## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip is the control plane for autonomous AI-agent companies.
> - Plugins are the extension point for adding capabilities without
expanding the core product surface.
> - Local plugin development needed a tighter CLI-first loop so plugin
authors can scaffold, run, install, inspect, and reload plugins without
reaching into internal package paths.
> - The server plugin install path also needed local-path handling that
keeps plugin identity, dashboard routes, and development watchers
coherent.
> - This pull request adds the CLI scaffold/install workflow, fixes the
server and SDK edge cases that blocked that loop, and updates the
agent-facing plugin creation skill and docs.
> - The benefit is that contributors can develop plugins from local
folders with a documented, repeatable happy path.
## What Changed
- Added `paperclipai plugin init` coverage and CLI wiring for local
plugin scaffolding.
- Improved local plugin install handling, plugin key route resolution,
dashboard capability behavior, and dev watcher startup/reload behavior.
- Fixed plugin SDK worker entrypoint validation for symlinked package
layouts.
- Added targeted tests for plugin init, server plugin authz/watcher
behavior, SDK worker host validation, and the authoring smoke example.
- Added a short local plugin development guide and refreshed the plugin
authoring guide plus `paperclip-create-plugin` skill instructions.
## Verification
- `pnpm run preflight:workspace-links && pnpm --filter
@paperclipai/plugin-sdk build && pnpm --filter
@paperclipai/create-paperclip-plugin typecheck && pnpm --filter
paperclipai typecheck && pnpm --filter @paperclipai/plugin-sdk typecheck
&& pnpm --filter @paperclipai/server typecheck`
- `pnpm exec vitest run --project paperclipai
cli/src/__tests__/plugin-init.test.ts`
- `pnpm exec vitest run --project @paperclipai/plugin-sdk
packages/plugins/sdk/tests/worker-rpc-host.test.ts`
- `pnpm exec vitest run --project @paperclipai/server
server/src/__tests__/plugin-dev-watcher.test.ts --pool=forks
--poolOptions.forks.isolate=true`
- `pnpm exec vitest run --project @paperclipai/server
server/src/__tests__/plugin-routes-authz.test.ts --pool=forks
--poolOptions.forks.isolate=true`
- `pnpm --dir packages/plugins/examples/plugin-authoring-smoke-example
test`
- Confirmed `pnpm-lock.yaml` is not included in the PR diff.
## Risks
- Medium risk: this touches plugin install routing, CLI command
behavior, and the local development watcher.
- Local path plugin installs execute trusted local code by design; the
new docs call out that trust boundary.
- No database migrations are included.
> 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-enabled local shell and git
workflow, medium reasoning effort. Context window details were not
exposed in this runtime.
## 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 run tests locally and they pass
- [x] I have added or updated tests where applicable
- [x] If this change affects the UI, I have included before/after
screenshots
- [x] I have updated relevant documentation to reflect my changes
- [x] I have considered and documented any risks above
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge
UI screenshots: not applicable; this PR changes CLI/server/plugin docs
and tests, not board UI rendering.
---------
Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents for zero-human companies, and its
CLI import/export path is part of how operators move company state
safely between environments.
> - The `paperclipai company import/export` e2e test is supposed to
validate that portability flow inside a hermetic harness, not against a
developer's live Paperclip home.
> - This regression showed nested CLI subprocesses could silently fall
back to ambient `PAPERCLIP_*` state and mutate a real local instance by
creating extra companies such as `CLI-1-Roundtrip-Test`.
> - The first job was to pin the test subprocesses to isolated config,
home, instance, auth, and context paths, and to add a regression
assertion that proves the nested CLI writes stay inside the test-owned
state.
> - Once the PR was up, CI and Greptile exposed two follow-on issues
that were blocking merge: plugin SDK typecheck bootstrap was racing
across packages in fresh CI, and the new lock helper needed one more fix
to release its lock on failure.
> - This pull request therefore ends up doing two tightly related
things: fixing the original CLI isolation leak, and hardening the
supporting typecheck/bootstrap path enough for the fix to verify cleanly
in CI.
> - The benefit is that the portability e2e test is now actually
isolated, and the PR verification path is stable enough to catch
regressions instead of introducing its own nondeterministic failures.
## What Changed
- Hardened `cli/src/__tests__/company-import-export-e2e.test.ts` so
nested CLI subprocesses re-seed isolated `PAPERCLIP_CONFIG`,
`PAPERCLIP_HOME`, `PAPERCLIP_INSTANCE_ID`, `PAPERCLIP_CONTEXT`,
`PAPERCLIP_AUTH_STORE`, and throwaway `HOME` values instead of falling
back to ambient machine state.
- Added a regression assertion around `paperclipai context set --json`,
then cleared the temporary `context.json` so the isolation check and the
later export/import flow stay independent.
- Passed the same isolated `HOME` into the server subprocess so both
sides of the e2e harness are symmetric.
- Introduced locking in `scripts/ensure-plugin-build-deps.mjs` and
switched the server/plugin example `typecheck` scripts to use that
helper instead of launching concurrent raw `@paperclipai/plugin-sdk`
builds.
- Fixed the helper failure path so it releases the lock before exiting
non-zero, which prevents stale-lock timeouts during parallel typecheck
runs.
## Verification
- `pnpm vitest run cli/src/__tests__/company-import-export-e2e.test.ts
--project paperclipai`
- `pnpm --filter paperclipai typecheck`
- `pnpm -r typecheck`
- PR checks now pass on the current head, including `policy`, `verify`,
`e2e`, `security/snyk`, and `Greptile Review`.
## Risks
- Low risk. The product-facing behavior change is scoped to test harness
code in the CLI e2e suite.
- The CI stabilization changes only affect bootstrap/typecheck helper
paths for the server and plugin/example packages, but they do touch
shared verification plumbing; the main risk is changing how fresh build
artifacts are prepared in local/CI typecheck runs.
## Model Used
- Anthropic Claude via Paperclip `claude_local`, model
`claude-opus-4-7`, high-effort local coding agent, used for the initial
implementation and first peer-reviewed verification.
- OpenAI Codex via Paperclip `codex_local`, model `gpt-5.4`, high
reasoning-effort local coding agent with tool use, used for CI triage,
Greptile follow-up fixes, verification, and PR maintenance.
## 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 run tests locally and they pass
- [x] I have added or updated tests where applicable
- [x] If this change affects the UI, I have included before/after
screenshots
- [x] I have updated relevant documentation to reflect my changes
- [x] I have considered and documented any risks above
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge
Addresses GHSA-mw96-cpmx-2vgc (arbitrary file write via path
traversal in rollup <4.59.0). Bumps the direct dependency in the
plugin authoring example and adds a pnpm override for transitive
copies via Vite.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Dotta