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PaperClipAI/docs/deploy/environment-variables.md
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Devin Foley 9c03443c48 feat: hideable company settings pages, with import floored on cloud-managed instances (#12199)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work
> - The app can run self-hosted or as a cloud-managed instance, where a
hosting platform provisions the instance with its company already
materialized (the existing `isCloudManagedInstance()` predicate and
`cloud_managed` floors)
> - The company Import/Export surface lets an operator materialize whole
companies from an export bundle; on a cloud-managed instance this
bypasses the existing `cloud_managed` company-creation floor and
conflicts with platform-owned provisioning
> - Importing should be disabled on cloud-managed instances, while
export stays open as the data-portability escape hatch
> - This pull request floors every import route with 403
`code=cloud_managed` on cloud-managed instances and hides the Import UI
there, using the existing predicate and the established floor pattern
> - It also extends the operator-hidden settings registry with keys for
every top-level company settings page, so a hosting operator can hide
any of them with `PAPERCLIP_HIDDEN_SETTINGS` alone next time
> - The benefit is one consistent managed-instance policy: cloud-managed
instances cannot import companies, self-hosted installs keep the full
import surface unchanged

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

No public issue exists; the underlying problem follows the enhancement
template.

**What existing behavior does this improve?**

The company import surface (`/api/companies/import*`,
`/api/companies/:companyId/imports/*`) and its UI entry points on
cloud-managed instances.

**Subsystem affected**

Server routes (`server/src/routes/companies.ts`) and UI navigation/pages
(settings sidebar, settings tabs, org chart, `/company/import` route).

**Current behavior**

A cloud-managed instance floors direct company creation (`POST
/api/companies` answers 403 `cloud_managed`), but the import routes
still accept company bundles, so an import can materialize companies the
hosting platform did not provision. The UI offers Import entry points
that lead to a surface that is not available on cloud-managed instances.

**Proposed behavior**

On instances where `isCloudManagedInstance()` is true, every import
route answers 403 `code=cloud_managed` before auth and body work, and
the Import UI (sidebar entry, settings tab, org-chart button,
`/company/import` route) is hidden or redirected. Export remains fully
available. Self-hosted instances are unchanged.

**Reason and benefit**

Cloud-managed instances keep one consistent provisioning authority, and
users do not see an Import surface that dead-ends in a 403.

## What Changed

- `server/src/routes/companies.ts`: a router-level floor mounted at the
`/import` and `/:companyId/imports` prefixes. It covers the single-shot
upload, preview, job polling, chunked transfer
declare/part-upload/status/preview/apply, and the agent-safe per-company
import routes. It throws `forbidden(..., { code: "cloud_managed" })` on
cloud-managed instances, or `403 settings_operator_managed` when the
operator hides `company.import` — both before auth and body validation,
mirroring the company-creation floor.
- `packages/shared/src/settings-visibility.ts`: new
`HIDEABLE_COMPANY_PAGES` registry group — `company.members`,
`company.invites`, `company.secrets`, `company.export`, `company.import`
— with a `hidesCompanyPage` helper. The company General page stays
non-hideable (settings root). `company.import` floors its API; the other
keys are UI-visibility only, as documented in the registry, so
membership/invite/secret/export APIs stay live for agents.
- `ui/src/components/CloudManagedPageGate.tsx` (new): route gate that
redirects cloud-managed instances to `/company/settings`, modeled on
`HiddenSettingsPageGate`.
- `ui/src/App.tsx`: wraps the `company/import` route in
`CloudManagedPageGate`.
- `ui/src/components/CompanySettingsSidebar.tsx`,
`ui/src/components/access/CompanySettingsNav.tsx`,
`ui/src/pages/OrgChart.tsx`: hide the Import entry points when
`useCloudInstance()` reports a managed instance, and honor the new
`company.*` hidden-settings keys for every company page entry (sidebar
item, tab, org-chart buttons).
- `ui/src/App.tsx`: `HiddenSettingsPageGate` route gates for the members
(incl. the legacy access route), invites, secrets, export, and import
pages under their `company.*` keys.
- `docs/deploy/environment-variables.md`: documents the new keys and
their semantics; the CLI and board-operator guides note that import is
unavailable on cloud-managed instances.
- Tests: new `server/src/__tests__/company-import-cloud-floor.test.ts`
and `ui/src/components/CloudManagedPageGate.test.tsx`, registry cases in
`packages/shared/src/settings-visibility.test.ts`, plus cloud and
hidden-key cases in the sidebar, settings-nav, and org-chart suites.

## Verification

- TypeScript typechecks pass for every workspace package (`tsc` in
shared, server, ui; the runner's Rust leg needs a local cargo toolchain
and is covered by CI).
- `pnpm test` on this branch fails only in 9 files that also fail on a
clean `origin/master` checkout on the same machine
(environment-dependent suites: live-listener probes,
workspace/native-runtime spawns, skill materialization). Zero
branch-only failures against that baseline; every suite touched by this
change passes.
- `server/src/__tests__/company-import-cloud-floor.test.ts` asserts:
every import route answers 403 `cloud_managed` under the server-token
signal; the managed-config signal alone also floors; every import route
answers 403 `settings_operator_managed` when `company.import` is hidden;
hiding other company pages leaves import open; the floor applies before
auth and body validation; export stays open on cloud-managed instances;
self-hosted import preview and job polling still work.
- `packages/shared/src/settings-visibility.test.ts` covers the new
`company.*` keys and `hidesCompanyPage`.
- UI suites assert the Import tab, sidebar entry, and org-chart button
disappear on a cloud-managed instance while Export stays, that
`/company/import` redirects through the gate, and that the `company.*`
keys hide their sidebar entries and tabs.

## Risks

- Low risk for self-hosted installs: the floor is inert unless a cloud
signal (`PAPERCLIP_CLOUD_TENANT_SERVER_TOKEN` or
`PAPERCLIP_MANAGED_CONFIG`) is present, and the self-hosted paths are
regression-tested.
- On cloud-managed instances this is a deliberate behavioral removal:
import (including agent-driven safe imports and resumable transfers)
stops working the moment an instance runs this build. In-flight chunked
transfers on such instances cannot be applied afterward; they answer
403.
- CLI import commands against a cloud-managed instance now fail with the
`cloud_managed` error; the message names the reason.
- The new `company.*` keys change nothing unless an operator sets them:
`PAPERCLIP_HIDDEN_SETTINGS` unset keeps behavior identical, and older
images ignore unknown keys by design. The four non-import company keys
hide UI only; their APIs stay live, which the registry documents
explicitly.

## Model Used

Claude Fable 5 (`claude-fable-5`, Anthropic) via Claude Code — agentic
coding session with tool use (code search, editing, local test
execution).

## 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
- [ ] 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
2026-08-25 16:06:35 -07:00

5.0 KiB

title, summary
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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_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.

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.heartbeats, 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.keyboardShortcuts, 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.
  • 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.

Unknown keys are logged and ignored, so one list can be rolled across a fleet of mixed app versions. 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.

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)