing
Enter through the defaults, as the UI clearly intends
## Linked Issues or Issue Description
No existing issue. Description follows the bug-report template:
**What happened?**
In `paperclipai onboard` custom setup, pressing Enter to accept a
prompt's displayed default fails validation on eleven prompts. Confirmed
live on the "Embedded PostgreSQL port" prompt (default 54329 → "Port
must be an integer between 1 and 65535") and the "Backup directory"
prompt (populated default path → "Backup directory is required"). The
only way through is to retype every default by hand.
**Expected behavior**
Pressing Enter accepts the displayed default, as in every standard
`@clack/prompts` flow.
**Steps to reproduce**
1. `npx paperclipai onboard` → choose Custom setup.
2. At "Embedded PostgreSQL port", press Enter to accept the shown
default.
3. Validation rejects it. Same for the backup directory, backup
interval/retention, server port, bind host, storage directory, S3
bucket/region, and secrets key-file prompts.
**Paperclip version or commit**
Reproduced on `2026.915.0-canary.11`; the same validators exist in the
latest stable (`v2026.831.1`) — long-standing, not a recent regression.
**Deployment mode**
Any (the bug is in the CLI wizard).
**Installation method**
`npx paperclipai onboard`.
## What Changed
- Audited all 15 `validate:` callbacks across
`cli/src/prompts/{database,server,storage,llm,secrets}.ts`. Eleven
rejected the empty string while displaying a default; two were already
fine (hostname CSV prompts, where empty parses to `[]`); one is an
intentionally required password with no default (left alone); one
(PostgreSQL connection string) and one (public base URL) are
conditionally required — empty now passes only when a saved default
exists, so fresh setups still enforce the field
- Fix pattern: allow empty/undefined input at the top of each affected
validator; every check for non-empty typed input is unchanged. One
deliberate exception: the bind-host validator validates `(val ||
defaultHost)` so accepting the default still runs the loopback safety
check rather than bypassing it
- New `cli/src/__tests__/prompt-default-accept.test.ts` (repo-convention
vitest + clack mock reproducing real submit semantics — validate raw
`""`, then substitute the default): drives the four prompt modules
end-to-end and unit-exercises each captured validator (empty accepted,
garbage still rejected, required-when-fresh still rejected)
## Verification
- `pnpm exec vitest run src/__tests__/prompt-default-accept.test.ts` in
`cli/`: 13/13 pass; with the prompt fixes stashed: 12/13 fail — the
suite reproduces the bug
- Full cli suite: 483 passed; 15 failures are pre-existing/environmental
on the clean tree too (macOS `/var` realpath mismatch in
`worktree.test.ts`, one parallel-run flake that passes in isolation)
- `pnpm run typecheck` in `cli/`: zero errors in `cli/src` (the 228
pre-existing errors in `../server/src` from missing prebuilt workspace
dist are identical with and without the change)
## Risks
- Low. Typed input validates exactly as before; whitespace-only input is
still rejected (clack substitutes the default only for truly-empty
input). The two conditionally-required prompts still hard-require a
value on fresh setups
- No migrations, no API surface changes; CLI-only
## Model Used
Claude Fable 5 (`claude-fable-5`), extended thinking with tool use
(Claude Code); implementation drafted by a subagent on the same model
and reviewed before commit.
## Checklist
- [x] I have included a thinking path that traces from project context
to this change
- [x] I have specified the model used (with version and capability
details)
- [x] I have checked ROADMAP.md and confirmed this PR does not duplicate
planned core work
- [x] I have searched GitHub for duplicate or related PRs and linked
them above
- [x] I have either (a) linked existing issues with `Fixes: #` / `Closes
#` / `Refs #` OR (b) described the issue in-PR following the relevant
issue template
- [x] I have not referenced internal/instance-local Paperclip issues or
links (only public GitHub `#NNN` / `github.com/paperclipai/paperclip`
URLs)
- [x] My branch name describes the change (e.g. `docs/...`, `fix/...`)
and contains no internal Paperclip ticket id or instance-derived details
- [x] I have run tests locally and they pass
- [x] I have added or updated tests where applicable
- [x] I have updated relevant documentation to reflect my changes
- [x] I have considered and documented any risks above
- [x] All Paperclip CI gates are green
- [x] Greptile is 5/5 with no open P2s, recommendations, or follow-ups
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge
Switch from PGlite (WebAssembly) to embedded-postgres for zero-config
local development — provides a real PostgreSQL server with full
compatibility. Add startup banner with config summary on server boot.
Improve server bootstrap with auto port detection, database creation,
and migration on startup. Update DATABASE.md, DEVELOPING.md, and
SPEC-implementation.md to reflect the change. Update CLI database
check and prompts. Simplify OnboardingWizard database options.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Add cli/ package with initial scaffolding. Add config-schema to shared
package for typed configuration. Add server config-file loader for
paperclip.config.ts support. Register cli in pnpm workspace. Add
.paperclip/ and .pnpm-store/ to gitignore. Minor Companies page fix.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Devin Foley