Files
PaperClipAI/packages/paperclip-runner
Dotta 560e7e48b5 feat(runner): add SDK and developer tooling (#12608)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work.
> - The runner package already provides the production protocol and
execution spine.
> - Contributors still need stable SDK surfaces, deterministic test
tools, and local inspection tools.
> - Those surfaces share generated contracts and must change as one
package boundary.
> - This pull request adds the package-local SDK, labs, examples, and
drift checks.
> - The benefit is a reviewable developer platform that does not change
application execution selection.

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

**Subsystem affected**

`packages/paperclip-runner` — runner SDK, conformance tools, and
developer tooling.

**Problem or motivation**

The production runner spine is present, but package consumers cannot
build deterministic integrations, inspect sessions, or verify
provider-neutral behavior through supported surfaces.

**Proposed solution**

Add browser, React, standalone, live-session, scenario, conformance, and
evaluation surfaces. Add generated contract inventories and
package-local verification scripts. Keep production application routing
unchanged.

**Alternatives considered**

We considered splitting each generated catalog, SDK surface, and demo
into separate pull requests. Those changes share exports, fixtures, and
drift gates. Splitting them would create intermediate package states
that do not build.

**Roadmap alignment**

No overlapping item appears in `ROADMAP.md`. This work extends the
runner package that is already on `master`.

## What Changed

- Add browser, React, standalone, live-session, and issue-thread SDK
surfaces.
- Add deterministic mock control-plane, scenario, conformance, replay,
and evaluation tools.
- Add bounded Codex, OpenCode, and ACPX development transports and
fixtures.
- Keep deferred managed-provider execution fail-closed. Persisted
compatibility data remains readable.
- Add generated capability inventories with their source files and drift
checks.
- Add examples, package documentation, browser checks, and
clean-consumer checks.
- Preserve the reviewed protocol bounds, replay compatibility aliases,
process environment isolation, and semantic redaction limits.
- Update the ACPX package patch that the existing workspace patch
registry already tracks.
- Do not change `pnpm-lock.yaml`, repository workflows, server runtime
selection, or the application UI.

## Verification

GitHub Actions is the verification authority for this pull request. The
repository CI, package TypeScript and Rust checks, package tests,
generated-output drift checks, browser checks, security scans, and
Greptile review must pass on the exact head.

Local test suites were not run because this series uses parallel GitHub
Actions for verification.

## Risks

This is a large greenfield package change. The main risks are public
export drift, generated-output drift, and optional React consumer
compatibility. Package boundary checks, clean-consumer checks, and
browser tests cover those risks. Production adapter selection and server
execution are outside this pull request.

## Stack

1. **This PR:** runner SDK and developer tooling.
2. [Codex production server
integration](https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/pull/12616).
3. [Provider-neutral task-thread
UI](https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/pull/12617).

## Model Used

OpenAI Codex, GPT-5, high-reasoning mode, with tool use and code
execution.

## 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 described the issue in-PR following the feature request
template
- [x] I have not referenced internal/instance-local Paperclip issues or
links
- [x] My branch name describes the change and contains no internal
Paperclip ticket id
- [ ] 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 risks above
- [ ] All Paperclip CI gates are green
- [ ] Greptile is 5/5 with no open P2s, recommendations, or follow-ups
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge
2026-08-31 21:33:11 -05:00
..

Paperclip Native Runner

This package is the standalone development boundary for Paperclip's native runner protocol, process supervision, durable transport, provider drivers, and normalized session backends. Rust owns the production runner under runner/; TypeScript provides the control-plane reference, browser SDK, scenario tools, and conformance oracle.

The package includes one coherent set of capabilities: PRP v1 validation and replay, a supervised local runner with a scripted fake harness, durable WebSocket delivery and recovery, a skillless Codex app-server driver, live session and issue-thread surfaces, a public browser/React SDK, a standalone adapter demo, and a deterministic mock control plane. None of these surfaces imports or starts Paperclip's server, UI, CLI, or production database.

Public package surfaces

  • @paperclipai/paperclip-runner — production contracts, clients/backends, PRP validation/replay, canonical catalog/dispatcher, and compatibility check.
  • @paperclipai/paperclip-runner/testing — deterministic mocks plus PRP and semantic conformance kits. Tests and external conformance consumers import this explicitly.

The package root has no mock or scenario exports, and the workspace has no separate eval-package importer. Provider-backed eval campaigns remain deferred. See ADR 0001.

The two conformance surfaces intentionally prove different contracts. The existing runControlPlanePortConformance suite checks narrow PRP run/event persistence. CAPABILITY_HIGH_RISK_SEMANTIC_VECTORS and runSemanticConformanceKit compare normalized tool authorization, state, effects, audit, retries, conflicts, redaction, continuation, and terminal decisions. The production adapter stays App-owned and invokes Paperclip's real route/service authorities; it does not copy those rules into this package.

Quick start

The package also builds paperclip-runner-acpx-sidecar. This bounded v2 stdin/stdout bridge admits the qualified Codex ACPX profile only. It validates the exact model, session identity, tool catalog, structured input, and terminal settlement at the process boundary. Runnerd and the server do not select this sidecar in this slice. Other ACPX agents remain unavailable.

The Rust core includes a bounded client for this sidecar protocol. It enforces request identity, event order, frame and queue limits, timeouts, redacted diagnostics, and process-group cleanup. This transport remains package-local. It does not change runnerd provider selection in this slice.

Before a later provider adapter consumes a valid sidecar event, the Rust core also requires its optional or mandatory run and turn scope to match the active execution. Process and diagnostic events can remain global. All operational, tool, input, permission, and terminal events require the exact active binding.

A package-local payload boundary decodes events only after that scope check. It validates control identities, terminal status, question sets, and the admitted runtime event types and bounded fields. It redacts diagnostic and retained event values again before they can enter provider state.

Validated ACPX runtime events normalize into the same provider-neutral activity families as the direct Codex transport. Reasoning contents stay private. Tool targets are resolved within the workspace under the provider host's path semantics and receive a versioned sidecar boundary marker before becoming bounded, display-only PRP safe paths. Raw or unmarked provider locations fail closed. URI-scheme and Windows drive-shaped values require a separate sidecar attestation backed by an existing in-workspace entry or, for a not-yet-created edit target, an existing in-workspace parent. This preserves real POSIX colon filenames without treating arbitrary URI text as a path. Windows separators are canonicalized, and consumers must not reinterpret the display value as file-access authority. Operational semantic-result and terminal events remain reserved for the stateful adapter rather than being duplicated.

The package-local ACPX provider reducer preserves that order while it tracks one active turn, bounded assistant text, semantic results, and pending tool or input correlations. Terminal events flush the final assistant message first and clear unresolved turn-scoped requests. This reducer still does not select ACPX in runnerd.

The package-local session bootstrap starts the bounded sidecar transport, verifies the Codex-only capability handshake and effective model, opens one identity-bound session, and confirms its run attachment. Any failed bootstrap terminates the process; session shutdown preserves persistent provider state. The session can then start one immutable-workspace turn, request interruption, and reduce polled events through the scope-first state boundary. A mismatched command acknowledgement or invalid event terminates the session fail closed. Polled semantic calls pass through the run-scoped authorized tool bridge before they can be returned to a caller. Before a follow-up turn releases settled tool receipts, runner-core suspends and reaps the idle sidecar/provider generation, then resumes the same verified persistent identity in a fresh generation. This prevents a late session-lifetime MCP callback from inheriting the next turn's event authority.

The Rust question-response validator checks the versioned response envelope against the exact persisted question IDs, answer modes, options, required answers, custom-answer policy, and text constraints before provider delivery. Tool results and structured question responses then use two-phase resolution: validate retained identity and schema, require the exact sidecar acknowledgement, and only then clear pending local state. Codex permission requests violate its pinned sidecar policy and terminate the session fail closed. Safe suspension is available only with no active turn or pending request. The sidecar must return the exact persistent session identity before runnerd terminates the local process. Already validated ACPX reducer events project into provider-neutral durable events only with an exact run, session, turn, and item binding. Raw sidecar envelopes and permission requests are not admitted at this boundary. A safely suspended session can be recorded as a bounded private checkpoint. The checkpoint binds the exact provider identity, run, catalog revision, and catalog digest and is replaced atomically before a later recovery attempt. Recovery releases the stored identity only after those bindings match the prospective session configuration exactly.

Run the complete contract gate with:

pnpm install --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner --lockfile=false --offline --ignore-scripts --dev
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner verify

The verification command requires a stable Rust toolchain with cargo on PATH, in addition to Node.js 24.11+ and pnpm 9+.

Minimal Debian/Ubuntu hosts without root access can extract the required Playwright browser libraries into a user-owned cache and run the same acceptance sequence with:

pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner verify:rootless

The tracer's final line is stable:

{"schemaVersion":"paperclip.runner.conformance.output.v1","runIdentity":{"runId":"run_conformance_0001","sessionId":"session_conformance_0001"},"result":{"status":"succeeded","summary":"Standalone Conformance fixture accepted."}}

Run only the tracer with:

pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner trace:conformance

Replay the Replay happy path, run a Local session, or open the browser devtool:

pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner replay:fixture
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner trace:local-runner -- --scenario happy-path
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner trace:codex
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner demo:live-console -- --host 127.0.0.1 --port 4174

# Live console: chat with a live session in the browser.
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner console:live-console
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner browser:dev --host 127.0.0.1 --port 4179

# SDK: open the public-SDK reference console and mini consumer.
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner console:sdk

# Standalone: run the standalone legacy/native/kill-switch tracer and page.
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner trace:standalone
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner trace:standalone -- --feature-flag enabled
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner trace:standalone -- --feature-flag enabled --kill-switch enabled
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner demo:standalone

Live console provider-backed routes are loopback-only and reject wildcard/LAN binds. Browser mutations require same-origin Fetch Metadata, matching Origin, and JSON content; see the protocol-server tutorial for direct curl examples.

Package-owned commands

Command Purpose
build Compile the TypeScript public surface, Rust workspace, and browser devtool.
typecheck Check TypeScript, Rust, generated schema sources, and browser types.
test Run Rust/TypeScript fixture, supervisor, fake-driver, live/replay, and boundary tests.
check:forbidden-imports Reject TypeScript imports and Cargo path dependencies that cross into Paperclip core.
check:tracked-imports Reject tracked imports and package.json entry points that only resolve against untracked files, so a clean checkout of any commit builds.
check:numbered-milestones Reject numbered construction-milestone names in tracked package paths and source.
check:package-boundaries Enforce the acyclic runtime/testing dependency and manifest boundary.
check:clean-consumers Pack the runner and install its root and testing exports in a clean consumer.
check:conformance-parity Require byte-for-byte equivalent Rust and TypeScript tracer output.
check:replay-goldens Require all reducer snapshots and cross-language summaries to match checked goldens.
check:replay-parity Run TypeScript and Rust against the same Replay fixture summaries.
check:browser-tokens Reject component-local visual literals and require the standalone token layer.
docs:validate Validate local documentation links.
trace:conformance Run the Rust mock-core tracer, print the stable result, and exit.
trace:conformance:typescript Run the TypeScript reference tracer directly.
replay:fixture Validate and reduce a fixture to a final snapshot.
trace:local-runner Run one native local session through the Rust runner and fake harness.
trace:codex Run the mock core with a real, local skillless Codex app-server session.
demo:live-console Start the package-local HTTP/SSE server with server-only Codex authentication.
console:live-console Start the standalone browser devtool with the Live console on 127.0.0.1:4180.
console:sdk Start the public-SDK reference console and mini consumer on 127.0.0.1:4181.
test:sdk Run targeted browser-client, reducer-projection, and React component contract tests.
test:browser:sdk Exercise both consumers with the fake driver, keyboard/a11y checks, reconnect/replay, measurements, and screenshots.
record:sdk:codex Run both public consumers against a safe real Codex session and capture live screenshots.
check:capability-contract Verify the generated capability, legacy MCP, and eval traceability contract.
check:semantic-contracts Verify the provider-neutral semantic tool contract is current.
trace:live-runner Run the real runnerd/Codex semantic loop against the mock control plane.
demo:scenarios Start the Capability scenario explorer over the mock control plane on 127.0.0.1:4183.
console:issue-thread Start the Paperclip-style issue thread on 127.0.0.1:4184.
test:scenarios Run the scenario index, run-artifact, parity, explorer component, and route tests.
test:browser:scenarios Exercise both the scenario explorer and issue-thread browser contracts.
browser:dev Start the standalone live/replay browser devtool.
test:browser Exercise static replay and live scenarios, then capture temporary screenshots under ignored test output.
verify Run the complete deterministic Conformance through SDK acceptance sequence.
verify:rootless Extract Debian/Ubuntu browser libraries without root, then run verify.

Navigate

Codex adds the package-local real-model reference driver, Live console adds the package-local browser console, and SDK extracts a reusable public SDK plus two standalone consumers. Runtime production Paperclip integration remains deferred; the App-owned production conformance adapter is test-only.

The SDK reference console opens in direct chat mode. Enter a normal prompt, then open the protocol inspector to review events and reducer state. Expand a Terminal row and its nested Debug details disclosure to inspect every canonical event retained for that command. The header marker 🖇️ v0.1.2 identifies the current console iteration.