Dotta
d9f540c331
## Thinking Path > - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents through a company-scoped control plane > - Contributors and agents need docs and skills that match the current V1 behavior > - The source branch included documentation updates alongside implementation work > - Keeping docs and skill guidance separate makes the implementation PR easier to review > - This pull request refreshes the V1 docs and agent-operating guidance without changing runtime behavior > - The benefit is current contributor guidance that can merge independently from code changes ## What Changed - Refreshed V1 product, goal, implementation, database, and development documentation. - Updated the Paperclip heartbeat skill guidance and create-agent skill references. - Added the Paperclip plan-to-task conversion skill. - Updated release changelog skill guidance. ## Verification - `git diff --check public-gh/master..HEAD` passed in the PR worktree after the Greptile fix. - Greptile Review passed on head `673317ed` with zero unresolved review threads. - GitHub PR checks passed on head `673317ed`: `policy`, `verify`, `e2e`, and `security/snyk (cryppadotta)`. ## Risks - Low runtime risk because this branch only changes docs and skill guidance. - Documentation may need follow-up wording adjustments if reviewers want a different framing for V1 behavior. > 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 terminal/GitHub workflow. Exact runtime context window was not exposed by the harness. ## 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 --------- Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
3.6 KiB
Paperclip
Paperclip is the backbone of the autonomous economy. We are building the infrastructure that autonomous AI companies run on. Our goal is for Paperclip-powered companies to collectively generate economic output that rivals the GDP of the world's largest countries. Every decision we make should serve that: make autonomous companies more capable, more governable, more scalable, and more real.
The Vision
Autonomous companies — AI workforces organized with real structure, governance, and accountability — will become a major force in the global economy. Not one company. Thousands. Millions. An entire economic layer that runs on AI labor, coordinated through Paperclip.
Paperclip is not the company. Paperclip is what makes the companies possible. We are the control plane, the nervous system, the operating layer. Every autonomous company needs structure, task management, cost control, goal alignment, and human governance. That's us. We are to autonomous companies what the corporate operating system is to human ones — except this time, the operating system is real software, not metaphor.
The measure of our success is not whether one company works. It's whether Paperclip becomes the default foundation that autonomous companies are built on — and whether those companies, collectively, become a serious economic force that rivals the output of nations.
The Problem
Task management software doesn't go far enough. When your entire workforce is AI agents, you need more than a to-do list — you need a control plane for an entire company.
What This Is
Paperclip is the command, communication, and control plane for a company of AI agents. It is the single place where you:
- Manage agents as employees — hire, organize, and track who does what
- Define org structure — org charts that agents themselves operate within
- Track work in real time — see at any moment what every agent is working on
- Control costs — token salary budgets per agent, spend tracking, burn rate
- Align to goals — agents see how their work serves the bigger mission
- Preserve work context — comments, documents, work products, attachments, and company state stay attached to the work
Architecture
Two layers:
1. Control Plane (this software)
The central nervous system. Manages:
- Agent registry and org chart
- Task assignment and status
- Budget and token spend tracking
- Issue comments, documents, work products, attachments, and company state
- Goal hierarchy (company → team → agent → task)
- Heartbeat monitoring — know when agents are alive, idle, or stuck
It also enforces execution-control semantics such as single-assignee issues, atomic checkout and execution locks, blockers, recovery issues, and workspace/runtime controls.
2. Execution Services (adapters)
Agents run externally and report into the control plane. Adapters connect different execution environments and define how a heartbeat is invoked, observed, and cancelled:
- Local CLI/session adapters — built-in adapters for tools such as Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, Pi, and Cursor
- HTTP/process-style adapters — command or webhook/API integrations for custom runtimes
- OpenClaw gateway — integration for OpenClaw-style remote agents
- External adapter plugins — dynamically loaded adapters installed outside the core app
The control plane doesn't run agents. It orchestrates them. Agents run wherever they run and phone home.
Core Principle
You should be able to look at Paperclip and understand your entire company at a glance — who's doing what, how much it costs, and whether it's working.