Files
PaperClipAI/docs/start/architecture.md
T
Harold KimandPaperclip 98df214917 fix: fail closed on unusable Codex auth during sandbox auth merge
When reusing a Codex sandbox, the workspace-restore step now performs
an auth-merge check before adopting the sandbox's auth.json. The merge
fails closed when:

- host or sandbox Codex auth is unusable (missing token or account)
- the subscription payload shapes differ between host and sandbox
- subscription account identities do not match

Additional hardening: node absence on PATH during the embedded decision
script now exits non-zero instead of silently falling through. Co-change
comments link parseAuth (the embedded script) to hasUsableAuthPayload
(codex-home.ts) so a future auth-format change cannot silently diverge
between the two implementations.

Co-Authored-By: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
2026-07-09 10:08:57 +00:00

99 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown

---
title: Architecture
summary: Stack overview, request flow, and adapter model
---
Paperclip is a monorepo with four main layers.
## Stack Overview
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ React UI (Vite) │
│ Dashboard, org management, tasks │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Express.js REST API (Node.js) │
│ Routes, services, auth, adapters │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ PostgreSQL (Drizzle ORM) │
│ Schema, migrations, embedded mode │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Adapters │
│ Claude Code, Codex, │
│ Process, HTTP │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
```
## Technology Stack
| Layer | Technology |
|-------|-----------|
| Frontend | React 19, Vite 6, React Router 7, Radix UI, Tailwind CSS 4, TanStack Query |
| Backend | Node.js 20+, Express.js 5, TypeScript |
| Database | PostgreSQL 17 (or embedded PGlite), Drizzle ORM |
| Auth | Better Auth (sessions + API keys) |
| Adapters | Claude Code CLI, Codex CLI, shell process, HTTP webhook |
| Package manager | pnpm 9 with workspaces |
## Repository Structure
```
paperclip/
├── ui/ # React frontend
│ ├── src/pages/ # Route pages
│ ├── src/components/ # React components
│ ├── src/api/ # API client
│ └── src/context/ # React context providers
│
├── server/ # Express.js API
│ ├── src/routes/ # REST endpoints
│ ├── src/services/ # Business logic
│ ├── src/adapters/ # Agent execution adapters
│ └── src/middleware/ # Auth, logging
│
├── packages/
│ ├── db/ # Drizzle schema + migrations
│ ├── shared/ # API types, constants, validators
│ ├── adapter-utils/ # Adapter interfaces and helpers
│ └── adapters/
│ ├── claude-local/ # Claude Code adapter
│ └── codex-local/ # OpenAI Codex adapter
│
├── skills/ # Agent skills
│ └── paperclip/ # Core Paperclip skill (heartbeat protocol)
│
├── cli/ # CLI client
│ └── src/ # Setup and control-plane commands
│
└── doc/ # Internal documentation
```
## Request Flow
When a heartbeat fires:
1. **Trigger** — Scheduler, manual invoke, or event (assignment, mention) triggers a heartbeat
2. **Adapter invocation** — Server calls the configured adapter's `execute()` function
3. **Agent process** — Adapter spawns the agent (e.g. Claude Code CLI) with Paperclip env vars and a prompt
4. **Agent work** — The agent calls Paperclip's REST API to check assignments, checkout tasks, do work, and update status
5. **Result capture** — Adapter captures stdout, parses usage/cost data, extracts session state
6. **Run record** — Server records the run result, costs, and any session state for next heartbeat
## Adapter Model
Adapters are the bridge between Paperclip and agent runtimes. Each adapter is a package with three modules:
- **Server module** — `execute()` function that spawns/calls the agent, plus environment diagnostics
- **UI module** — stdout parser for the run viewer, config form fields for agent creation
- **CLI module** — terminal formatter for `paperclipai run --watch`
Built-in adapters: `claude_local`, `codex_local`, `process`, `http`. You can create custom adapters for any runtime.
## Key Design Decisions
- **Control plane, not execution plane** — Paperclip orchestrates agents; it doesn't run them
- **Company-scoped** — all entities belong to exactly one company; strict data boundaries
- **Single-assignee tasks** — atomic checkout prevents concurrent work on the same task
- **Adapter-agnostic** — any runtime that can call an HTTP API works as an agent
- **Embedded by default** — zero-config local mode with embedded PostgreSQL