## Thinking Path > - Paperclip manages agent work and the lifetime of its execution resources. > - A warm native task can keep one Runner alive between successful turns. > - Foreground completion selects whether that resource stays running or stops. > - Background recovery must use the same selected policy. > - Recovery currently reads that policy only from workspace copy-back records. > - A task without such a record can be stopped immediately after foreground retention. > - This pull request saves the resource policy with the native runtime and permits the retained task to refresh its control connection. ## Linked Issues or Issue Description **What happened?** Background native finalization can stop a successful warm Runner when its run has no Core workspace-sync record. Foreground completion retains that same task. The stopped Runner cannot receive the later drain and suspend commands. Cold resume then correctly rejects its unproven checkpoint. Hosted diagnostics confirmed the recovery reconciler attempted environment release immediately after foreground retention. The provider connection returned HTTP 404 within the same second. A database-backed regression reproduced the stop without a workspace-sync record. A separate authorization gap also prevents the current retained task from refreshing its connection endpoint after the run succeeds. **Expected behavior** Foreground completion and recovery must use the selected resource policy. A successful warm task stays running until its idle shutdown can suspend it. Failed or cancelled work still stops. The current retained task can refresh its existing control route, but cannot prepare or submit new execution. **Steps to reproduce** 1. Select a warm native runtime on a reusable remote execution environment. 2. Complete a turn without a Core workspace-sync record. 3. Let native finalization recovery settle the still-active run lease before foreground retention finishes. 4. Before this change, recovery defaults to `stop_and_retain` and invokes the provider stop path. 5. Separately, request the retained task's connection endpoint after successful completion. Before this change, Core rejects that request. **Paperclip version/commit** The hosted failure used Core31b927e301. Regressions also reproduced on master at6d59f5ef7. **Deployment mode** A remote native execution environment with reusable warm tasks. The resource policy is generic and applies across harnesses and providers. Related recovery coverage: Refs #18161. This change preserves the suspended-checkpoint admission guard. Existing tasks without the newly saved policy retain the previous conservative fallback; deployments must drain or recover them explicitly. ## What Changed - Save the selected native resource disposition in the existing runtime-selection transaction. Add no startup database round trip or network request. - Read this small policy in background settlement and recovery when no workspace-sync record exists. Preserve valid workspace-sync policies and export-retry behavior. - Keep failed and cancelled runs out of warm retention. - Permit connection refresh for a successful, dispatched warm task on its current retained reusable lease. Keep retirement, termination, expiry, saved-run identity, and plugin capability checks. - Add database-backed retention and selection regressions, failure/cancellation coverage, and bounded projection checks. Document the lifecycle and access contracts. ## Verification - Before the source edits, the no-workspace-sync regression invoked the driver with `stop_and_retain` instead of retaining the lease. Both runtime-selection cases failed because the resource policy was absent. - After the source edits, those regressions and both run-state/runtime-selection files passed. The three-file run had 77 passes and two new fixture expectation failures. Those fixtures were corrected. Final-head GitHub CI passed, including the server suites, Runner checks, typecheck, build, and E2E gates. The local rerun was deferred at the user's request. - Commands: `node_modules/.bin/vitest run server/src/__tests__/native-environment-settlement-work.test.ts server/src/services/heartbeat/runtime-selection.test.ts server/src/services/heartbeat/run-state.test.ts`. - The connection authorization regression failed before its edit. All 34 tests in `server/src/__tests__/environment-task-runtime.test.ts` then passed. - `node scripts/check-maps.mjs` and `git diff --check` passed. - No comprehensive local suite was run. Further local tests and VM reproductions were stopped at the user's request to conserve battery and mobile data. GitHub CI verifies the final head. - Hosted verification of this patch requires deployment after merge. Passing pre-patch retries did not establish repair of the original failure. - Standard Greptile and the subsequent requested Apex review both returned **5/5** on `360bcd7e789d65950c27484af237faec02553666`, with no inline findings. ## Risks - This adds one server-owned field to the existing run profile JSON; no migration is required. Invalid or absent policy keeps the previous conservative fallback. - Valid workspace-sync disposition remains authoritative. Pending export and failed finalization still use stop-and-retain safety behavior. - Retained connection access requires a successful run, matching saved run identity, dispatched warm task, unexpired reusable lease, and no retirement or termination. Superseded leases and new execution remain denied. - The cold-resume checkpoint proof is unchanged. This patch does not make the already-stopped task's unsuspended checkpoint resumable. ## Model Used OpenAI Codex, GPT-6 family, with reasoning, tool use, and code execution. The host does not expose a more specific serving model ID or context-window size. ## 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 targeted local checks; final verification passed in GitHub CI (local rerun deferred at the user's request) - [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>
Paperclip maps
The maps describe the same capabilities from two perspectives:
- Feature map: what a person can do, where to reach it, and how to verify the user journey. Preserve its Poteto format.
- Agent access map: the APIs and agent entry points for those capabilities, their permission boundaries, and access verification.
The chat scenario catalog adds natural-language requests, starting context and expected conversational outcomes for the same capability IDs. It lives with Product E2E as planning data; a scenario reference is neither a registered execution nor evidence that a journey passed.
These are sibling directories under maps/. Each feature file has a same-named
agent access companion. Reuse the product map's sub-feature IDs, so tasks/create
identifies the same capability in both maps. Product behavior remains governed by
the implementation spec; a map cannot grant
authority or redefine a permission denial as success.
Capability identifiers
The feature ID is the recipe filename without .md, such as onboarding.
The full capability ID joins that feature ID and a Sub-features key with /:
the company key in feature-map/onboarding.md is onboarding/company.
Its agent-access-map/onboarding.md companion uses the same local company key.
The feature-map index lists the existing
feature and full capability IDs.
Each child page states Feature ID: `onboarding`. after its introduction or
product-map link. In feature recipes, show the full ID beside the parsed local
key: - `company`: `onboarding/company` — create a company. In access
companions and Storybook verification guidance, keep the existing local heading
and put Capability ID: `onboarding/company`. beneath it. These labels make
the existing identifiers visible without changing keys, anchors, or ID generation.
Use full capability IDs in cross-feature references, Storybook annotations, tests, issues, PRs, and verification evidence. Both segments use lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens. Keep filenames and keys stable when display titles or navigation labels change; renaming either changes the capability ID.
Entry-point IDs describe a surface, such as web-wizard, and are scoped to their
recipe. Reference them with a recipe link, such as
onboarding.md#web-wizard, and record the
capability exercised separately. Navigation section labels are not capability IDs.
See IDs and references for examples.
Access contract
Every business operation needs both an API and a usable agent entry point for an
actor authorized to perform it. A dedicated tool is optional when REST, the CLI,
an assigned MCP client, or native search_api / call_api already provides the
operation. Record which agent surfaces actually have that path; an installed CLI
or optional MCP package cannot be assumed available to every native/remote run.
Track these independently:
| Dimension | Values and meaning |
|---|---|
| API | present, missing, not-applicable, or unreviewed. Use exact methods/paths; distinguish protocols from REST. |
| Agent access | available, partial, missing, restricted, operator-only, not-applicable, or unreviewed. Name the supported surface and actual entry point. |
| Policy | Actor, action/grant, company/resource/ownership scope, responsible-user intersection, run requirements, work modes, and gates relevant to the operation. |
| Evidence | source-only, verified, failed, blocked, or not-run. Source presence and successful board calls are not agent verification. |
| Review depth | baseline records representative operations and known gaps; operation-reviewed enumerates the capability's meaningful operations and their individual access contracts. |
Broad capabilities such as task properties must be split into operations before they count as operation-reviewed: renaming, metadata edits, assignment, dependencies, and lifecycle changes can use different tools and permission rules. An available read path cannot certify a write path. List/get/create/update/delete, execution/control, credential handling, and resolution are separate where their authority or transport differs. Do not duplicate request schemas from OpenAPI.
Exceptions and restrictions
Presentation-only state, static developer fixtures, and pre-start/local operator
work may use not-applicable for a domain API, with a concrete reason and the
existing local path. When a capability combines shared data with presentation,
split the operations: browser recents do not exempt resource lookup from API
coverage. Promoting local state to a shared feature requires revisiting the entry.
A board-only endpoint is restricted for agent identity, not an automatic
exception or a missing API. Cite the enforced policy and record whether the
agent can request the authorized human's action and observe its result. An
unresolved delegation question remains in Gaps. Company access, a job title,
a personal assistant's OAuth grant, or an accepted interaction does not grant
board identity. Keep budget, approval, secret and execution authority intact.
Check actual route/service authorization and production tool admission. OpenAPI actor labels and scenario/evaluation tool declarations are supporting metadata; record disagreements rather than using them as proof of access. Native API fallback restrictions, tool field/scope limits, and rollout settings are part of the agent path, even when a legacy agent can call the REST endpoint directly.
Companion file format
Each agent-access-map/<area>.md has an H1, a relative link to its product file,
and its feature ID, followed by one H2 backticked local key per product
sub-feature. Each capability starts with its full capability ID and contains
these fields:
- Review:
baselineoroperation-reviewed. - API: presence state and exact operation IDs, or a reasoned exception.
- Agent access: availability state and concrete entry points by surface.
- Policy: relevant permission and runtime boundaries, with source references.
- Evidence: evidence state, reviewed commit and sources or executed proof.
- Verification: allowed/denied assertions and observable result; record what has actually run separately from the proposed recipe.
- Gaps: missing APIs/paths, discovery drift, unreviewed operations or policy
decisions; use
noneonly for the enumerated scope that was reviewed.
For an operation-reviewed capability, use H3 backticked operation IDs and repeat
API, Agent access, Policy, Evidence, Verification and Gaps for each operation.
Use small operation names such as create, update, read, or run-now.
The enclosing capability has Review: operation-reviewed only after its
meaningful operations have been enumerated. The following excerpt shows one
operation; include the others before using that review label:
## `definition`
Review: `operation-reviewed`.
### `create`
API: `present` — POST /api/companies/{companyId}/routines.
Agent access: `available` — agent REST, CLI routine create and native call_api
under the enabled rollout and active-run/mode gates.
Policy: same company; assigneeAgentId must be the calling agent; cite the
routine authorization and native API policy sources.
Evidence: `source-only` — reviewed commit and source links; no live proof.
Verification: `not-run` — create an owned routine; reject assignment to another
agent; inspect saved configuration, attribution and retry behavior.
Gaps: verify ownership and responsible-user resolution with a permitted agent
context; source presence alone does not qualify this operation.
Keeping the maps synchronized
When a change adds/removes a capability or changes its behavior, API, permission, tool binding, CLI support, or work mode, update the affected companion and product recipe as appropriate in the same change. Preserve IDs across renames where the capability is unchanged; update the affected cross-links together. Indexes discover recipes automatically. An API-only change may update the companion without rewriting unchanged user instructions. Update the corresponding chat scenarios when their request, assumptions or expected outcome changes; use multiple cases for meaningfully different starting conditions rather than treating an API path as conversational coverage.
maintain-verification-skill owns reconciliation of both maps. It follows changed source and authorization, checks real agent reachability, and records product gaps without implementing them during a maintenance pass. The creation skill uses this structure. verify-paperclip consumes the relevant recipes and reports evidence/drift; map editing belongs to maintenance.
Run the structural check after map changes:
node scripts/check-maps.mjs
It checks paired areas/IDs, navigation metadata, required fields, and local references. It does not certify endpoint authorization, production bindings, operation completeness, or live behavior. Source audits must check those against the existing API and tool contracts; avoid a second schema catalog or runtime.
For live access proof, use Paperclip's existing API/runner/MCP fixtures or an owned
isolated instance. Use the actual agent identity, target and work mode. Assert the
allowed result and relevant denial (another company/private resource, wrong
owner, missing grant, invalid run, restricted mode or resolver). Mutations also
need persisted state/attribution and retry behavior. Capture evidence using the
existing artifact workflow; keep executed run results
separate from generated maps/generated/coverage.json, which lists page references.
Local authorship and generated indexes
Change only the recipes, access contracts and stories whose behavior or intent
changed. Feature recipes own navigation metadata; stories own small
parameters.paperclip annotations. Keep the feature-map README's readable ID
index aligned with those sources; it does not register entries for generation.
Do not refresh counts in shared READMEs, inventories, fingerprints or review
journals.
node scripts/storybook-catalog.mjs validates and generates aggregate navigation,
Storybook data, verification routes and the page inventory. All outputs live in
ignored maps/generated/, ui/storybook/generated/, and the ignored Storybook
preview.tsx wrapper. Start/build and UI typechecking generate their own inputs.
A clean merged checkout therefore assembles both branches' changes automatically.
Git provides history and diffs. PRs, issues and CI artifacts retain review/run evidence for the named revision. Capability associations do not create whole-file review dependencies. Keep durable scenario limits in the affected recipe or story.