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Devin Foley
5b6e54fba8
## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work
> - The CLI onboarding wizard's custom-setup path collects server,
database, storage, and secrets configuration through `@clack/prompts`
text prompts, most of which show a sensible default
> - `@clack/prompts` runs each prompt's `validate` callback on the raw
typed value, and only substitutes `defaultValue` after validation passes
— so pressing Enter to accept a shown default hands the validator an
empty string
> - Eleven of the wizard's validators reject the empty string, which
makes their own displayed defaults unacceptable: accepting "Embedded
PostgreSQL port: 54329" fails with "Port must be an integer between 1
and 65535", "Backup directory" fails with "Backup directory is
required", and so on through every prompt in the custom path
> - This pull request makes each affected validator accept empty input
when a default exists, while keeping all real validation for typed input
> - The benefit is that the custom-setup wizard is walkable by pressing
Enter through the defaults, as the UI clearly intends
## Linked Issues or Issue Description
No existing issue. Description follows the bug-report template:
**What happened?**
In `paperclipai onboard` custom setup, pressing Enter to accept a
prompt's displayed default fails validation on eleven prompts. Confirmed
live on the "Embedded PostgreSQL port" prompt (default 54329 → "Port
must be an integer between 1 and 65535") and the "Backup directory"
prompt (populated default path → "Backup directory is required"). The
only way through is to retype every default by hand.
**Expected behavior**
Pressing Enter accepts the displayed default, as in every standard
`@clack/prompts` flow.
**Steps to reproduce**
1. `npx paperclipai onboard` → choose Custom setup.
2. At "Embedded PostgreSQL port", press Enter to accept the shown
default.
3. Validation rejects it. Same for the backup directory, backup
interval/retention, server port, bind host, storage directory, S3
bucket/region, and secrets key-file prompts.
**Paperclip version or commit**
Reproduced on `2026.915.0-canary.11`; the same validators exist in the
latest stable (`v2026.831.1`) — long-standing, not a recent regression.
**Deployment mode**
Any (the bug is in the CLI wizard).
**Installation method**
`npx paperclipai onboard`.
## What Changed
- Audited all 15 `validate:` callbacks across
`cli/src/prompts/{database,server,storage,llm,secrets}.ts`. Eleven
rejected the empty string while displaying a default; two were already
fine (hostname CSV prompts, where empty parses to `[]`); one is an
intentionally required password with no default (left alone); one
(PostgreSQL connection string) and one (public base URL) are
conditionally required — empty now passes only when a saved default
exists, so fresh setups still enforce the field
- Fix pattern: allow empty/undefined input at the top of each affected
validator; every check for non-empty typed input is unchanged. One
deliberate exception: the bind-host validator validates `(val ||
defaultHost)` so accepting the default still runs the loopback safety
check rather than bypassing it
- New `cli/src/__tests__/prompt-default-accept.test.ts` (repo-convention
vitest + clack mock reproducing real submit semantics — validate raw
`""`, then substitute the default): drives the four prompt modules
end-to-end and unit-exercises each captured validator (empty accepted,
garbage still rejected, required-when-fresh still rejected)
## Verification
- `pnpm exec vitest run src/__tests__/prompt-default-accept.test.ts` in
`cli/`: 13/13 pass; with the prompt fixes stashed: 12/13 fail — the
suite reproduces the bug
- Full cli suite: 483 passed; 15 failures are pre-existing/environmental
on the clean tree too (macOS `/var` realpath mismatch in
`worktree.test.ts`, one parallel-run flake that passes in isolation)
- `pnpm run typecheck` in `cli/`: zero errors in `cli/src` (the 228
pre-existing errors in `../server/src` from missing prebuilt workspace
dist are identical with and without the change)
## Risks
- Low. Typed input validates exactly as before; whitespace-only input is
still rejected (clack substitutes the default only for truly-empty
input). The two conditionally-required prompts still hard-require a
value on fresh setups
- No migrations, no API surface changes; CLI-only
## Model Used
Claude Fable 5 (`claude-fable-5`), extended thinking with tool use
(Claude Code); implementation drafted by a subagent on the same model
and reviewed before commit.
## 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