Files
PaperClipAI/maps
DottaandPaperclip 250429942e fix(agents): report actionable lifecycle failure steps (#16418)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip helps people manage AI agents for work.
> - New agents must pass setup and execution checks before they can run.
> - The lifecycle worker saved the same retry message for every failure.
> - Users could not identify the failed step or correct its
configuration.
> - The UI also described failed work as work still in progress.
> - This pull request names the failed step and gives a safe corrective
action.
> - Users can identify configuration problems and understand automatic
retries.

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

**What happened?**

A new hire showed a paused status and “The lifecycle step failed. Retry
the operation.” Repeated retries did not explain the failure. A
successful retry cleared the original error. This change cannot recover
an error that an older server already cleared.

**Expected behavior**

Name the failed setup step. Give a useful action for known execution
test failures. Explain automatic retry. Keep provider output and
credentials out of lifecycle errors.

**Steps to reproduce**

1. Create a disposable agent with an unavailable model or invalid
execution command.
2. Open its profile while verification fails.
3. Inspect the error, correct the configuration, and select Retry now.
4. Confirm that the failure disappears after the agent becomes ready.

Related change: https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/pull/16155
shows pending setup progress in creation and assignment. This change
improves the cause and action shown when setup fails.

## What Changed

- Save the failed lifecycle phase and step in the existing lifecycle
error field.
- Classify authentication, model, command, directory, timeout, and
response failures from execution test check codes.
- Use fixed error messages. Do not retain raw provider messages, check
details, or credentials.
- Share the allowed failure codes with the lifecycle log.
- Show failed-state labels and automatic retry guidance. Rename Retry to
Retry now.
- Extend worker, database, and UI regression coverage. Update the agent
verification maps.

## Verification

- Passed 105 focused tests across lifecycle diagnostics, database
lifecycle commands, saved harness verification, and
AgentLifecycleStatus.
- Passed server TypeScript compilation with `pnpm --filter
@paperclipai/server exec tsc --noEmit`.
- Passed UI typecheck and production build.
- Passed module boundary checks, token gates, character sync, map
validation, and `git diff --check`.
- Used Playwright to inspect the production component with a simulated
model failure. Confirmed the failure text, retry guidance, retry
callback, and recovered state. Captured a screenshot. This component
check does not prove a live provider run.
- Attempted `pnpm -r typecheck` and `pnpm build`. Both require Rust
cargo, which is not installed in the local execution environment.
- Started `pnpm test:run` locally. No final local suite result was
recorded before handoff. The complete PR CI workflow passed.
- Passed all latest-commit CI gates, including typecheck, build, general
and serialized tests, Rust checks, and all eight browser test shards:
https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/actions/runs/38726198774
- Greptile scored the latest commit 5/5 with no findings. There are no
review threads to resolve.

## Risks

- Failure classification depends on existing adapter check codes.
Unknown codes use a safe fallback message.
- A known code can describe only the checks reported by the adapter.
- No database migration is required. The error field remains a string.
- Retry schedules, leases, readiness, approvals, and budget controls
keep their current behavior.
- Full build verification requires a runner with Rust cargo.

## Model Used

- OpenAI GPT-6 through Codex. Used reasoning, code editing, browser
checks, and tool execution. The runtime does not expose the exact
deployment ID or context window.

## 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>
2026-10-15 06:46:29 -05:00
..

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.

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.

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, followed by one H2 backticked ID per product sub-feature. Each capability contains these fields:

  • Review: baseline or operation-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 none only 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.

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. Do not register entries or 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.