feat(adapters): add capability flags to ServerAdapterModule (#3540)

## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents via adapters (`claude_local`,
`codex_local`, etc.)
> - Each adapter type has different capabilities — instructions bundles,
skill materialization, local JWT — but these were gated by 5 hardcoded
type lists scattered across server routes and UI components
> - External adapter plugins (e.g. a future `opencode_k8s`) cannot add
themselves to those hardcoded lists without patching Paperclip source
> - The existing `supportsLocalAgentJwt` field on `ServerAdapterModule`
proves the right pattern already exists; it just wasn't applied to the
other capability gates
> - This pull request replaces the 4 remaining hardcoded lists with
declarative capability flags on `ServerAdapterModule`, exposed through
the adapter listing API
> - The benefit is that external adapter plugins can now declare their
own capabilities without any changes to Paperclip source code

## What Changed

- **`packages/adapter-utils/src/types.ts`** — added optional capability
fields to `ServerAdapterModule`: `supportsInstructionsBundle`,
`instructionsPathKey`, `requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills`
- **`server/src/routes/agents.ts`** — replaced
`DEFAULT_MANAGED_INSTRUCTIONS_ADAPTER_TYPES` and
`ADAPTERS_REQUIRING_MATERIALIZED_RUNTIME_SKILLS` hardcoded sets with
capability-aware helper functions that fall back to the legacy sets for
adapters that don't set flags
- **`server/src/routes/adapters.ts`** — `GET /api/adapters` now includes
a `capabilities` object per adapter (all four flags + derived
`supportsSkills`)
- **`server/src/adapters/registry.ts`** — all built-in adapters
(`claude_local`, `codex_local`, `process`, `cursor`) now declare flags
explicitly
- **`ui/src/adapters/use-adapter-capabilities.ts`** — new hook that
fetches adapter capabilities from the API
- **`ui/src/pages/AgentDetail.tsx`** — replaced hardcoded `isLocal`
allowlist with `capabilities.supportsInstructionsBundle` from the API
- **`ui/src/components/AgentConfigForm.tsx`** /
**`OnboardingWizard.tsx`** — replaced `NONLOCAL_TYPES` denylist with
capability-based checks
- **`server/src/__tests__/adapter-registry.test.ts`** /
**`adapter-routes.test.ts`** — tests covering flag exposure,
undefined-when-unset, and per-adapter values
- **`docs/adapters/creating-an-adapter.md`** — new "Capability Flags"
section documenting all flags and an example for external plugin authors

## Verification

- Run `pnpm test --filter=@paperclip/server -- adapter-registry
adapter-routes` — all new tests pass
- Run `pnpm test --filter=@paperclip/adapter-utils` — existing tests
still pass
- Spin up dev server, open an agent with `claude_local` type —
instructions bundle tab still visible
- Create/open an agent with a non-local type — instructions bundle tab
still hidden
- Call `GET /api/adapters` and verify each adapter includes a
`capabilities` object with the correct flags

## Risks

- **Low risk overall** — all new flags are optional with
backwards-compatible fallbacks to the existing hardcoded sets; no
adapter behaviour changes unless a flag is explicitly set
- Adapters that do not declare flags continue to use the legacy lists,
so there is no regression risk for built-in adapters
- The UI capability hook adds one API call to AgentDetail mount; this is
a pre-existing endpoint, so no new latency path is introduced

## Model Used

- Provider: Anthropic
- Model: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (`claude-sonnet-4-6`)
- Context: 200k token context window
- Mode: Agentic tool use (code editing, bash, grep, file reads)

## 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 run tests locally and they pass
- [x] I have added or updated tests where applicable
- [ ] 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: Pawla Abdul (Bot) <pawla@groombook.dev>
Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>

server/src/__tests__/adapter-registry.test.ts

@@ -95,6 +95,51 @@ describe("server adapter registry", () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it("exposes capability flags from registered adapters", () => {
+    const adapterWithCaps: ServerAdapterModule = {
+      type: "external_test",
+      execute: async () => ({ exitCode: 0, signal: null, timedOut: false }),
+      testEnvironment: async () => ({
+        adapterType: "external_test",
+        status: "pass" as const,
+        checks: [],
+        testedAt: new Date(0).toISOString(),
+      }),
+      supportsLocalAgentJwt: true,
+      supportsInstructionsBundle: true,
+      instructionsPathKey: "customPathKey",
+      requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: true,
+    };
+
+    registerServerAdapter(adapterWithCaps);
+
+    const resolved = findActiveServerAdapter("external_test");
+    expect(resolved).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(resolved!.supportsInstructionsBundle).toBe(true);
+    expect(resolved!.instructionsPathKey).toBe("customPathKey");
+    expect(resolved!.requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills).toBe(true);
+    expect(resolved!.supportsLocalAgentJwt).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns undefined for capability flags on adapters that do not set them", () => {
+    registerServerAdapter(externalAdapter);
+
+    const resolved = findActiveServerAdapter("external_test");
+    expect(resolved).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(resolved!.supportsInstructionsBundle).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resolved!.instructionsPathKey).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resolved!.requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("built-in claude_local adapter declares capability flags", () => {
+    const adapter = findActiveServerAdapter("claude_local");
+    expect(adapter).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(adapter!.supportsInstructionsBundle).toBe(true);
+    expect(adapter!.instructionsPathKey).toBe("instructionsFilePath");
+    expect(adapter!.requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills).toBe(false);
+    expect(adapter!.supportsLocalAgentJwt).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("switches active adapter behavior back to the builtin when an override is paused", async () => {
     const builtIn = findServerAdapter("claude_local");
     expect(builtIn).not.toBeNull();

server/src/__tests__/adapter-routes.test.ts

@@ -77,6 +77,75 @@ describe("adapter routes", () => {
     unregisterServerAdapter("claude_local");
   });
 
+  it("GET /api/adapters includes capabilities object for each adapter", async () => {
+    const app = createApp();
+
+    const res = await request(app).get("/api/adapters");
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(Array.isArray(res.body)).toBe(true);
+    expect(res.body.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+
+    // Every adapter should have a capabilities object
+    for (const adapter of res.body) {
+      expect(adapter.capabilities).toBeDefined();
+      expect(typeof adapter.capabilities.supportsInstructionsBundle).toBe("boolean");
+      expect(typeof adapter.capabilities.supportsSkills).toBe("boolean");
+      expect(typeof adapter.capabilities.supportsLocalAgentJwt).toBe("boolean");
+      expect(typeof adapter.capabilities.requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills).toBe("boolean");
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("GET /api/adapters returns correct capabilities for built-in adapters", async () => {
+    const app = createApp();
+
+    const res = await request(app).get("/api/adapters");
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+
+    // codex_local has instructions bundle + skills + jwt, no materialized skills
+    // (claude_local is overridden by beforeEach, so check codex_local instead)
+    const codexLocal = res.body.find((a: any) => a.type === "codex_local");
+    expect(codexLocal).toBeDefined();
+    expect(codexLocal.capabilities).toMatchObject({
+      supportsInstructionsBundle: true,
+      supportsSkills: true,
+      supportsLocalAgentJwt: true,
+      requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: false,
+    });
+
+    // process adapter should have no local capabilities
+    const processAdapter = res.body.find((a: any) => a.type === "process");
+    expect(processAdapter).toBeDefined();
+    expect(processAdapter.capabilities).toMatchObject({
+      supportsInstructionsBundle: false,
+      supportsSkills: false,
+      supportsLocalAgentJwt: false,
+      requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: false,
+    });
+
+    // cursor adapter should require materialized runtime skills
+    const cursorAdapter = res.body.find((a: any) => a.type === "cursor");
+    expect(cursorAdapter).toBeDefined();
+    expect(cursorAdapter.capabilities.requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills).toBe(true);
+    expect(cursorAdapter.capabilities.supportsInstructionsBundle).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("GET /api/adapters derives supportsSkills from listSkills/syncSkills presence", async () => {
+    const app = createApp();
+
+    const res = await request(app).get("/api/adapters");
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+
+    // http adapter has no listSkills/syncSkills
+    const httpAdapter = res.body.find((a: any) => a.type === "http");
+    expect(httpAdapter).toBeDefined();
+    expect(httpAdapter.capabilities.supportsSkills).toBe(false);
+
+    // codex_local has listSkills/syncSkills
+    const codexLocal = res.body.find((a: any) => a.type === "codex_local");
+    expect(codexLocal).toBeDefined();
+    expect(codexLocal.capabilities.supportsSkills).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("uses the active adapter when resolving config schema for a paused builtin override", async () => {
     const app = createApp();
 

server/src/adapters/registry.ts

@@ -97,6 +97,9 @@ const claudeLocalAdapter: ServerAdapterModule = {
   models: claudeModels,
   listModels: listClaudeModels,
   supportsLocalAgentJwt: true,
+  supportsInstructionsBundle: true,
+  instructionsPathKey: "instructionsFilePath",
+  requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: false,
   agentConfigurationDoc: claudeAgentConfigurationDoc,
   getQuotaWindows: claudeGetQuotaWindows,
 };
@@ -112,6 +115,9 @@ const codexLocalAdapter: ServerAdapterModule = {
   models: codexModels,
   listModels: listCodexModels,
   supportsLocalAgentJwt: true,
+  supportsInstructionsBundle: true,
+  instructionsPathKey: "instructionsFilePath",
+  requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: false,
   agentConfigurationDoc: codexAgentConfigurationDoc,
   getQuotaWindows: codexGetQuotaWindows,
 };
@@ -127,6 +133,9 @@ const cursorLocalAdapter: ServerAdapterModule = {
   models: cursorModels,
   listModels: listCursorModels,
   supportsLocalAgentJwt: true,
+  supportsInstructionsBundle: true,
+  instructionsPathKey: "instructionsFilePath",
+  requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: true,
   agentConfigurationDoc: cursorAgentConfigurationDoc,
 };
 
@@ -140,6 +149,9 @@ const geminiLocalAdapter: ServerAdapterModule = {
   sessionManagement: getAdapterSessionManagement("gemini_local") ?? undefined,
   models: geminiModels,
   supportsLocalAgentJwt: true,
+  supportsInstructionsBundle: true,
+  instructionsPathKey: "instructionsFilePath",
+  requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: true,
   agentConfigurationDoc: geminiAgentConfigurationDoc,
 };
 
@@ -149,6 +161,8 @@ const openclawGatewayAdapter: ServerAdapterModule = {
   testEnvironment: openclawGatewayTestEnvironment,
   models: openclawGatewayModels,
   supportsLocalAgentJwt: false,
+  supportsInstructionsBundle: false,
+  requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: false,
   agentConfigurationDoc: openclawGatewayAgentConfigurationDoc,
 };
 
@@ -163,6 +177,9 @@ const openCodeLocalAdapter: ServerAdapterModule = {
   sessionManagement: getAdapterSessionManagement("opencode_local") ?? undefined,
   listModels: listOpenCodeModels,
   supportsLocalAgentJwt: true,
+  supportsInstructionsBundle: true,
+  instructionsPathKey: "instructionsFilePath",
+  requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: true,
   agentConfigurationDoc: openCodeAgentConfigurationDoc,
 };
 
@@ -177,6 +194,9 @@ const piLocalAdapter: ServerAdapterModule = {
   models: [],
   listModels: listPiModels,
   supportsLocalAgentJwt: true,
+  supportsInstructionsBundle: true,
+  instructionsPathKey: "instructionsFilePath",
+  requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: true,
   agentConfigurationDoc: piAgentConfigurationDoc,
 };
 
@@ -189,6 +209,9 @@ const hermesLocalAdapter: ServerAdapterModule = {
   syncSkills: hermesSyncSkills,
   models: hermesModels,
   supportsLocalAgentJwt: true,
+  supportsInstructionsBundle: true,
+  instructionsPathKey: "instructionsFilePath",
+  requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: false,
   agentConfigurationDoc: hermesAgentConfigurationDoc,
   detectModel: () => detectModelFromHermes(),
 };

server/src/routes/adapters.ts

@@ -59,6 +59,13 @@ interface AdapterInstallRequest {
   version?: string;
 }
 
+interface AdapterCapabilities {
+  supportsInstructionsBundle: boolean;
+  supportsSkills: boolean;
+  supportsLocalAgentJwt: boolean;
+  requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: boolean;
+}
+
 interface AdapterInfo {
   type: string;
   label: string;
@@ -66,6 +73,7 @@ interface AdapterInfo {
   modelsCount: number;
   loaded: boolean;
   disabled: boolean;
+  capabilities: AdapterCapabilities;
   /** True when an external plugin has replaced a built-in adapter of the same type. */
   overriddenBuiltin?: boolean;
   /** True when the external override for a builtin type is currently paused. */
@@ -103,6 +111,15 @@ function readAdapterPackageVersionFromDisk(record: AdapterPluginRecord): string
   }
 }
 
+function buildAdapterCapabilities(adapter: ServerAdapterModule): AdapterCapabilities {
+  return {
+    supportsInstructionsBundle: adapter.supportsInstructionsBundle ?? false,
+    supportsSkills: Boolean(adapter.listSkills || adapter.syncSkills),
+    supportsLocalAgentJwt: adapter.supportsLocalAgentJwt ?? false,
+    requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills: adapter.requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills ?? false,
+  };
+}
+
 function buildAdapterInfo(adapter: ServerAdapterModule, externalRecord: AdapterPluginRecord | undefined, disabledSet: Set<string>): AdapterInfo {
   const fromDisk = externalRecord ? readAdapterPackageVersionFromDisk(externalRecord) : undefined;
   return {
@@ -112,6 +129,7 @@ function buildAdapterInfo(adapter: ServerAdapterModule, externalRecord: AdapterP
     modelsCount: (adapter.models ?? []).length,
     loaded: true, // If it's in the registry, it's loaded
     disabled: disabledSet.has(adapter.type),
+    capabilities: buildAdapterCapabilities(adapter),
     overriddenBuiltin: externalRecord ? BUILTIN_ADAPTER_TYPES.has(adapter.type) : undefined,
     overridePaused: BUILTIN_ADAPTER_TYPES.has(adapter.type) ? isOverridePaused(adapter.type) : undefined,
     // Prefer on-disk package.json so the UI reflects bumps without relying on store-only fields.

server/src/routes/agents.ts

@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ import {
 import { getTelemetryClient } from "../telemetry.js";
 
 export function agentRoutes(db: Db) {
+  // Legacy hardcoded maps — used as fallback when adapter module does not
+  // declare capability flags explicitly.
   const DEFAULT_INSTRUCTIONS_PATH_KEYS: Record<string, string> = {
     claude_local: "instructionsFilePath",
     codex_local: "instructionsFilePath",
@@ -83,6 +85,22 @@ export function agentRoutes(db: Db) {
     pi_local: "instructionsFilePath",
   };
   const DEFAULT_MANAGED_INSTRUCTIONS_ADAPTER_TYPES = new Set(Object.keys(DEFAULT_INSTRUCTIONS_PATH_KEYS));
+
+  /** Check if an adapter supports the managed instructions bundle. */
+  function adapterSupportsInstructionsBundle(adapterType: string): boolean {
+    const adapter = findActiveServerAdapter(adapterType);
+    if (adapter?.supportsInstructionsBundle !== undefined) return adapter.supportsInstructionsBundle;
+    return DEFAULT_MANAGED_INSTRUCTIONS_ADAPTER_TYPES.has(adapterType);
+  }
+
+  /** Resolve the adapter config key for the instructions file path. */
+  function resolveInstructionsPathKey(adapterType: string): string | null {
+    const adapter = findActiveServerAdapter(adapterType);
+    if (adapter?.instructionsPathKey) return adapter.instructionsPathKey;
+    if (adapter?.supportsInstructionsBundle === true) return "instructionsFilePath";
+    if (adapter?.supportsInstructionsBundle === false) return null;
+    return DEFAULT_INSTRUCTIONS_PATH_KEYS[adapterType] ?? null;
+  }
   const KNOWN_INSTRUCTIONS_PATH_KEYS = new Set(["instructionsFilePath", "agentsMdPath"]);
   const KNOWN_INSTRUCTIONS_BUNDLE_KEYS = [
     "instructionsBundleMode",
@@ -557,7 +575,7 @@ export function agentRoutes(db: Db) {
     adapterType: string;
     adapterConfig: unknown;
   }>(agent: T): Promise<T> {
-    if (!DEFAULT_MANAGED_INSTRUCTIONS_ADAPTER_TYPES.has(agent.adapterType)) {
+    if (!adapterSupportsInstructionsBundle(agent.adapterType)) {
       return agent;
     }
 
@@ -638,7 +656,9 @@ export function agentRoutes(db: Db) {
     };
   }
 
-  const ADAPTERS_REQUIRING_MATERIALIZED_RUNTIME_SKILLS = new Set([
+  // Legacy hardcoded set — used as fallback when adapter module does not
+  // declare requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills explicitly.
+  const LEGACY_MATERIALIZED_SKILLS_SET = new Set([
     "cursor",
     "gemini_local",
     "opencode_local",
@@ -646,7 +666,11 @@ export function agentRoutes(db: Db) {
   ]);
 
   function shouldMaterializeRuntimeSkillsForAdapter(adapterType: string) {
-    return ADAPTERS_REQUIRING_MATERIALIZED_RUNTIME_SKILLS.has(adapterType);
+    const adapter = findActiveServerAdapter(adapterType);
+    if (adapter?.requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills !== undefined) {
+      return adapter.requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills;
+    }
+    return LEGACY_MATERIALIZED_SKILLS_SET.has(adapterType);
   }
 
   async function buildRuntimeSkillConfig(
@@ -1617,7 +1641,7 @@ export function agentRoutes(db: Db) {
 
     const existingAdapterConfig = asRecord(existing.adapterConfig) ?? {};
     const explicitKey = asNonEmptyString(req.body.adapterConfigKey);
-    const defaultKey = DEFAULT_INSTRUCTIONS_PATH_KEYS[existing.adapterType] ?? null;
+    const defaultKey = resolveInstructionsPathKey(existing.adapterType);
     const adapterConfigKey = explicitKey ?? defaultKey;
     if (!adapterConfigKey) {
       res.status(422).json({