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PaperClipAI/doc
DottaandPaperclip 023f4a5d0c fix: preserve repository cache negotiation refs (#16687)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip manages agent work and its execution environments.
> - A fresh repository task needs an independent checkout before its
runner can start.
> - The object cache from #16487 should reduce repeated network
transfer.
> - The cache kept Git objects but dropped remote-tracking refs during
its bare clone.
> - Git needs those tips to negotiate which objects it already has.
> - This pull request preserves the tips in a versioned mirror cache and
records explicit cache outcomes.
> - The benefit is less repeated transfer and clearer evidence when a
cache does not help.

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

Refs #16487 and #16454. No duplicate cache-negotiation fix was found in
the public PR search.

**What happened?**

A valid object cache could make a fresh clone slower. A controlled
staging probe took 45.87 seconds and received 184.39 MB even though the
reference already held the objects. An earlier probe took 52.33 seconds.
An uncached clone took 20.94 seconds.

`git clone --bare` copied the pristine checkout's objects, local
branches, and tags, but omitted its remote-tracking refs. The source had
about 1,200 remote branches. Git could not use the missing tips to
negotiate those objects.

**Expected behavior**

Keep the pristine reference's negotiation tips. Each task must still
authenticate online, use the current remote refs, and end with
independent Git objects.

**Steps to reproduce**

1. Clone a repository with many remote branches into a fresh checkout.
2. Publish a reference with `git clone --bare --no-hardlinks` from that
checkout.
3. Clone the remote with `--reference-if-able` and `--dissociate`.
4. Compare with a reference that retains the remote-tracking tips. Use
Git Trace2 and count received pack bytes.

**Paperclip version or commit**

The staging runtime was `27ab902d3db2770ada79c9f42a9c06e1d346f34b`, with
Git 2.47.3. The cache implementation was unchanged from #16487.

**Deployment mode**

Docker on a persistent application volume. The probe used the
application file owner and the public Paperclip repository. It did not
start agent tasks or alter the application cache.

## What Changed

- Publish pristine object caches with `--mirror` to retain
remote-tracking tips.
- Put cache format version 2 in the key and receipt. The first checkout
builds a new generation. Existing generations stay under the current
storage limits.
- Keep the existing online authentication, current remote refs,
credential and company isolation, independent objects, quotas, and
fallback behavior.
- Add closed Honeycomb cache outcomes and a boolean that states whether
a reference was supplied to clone.
- Document that a lookup hit or supplied reference does not prove Git
avoided transfer.

## Verification

- Controlled staging component experiment: a disposable reference copy
held exactly the same 210,057 objects as the original. It added 1,187
advertised branch tips whose commits were already in those objects.
- Before: 45.87 seconds and 184.39 MB received, one sample in this
comparison.
- After: 12.20 and 14.58 seconds; median 13.39 seconds. Received pack
sizes were 1.99 and 1.95 MB.
- All comparison clones used the same current remote HEAD and ended
without an alternates file.
- The remaining repack took 9.72–9.81 seconds. Checkout file writing
took 0.86–0.96 seconds.
- The staging experiment restored tips on a disposable cache copy. It
did not deploy this patch or measure complete agent latency.
- Confirmed both staging scratch locations were empty afterward. The
original cache timestamps stayed unchanged. The temporary operator SSH
key was revoked and its local files removed.
- TypeScript 5.9.3 transpilation reported zero syntax diagnostics across
the four changed TypeScript files. `git diff --check` passed.
- The new negotiation regression fails with the old `--bare` publisher
and passes with the mirror publisher.
- Focused Vitest suites: 26 tests passed across repository-object-cache
and execution-preparation-timing. These cover independent objects,
current refs, unavailable/revoked remotes, scope separation, invalid
storage, tracing isolation, and endpoint-off behavior.
- The first full focused run passed 24 tests but failed its existing
localhost HTTP fixture because the sandbox denied `listen` on
`127.0.0.1`. The rerun with local loopback permission passed all 26
tests.
- Server semantic typechecking passed with `tsc -p server/tsconfig.json
--noEmit` after building the required workspace declarations. Initial
attempts lacked generated dependency outputs; the completed dependency
build and rerun passed.
- A full application build was not run locally. CI passed: 55 checks
passed and two optional checks were skipped. Greptile is 5/5 on the
current head, with both findings resolved.

## Risks

- Version 2 causes one cold cache rebuild. Old cache generations retain
their disk usage, and the existing quota can prevent publication.
- A cache still needs a full repack to produce an independent task
checkout. This PR does not remove that cost.
- The component experiment establishes the negotiation effect on
staging. It does not establish an end-to-end agent speedup or the
under-30-second goal.
- The new trace fields remain behind the existing OTLP gate. Their
values are closed enums or a boolean. They export no refs, paths, URLs,
cache keys, credentials, or error text.

## Model Used

OpenAI Codex, GPT-6 family, with code and tool use. The exact serving
model ID and context window are not exposed in this session.

## 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

---------

Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
2026-10-18 21:28:20 -05:00
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