Files
PaperClipAI/packages/adapter-utils
Devin Foley 9ea8143c87 fix(adapter-utils): give sync-created merge commits a deterministic git identity (#11637)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work
> - Runs execute in transported workspaces; at finalize, the host syncs
the sandbox git history back into the local worktree
> - When both sides advanced, `integrateImportedGitHead` reconciles them
with `git merge-tree` plus `git commit-tree` on the host
> - Execution hosts are often containers with no git config and no
resolvable hostname, so `commit-tree` fails with "Author identity
unknown"
> - That one local command failure marks the whole run as failed, even
though the run's work succeeded
> - This pull request gives sync-created merge commits an explicit,
deterministic identity at the call site
> - The benefit is that workspace finalize no longer depends on ambient
host git configuration

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

No existing issue found. I searched issues and PRs for "Author identity
unknown", "unrelated histories", and "commit-tree identity".

**What happened?**

A run finished its work, but workspace finalize failed. The host-side
sync ran `git commit-tree <tree> -p <localHead> -p <importedHead> -m
"Paperclip remote git sync merge <sha>"`. Git exited with `Author
identity unknown ... fatal: unable to auto-detect email address (got
'node@<container-id>.(none)')`. The adapter recorded the whole run as
failed, and the host worktree kept the stale head. Any container
deployment without a global gitconfig reproduces this; I observed it on
a Paperclip Cloud stack.

**Expected behavior**

Commits that the sync machinery itself creates must not depend on
ambient host git configuration. The merge commit is machine-authored, so
it should carry a deterministic Paperclip identity.

**Steps to reproduce**

1. Run the Paperclip server in a container with no
`user.name`/`user.email` git config and a hostname git cannot turn into
an email.
2. Let a run's sandbox branch diverge from the host worktree, so both
sides advance.
3. Workspace finalize calls `integrateImportedGitHead`. The `git
commit-tree` step fails with "Author identity unknown" and the run
fails.

## What Changed

- `git-workspace-sync.ts`: new exported `GIT_SYNC_COMMIT_IDENTITY_ARGS`
(`-c user.name=Paperclip -c user.email=noreply@paperclip.ing`), applied
to the `commit-tree` call in `integrateImportedGitHead`.
- `ssh.ts`: the SSH-sync copy of `integrateImportedGitHead` applies the
same identity args to its `commit-tree` call.
- New regression test: builds divergent histories in a repo with no
configured identity and asserts the sync merge commit is created with
the deterministic identity, correct parents, and merged tree.

## Verification

- `pnpm vitest run
packages/adapter-utils/src/git-workspace-sync.test.ts` — 18/18 pass.
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/adapter-utils typecheck` — clean.
- Negative proof: with the source fix stashed, the new test fails on the
identity assertion.
- Full `pnpm vitest run packages/adapter-utils`: every file passes
except `local-process-sandbox.test.ts`, which fails identically on an
untouched `master` checkout on macOS (bubblewrap-dependent,
pre-existing, unrelated).

## Risks

Low risk. The change only adds `-c` identity flags to two
machine-generated commit invocations. `GIT_AUTHOR_*` / `GIT_COMMITTER_*`
environment variables still take precedence over `-c` when an operator
sets them, so existing deployments that configure an identity keep their
behavior.

## Model Used

- Claude Fable 5 (`claude-fable-5`), extended thinking, via Claude Code
CLI (tool use for code exploration, test runs, and verification).

## 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 (no
doc surface describes this internal sync path)
- [x] I have considered and documented any 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
2026-08-18 11:00:54 -07:00
..

@paperclipai/adapter-utils

Shared utilities for Paperclip adapters: process spawning, environment injection, sandbox/SSH transport, workspace sync, and the round-trip helpers that move code between the local execution-workspace cwd and wherever the agent actually runs.

For the adapter-author guide see docs/adapters/creating-an-adapter.md and the in-repo notes at packages/adapters/AUTHORING.md.

No-remote-git contract

The local execution-workspace cwd is the only persistence boundary across runs. No adapter may depend on a git remote for cross-run state.

Adapters that run the agent on a different host should use the SSH round-trip helpers in src/ssh.ts:

  • prepareWorkspaceForSshExecution({ spec, localDir, remoteDir }) — bundles the local cwd (tracked files, dirty edits, untracked additions, and the git history needed to reconstruct it) to remoteDir before the run starts. Runs with no git remote configured.
  • restoreWorkspaceFromSshExecution({ spec, localDir, remoteDir, ... }) — syncs the remote cwd back into localDir after the run, including any new commits the agent created. Also runs with no git remote configured.

prepareRemoteManagedRuntime in src/remote-managed-runtime.ts wraps both calls for adapters that want a per-run remote workspace and an automatic restoreWorkspace() finally hook.

The invariant is pinned by the no-remote-git contract case in src/ssh-fixture.test.ts, which asserts that a remote-only commit propagates to the local worktree through the prepare → restore round-trip with no git remote configured at any point. Do not regress that test.