Files
PaperClipAI/doc
Nicky LeachandPaperclip 247de89eae fix(runner): preserve warm tasks during recovery (#18169)
## 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 Core 31b927e301.
Regressions also reproduced on master at 6d59f5ef7.

**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>
2026-10-29 09:19:49 -07:00
..
2026-02-16 14:25:00 -06:00