PaperClipAI/docs/deploy/environment-variables.md

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Environment Variables	Full environment variable reference

All environment variables that Paperclip uses for server configuration.

Server Configuration

Variable	Default	Description
PORT	3100	Server port
PAPERCLIP_BIND	loopback	Reachability preset: loopback, lan, tailnet, or custom
PAPERCLIP_BIND_HOST	(unset)	Required when PAPERCLIP_BIND=custom
HOST	127.0.0.1	Legacy host override; prefer PAPERCLIP_BIND for new setups
DATABASE_URL	(embedded)	PostgreSQL connection string
PAPERCLIP_HOME	~/.paperclip	Base directory for all Paperclip data
PAPERCLIP_INSTANCE_ID	default	Instance identifier (for multiple local instances)
PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE	local_trusted	Runtime mode override
PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_EXPOSURE	private	Exposure policy when deployment mode is authenticated
PAPERCLIP_API_URL	(auto-derived)	Paperclip API base URL. When set externally (e.g., via Kubernetes ConfigMap, load balancer, or reverse proxy), the server preserves the value instead of deriving it from the listen host and port. Useful for deployments where the public-facing URL differs from the local bind address.
PAPERCLIP_CHAT_WEBHOOK_PUBLIC_URL	(board public origin)	Optional HTTPS origin for native chat provider webhooks when ingress and the board use different hosts. Must have no credentials, path, query, or fragment; invalid configuration refuses startup. Used only for provider callback URLs, not board links, authentication, trusted hosts, or identity confirmation.
PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_PUBLIC_URL	(unset)	Explicit wss:// base URL used only when a remote paperclip_runner target dials Paperclip directly. Paperclip appends /api/runner/v1/connect/<runId>; the reverse proxy must forward WebSocket upgrades for that route. This value is never inferred from request headers. Daytona ignores it and uses provider ingress.
PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_CA_BUNDLE_PATH	(unset)	Optional PEM CA bundle for direct runner WSS. Platform roots remain enabled. There is no insecure TLS bypass.
PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_REMOTE_BINARY_PATH	(host build)	Host-local path to a paperclip-runnerd artifact built for the remote target OS and architecture. Required when Paperclip and the remote sandbox do not share a compatible platform; build metadata and the required transport mode are verified before launch.
PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_REMOTE_CODEX_PATH	(unset)	Optional host-local path to a Codex executable built for the remote target OS and architecture. For remote Codex-backed runners, Paperclip stages and verifies this executable beside paperclip-runnerd.
PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_REMOTE_CODEX_NPM_SPEC	(unset)	Optional pinned npm package spec (for example, @openai/codex@0.156.0) installed inside each fresh remote lease when its Codex harness is not baked into the sandbox image. Mutually exclusive with PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_REMOTE_CODEX_PATH; Paperclip verifies the installed executable before starting runnerd.
PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_REMOTE_PROVIDER_PACK_PATH	/opt/paperclip-runner/provider-pack in Docker; otherwise unset	Host-local path to the immutable provider pack built by pnpm --filter @paperclipai/paperclip-runner build:provider-pack. Stamped standard Docker images include the pack; downstream compositions and the cloud target inherit it. Unstamped local Docker builds skip pack generation. The pack includes its target-built Node 24.11+ runtime, locked production dependencies, OpenCode proxy/executable, and ACPX sidecar. Remote OpenCode and ACPX fail closed without it. A preinstalled pack is accepted only when its complete digested manifest matches this build-owned pack; otherwise Paperclip stages this pack into the sandbox.
PAPERCLIP_HIDDEN_SETTINGS	(unset)	Comma-separated settings surfaces to hide from the UI and floor at the API, for operators hosting Paperclip for others (managed cloud, internal shared server). See Hiding settings surfaces.
PAPERCLIP_SETTING_DEFAULTS	(unset)	JSON object replacing the schema default of selected instance settings, for hosting operators. See Operator setting defaults.

Daytona connectivity for paperclip_runner uses authenticated provider WebSocket ingress and follows the instance experimental setting enableNativeRunner (default false). There is no separate ingress opt-in. Disabling Paperclip Runner blocks fresh native starts while persisted native runs retain their recovery path. The deprecated enableRunnerPreviewIngress key remains accepted in stored and managed configuration for version-skew compatibility, but it has no runtime effect. The setting has no effect on legacy adapters or callback bridges.

Webhook-only chat ingress

Keep PAPERCLIP_PUBLIC_URL (or the explicit authentication public URL) pointed at the actual board. If the board is private, set PAPERCLIP_CHAT_WEBHOOK_PUBLIC_URL=https://chat-ingress.example.com and forward only POST /api/chat-webhooks/* from that host. Provider signatures still gate ingress; this variable does not expose routes or grant provider access. Never forward the private local_trusted board through a public tunnel.

In Paperclip Cloud, chat callback URLs and account-linking URLs follow the instance's signed canonical origin after a warm instance is claimed, without requiring a restart. An explicit PAPERCLIP_CHAT_WEBHOOK_PUBLIC_URL still takes precedence for provider callbacks only; board links follow the claimed origin. Existing provider-side callback settings must be updated if they were created with an old URL.

Task links in external messages require an externally safe HTTPS board URL. Local/private board URLs are omitted with instructions to open the task in Paperclip; the public webhook host is never substituted for the board. Identity confirmation stays on the board and requires the user to be able to reach it.

Preinstalled remote runner images

Remote sandbox images may preinstall paperclip-runnerd, codex, and the provider pack at /opt/paperclip-runner/provider-pack instead of paying the upload and npm-install cost on every fresh lease. Put both executable names on the sandbox user's PATH; $HOME/.local/bin is checked explicitly before PATH. Paperclip verifies runner build metadata, the selected PRP transport capability, Codex startup, the provider-pack digest, exact harness pins, Node compatibility, and packaged bridge digests before linking artifacts into the run-specific runtime directory. A missing or incompatible executable falls back to PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_REMOTE_BINARY_PATH and PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_REMOTE_CODEX_NPM_SPEC (or PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_REMOTE_CODEX_PATH) without changing the selected transport. OpenCode and ACPX instead fall back only to PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_REMOTE_PROVIDER_PACK_PATH; they never start a provider process on the Paperclip host for a remote target. The Daytona environment editor's Configure image action can create this image without a separate container registry: install the executables in its setup sandbox, finish setup, and Paperclip captures and promotes the resulting Daytona snapshot for future leases.

Hiding settings surfaces

PAPERCLIP_HIDDEN_SETTINGS takes keys from the registry in packages/shared/src/settings-visibility.ts:

• Any instance settings page: instance.profile, instance.environments, instance.access, instance.experimental, instance.plugins, instance.adapters — removed from navigation and routing (the General page is the settings root and stays visible). Hiding instance.access, instance.plugins, or instance.adapters also floors their management endpoints with 403 settings_operator_managed; hiding instance.experimental floors every experimental toggle write.

• Any Instance → General section: instance.general.censorUsernameInLogs, instance.general.backupRetention, instance.general.feedbackDataSharingPreference (each also rejects value-changing writes via PATCH /api/instance/settings/general), plus the UI-only instance.general.deploymentStatus and instance.general.signOut.

• Any experimental toggle: instance.experimental.<flagKey> (e.g. instance.experimental.enableSmokeLab) — the card disappears and value-changing writes are rejected.

• All current and future experimental toggles: instance.experimental.*. Add !instance.experimental.<flagKey> entries to leave specific controls available. The server expands this policy against its own feature catalog, so new toggles stay hidden without an environment change. The Experimental page remains available. Exceptions only apply to the wildcard; an explicit hidden toggle or instance.experimental page restriction always wins, regardless of entry order. Unknown exceptions are logged and ignored.

• Any top-level company settings page: company.members, company.invites, company.secrets, company.export, company.import — removed from the settings sidebar, tab bar, and routing (the company General page is the settings root and stays visible). These are UI-visibility keys: the membership, invite, secret, and export APIs stay live for agents and integrations. company.import is the exception — hiding it also floors every company-import route with 403 settings_operator_managed. On cloud-managed instances import is floored unconditionally with 403 cloud_managed, independent of this variable.

• A single tab of the Secrets page: company.secrets.vaults (Provider vaults) and company.secrets.proposals (Proposals) — the tab disappears while the rest of the page stays up. UI-visibility only; the secret provider-config and proposal APIs stay live for agents and integrations.

• workspaces.isolation hides project execution-workspace policy, task and routine workspace selectors, pipeline workspace overrides, isolated re-issue actions, and the execution-workspace Configuration tab (including direct links). Workspace navigation, files, status, and runtime access stay available. This key only controls UI visibility: it does not disable isolation, change saved policies, or block APIs used by agents. New tasks and routine runs omit hidden draft overrides so the server applies the existing defaults. Tasks launched from a workspace or parent task keep that explicit context. Hide the two experimental isolation toggles separately when the operator manages them.

Unknown keys are logged and ignored, so one list can be rolled across a fleet of mixed app versions, and retired keys (like instance.heartbeats, whose page was removed) can stay in an operator list without breaking older or newer releases. With the variable unset nothing is hidden and behavior is identical to earlier releases. Hiding a toggle does not change its value; pair hiding with the desired default where it matters (for general settings, see Operator setting defaults).

For example, this allows only the Environments control and keeps the Plugins settings page hidden:

PAPERCLIP_HIDDEN_SETTINGS='instance.plugins,instance.experimental.*,!instance.experimental.enableEnvironments'

GET /api/health returns the expanded concrete keys in hiddenSettings. The UI and settings API use the same restrictions. Reads and same-value echoes remain allowed; changing a hidden value returns 403 settings_operator_managed.

Older images that predate wildcard support ignore the wildcard and exceptions. Keep their explicit hidden-toggle entries during an upgrade, or upgrade all images before replacing an explicit list. Once every image supports this syntax, the wildcard and its exceptions are sufficient. A recognized exception without a wildcard has no effect.

Operator setting defaults

PAPERCLIP_SETTING_DEFAULTS takes a JSON object whose fields come from the registry in packages/shared/src/setting-defaults.ts (currently feedbackDataSharingPreference). The operator value substitutes for the schema default at read time: any field whose effective value is still the schema default resolves to the operator value, while an explicit non-default user choice always wins. The overlay is never persisted, so unsetting the variable restores stock behavior wherever a user has not chosen otherwise. A client that writes back the full settings object it read does not persist the operator value either: writing the operator value over a still-unchosen field is treated as an echo of the overlay and the field stays unchosen.

Example: PAPERCLIP_SETTING_DEFAULTS='{"feedbackDataSharingPreference":"allowed"}' defaults AI feedback sharing to allowed; pairing it with instance.general.feedbackDataSharingPreference in PAPERCLIP_HIDDEN_SETTINGS also hides the control and floors value-changing writes.

Unknown field names are logged and ignored (mixed-version fleet safe). Malformed JSON or an invalid value for a known field refuses startup — policy configuration fails closed.

Secrets

Variable	Default	Description
PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_MASTER_KEY	(from file)	32-byte encryption key (base64/hex/raw)
PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_MASTER_KEY_FILE	~/.paperclip/.../secrets/master.key	Path to key file
PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_STRICT_MODE	false	Require secret refs for sensitive env vars

Agent Runtime (Injected into agent processes)

These are set automatically by the server when invoking agents:

Variable	Description
PAPERCLIP_AGENT_ID	Agent's unique ID
PAPERCLIP_COMPANY_ID	Company ID
PAPERCLIP_API_URL	Paperclip API base URL (inherits the server-level value; see Server Configuration above)
PAPERCLIP_API_KEY	Short-lived JWT for API auth
PAPERCLIP_RUN_ID	Current heartbeat run ID
PAPERCLIP_TASK_ID	Issue that triggered this wake
PAPERCLIP_WAKE_REASON	Wake trigger reason
PAPERCLIP_WAKE_COMMENT_ID	Comment that triggered this wake
PAPERCLIP_APPROVAL_ID	Resolved approval ID
PAPERCLIP_APPROVAL_STATUS	Approval decision
PAPERCLIP_LINKED_ISSUE_IDS	Comma-separated linked issue IDs

LLM Provider Keys (for adapters)

Variable	Description
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Anthropic API key (for Claude Code adapter)
OPENAI_API_KEY	OpenAI API key (for Codex adapter)