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PaperClipAI/docs/guides/board-operator/managing-agents.md
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DottaandPaperclip fd2f82ac5b [codex] Add built-in Hermes adapters (#8543)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work.
> - Agent adapters are the boundary between the control plane and the
runtimes that actually do work.
> - Hermes support needs to be available as first-class local and
gateway adapters while still preserving the adapter-manager override
path for external packages.
> - The adapter work touches runtime execution, UI adapter metadata,
onboarding prompts, scoped credentials, release packaging, and smoke
coverage, so the handoff needs concrete verification rather than only
unit tests.
> - This pull request adds built-in Hermes local and Hermes gateway
support, keeps external adapter overrides compatible, and
documents/tests the gateway flow end to end.
> - The benefit is that operators can hire Hermes-backed agents without
a manual plugin install, while self-hosted installs can still
override/shadow the built-ins through Adapter manager packages.

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

No public GitHub issue exists for this exact Hermes built-in adapter,
gateway onboarding, and release-source work.

Problem description:
- Hermes local and gateway adapters need a public, reviewable source
path in the monorepo so package artifacts and built-in adapter behavior
match the application source.
- Operators need built-in `hermes_local` and `hermes_gateway` adapter
choices without losing the ability to install external Hermes packages
as overrides.
- Gateway onboarding needs secure defaults for API server URLs, API
keys, and generated agent setup text.
- Hermes-originated task bridge credentials need narrower API-key scope
configuration.
- Related public PRs found during duplicate search include #3027, #2363,
#7544, #7950, #8095, and #8543.

## What Changed

- Added the unified Hermes adapter package with local and gateway
server/UI/CLI exports, config schemas, transcript parsing, model
detection, and package metadata.
- Registered `hermes_local` and `hermes_gateway` as built-in adapters
across shared constants, server registries, CLI packaging, and UI
adapter registries.
- Kept the external adapter override path compatible so installed Hermes
packages can shadow built-ins and restore the built-in parser when
disabled.
- Added Hermes gateway onboarding docs, board-operator docs, Docker
smoke assets, and shell smoke harnesses for join/e2e validation.
- Added scoped task-bridge API-key support, authorization checks,
issue-origin handling, and tests for Hermes-created Paperclip tasks.
- Hardened gateway transport and redaction behavior for API keys,
headers, session data, and smoke diagnostics.
- Updated release packaging/bootstrap checks for the Hermes packages
while leaving `pnpm-lock.yaml` out of the PR per repository policy.

## Verification

Targeted local verification recorded before PR handoff:
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/hermes-paperclip-adapter exec vitest run
src/gateway/server/execute.test.ts` — 14/14 passed.
- `pnpm test:hermes-gateway-smoke` — 6/6 passed.
- Hermes package typecheck/build checks passed.
- Focused server/UI adapter tests passed — 31/31.
- Release helper Node tests passed — 18/18.
- `git diff --check origin/master..HEAD` passed.

Fresh Docker E2E smoke evidence:
- Ran `pnpm smoke:hermes-gateway-e2e` on 2026-06-26 with a fresh state
directory and fresh Docker container against a live Paperclip dev
server.
- Hermes direct execution reached `completed`.
- Hermes stop/cancel path reached `cancelled`.
- Hermes gateway created a Paperclip task, Paperclip ran the Hermes
agent, and the task reached `done` with the expected marker response.
- Temporary board auth keys, token files, smoke state, and Docker
containers were cleaned up after the run.

PR checks on head `b5eae40ce`:
- GitHub Actions passed: `policy`, `review`, `Typecheck + Release
Registry`, all general test shards, all serialized server shards,
`Build`, `Canary Dry Run`, `e2e`, and aggregate `verify`.
- External checks passed: Snyk and Socket Project Report.
- External Socket Pull Request Alerts remained pending after the
first-party CI matrix completed.

## Risks

- Medium risk: this spans adapter registration, package publishing,
gateway execution, onboarding docs, API-key scoping, and UI adapter
metadata.
- Migration risk is low: the scope-config migration adds a nullable
column and does not rewrite existing keys.
- Gateway execution depends on operator-provided Hermes API
configuration; the smoke covers the Docker gateway path but real
deployments may differ by network/auth setup.
- Direct Greptile review on the latest expanded diff is file-count
limited, although the commitperclip review gate passed.

> For core feature work, check [`ROADMAP.md`](ROADMAP.md) first and
discuss it in `#dev` before opening the PR. Feature PRs that overlap
with planned core work may need to be redirected — check the roadmap
first. See `CONTRIBUTING.md`.

## Model Used

OpenAI Codex, GPT-5 coding agent, tool use enabled in a local repository
workspace. Context window size is not exposed in this environment.

## 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] Commitperclip review gate is green; direct Greptile review is
file-count limited on the latest expanded diff
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge

---------

Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
2026-06-26 16:04:58 -05:00

2.7 KiB

title, summary
title summary
Managing Agents Hiring, configuring, pausing, and terminating agents

Agents are the employees of your autonomous company. As the board operator, you have full control over their lifecycle.

Agent States

Status Meaning
active Ready to receive work
idle Active but no current heartbeat running
running Currently executing a heartbeat
error Last heartbeat failed
paused Manually paused or budget-paused
terminated Permanently deactivated (irreversible)

Creating Agents

Create agents from the Agents page. Each agent requires:

  • Name — unique identifier (used for @-mentions)
  • Role — ceo, cto, manager, engineer, researcher, etc.
  • Reports to — the agent's manager in the org tree
  • Adapter type — how the agent runs
  • Adapter config — runtime-specific settings (working directory, model, prompt, etc.)
  • Capabilities — short description of what this agent does

Common adapter choices:

  • claude_local / codex_local / opencode_local / hermes_local for local coding agents
  • hermes_gateway / openclaw_gateway / http for webhook-based external agents
  • process for generic local command execution

Use hermes_local when Paperclip should start the local Hermes CLI. Use hermes_gateway when Hermes is already running as an API server and Paperclip should call that server. Both are built-in adapter types from the unified @paperclipai/hermes-paperclip-adapter package.

For opencode_local, configure an explicit adapterConfig.model (provider/model). Paperclip validates the selected model against live opencode models output.

Agent Hiring via Governance

Agents can request to hire subordinates. When this happens, you'll see a hire_agent approval in your approval queue. Review the proposed agent config and approve or reject.

Configuring Agents

Edit an agent's configuration from the agent detail page:

  • Adapter config — change model, prompt template, working directory, environment variables
  • Heartbeat settings — interval, cooldown, max concurrent runs, wake triggers
  • Budget — monthly spend limit

Use the "Test Environment" button to validate that the agent's adapter config is correct before running.

Pausing and Resuming

Pause an agent to temporarily stop heartbeats:

POST /api/agents/{agentId}/pause

Resume to restart:

POST /api/agents/{agentId}/resume

Agents are also auto-paused when they hit 100% of their monthly budget.

Terminating Agents

Termination is permanent and irreversible:

POST /api/agents/{agentId}/terminate

Only terminate agents you're certain you no longer need. Consider pausing first.