feat(adapters): declarative config-schema API and UI for plugin adapters

Cherry-picked from feat/externalize-hermes-adapter.
Resolved conflicts: kept Hermes as built-in on phase1 branch.

AGENTS.md

@@ -146,3 +146,44 @@ A change is done when all are true:
 2. Typecheck, tests, and build pass
 3. Contracts are synced across db/shared/server/ui
 4. Docs updated when behavior or commands change
+
+## 11. Fork-Specific: HenkDz/paperclip
+
+This is a fork of `paperclipai/paperclip` with QoL patches and an **external-only** Hermes adapter story on branch `feat/externalize-hermes-adapter` ([tree](https://github.com/HenkDz/paperclip/tree/feat/externalize-hermes-adapter)).
+
+### Branch Strategy
+
+- `feat/externalize-hermes-adapter` → core has **no** `hermes-paperclip-adapter` dependency and **no** built-in `hermes_local` registration. Install Hermes via the Adapter Plugin manager (`@henkey/hermes-paperclip-adapter` or a `file:` path).
+- Older fork branches may still document built-in Hermes; treat this file as authoritative for the externalize branch.
+
+### Hermes (plugin only)
+
+- Register through **Board → Adapter manager** (same as Droid). Type remains `hermes_local` once the package is loaded.
+- UI uses generic **config-schema** + **ui-parser.js** from the package — no Hermes imports in `server/` or `ui/` source.
+- Optional: `file:` entry in `~/.paperclip/adapter-plugins.json` for local dev of the adapter repo.
+
+### Local Dev
+
+- Fork runs on port 3101+ (auto-detects if 3100 is taken by upstream instance)
+- `npx vite build` hangs on NTFS — use `node node_modules/vite/bin/vite.js build` instead
+- Server startup from NTFS takes 30-60s — don't assume failure immediately
+- Kill ALL paperclip processes before starting: `pkill -f "paperclip"; pkill -f "tsx.*index.ts"`
+- Vite cache survives `rm -rf dist` — delete both: `rm -rf ui/dist ui/node_modules/.vite`
+
+### Fork QoL Patches (not in upstream)
+
+These are local modifications in the fork's UI. If re-copying source, these must be re-applied:
+
+1. **stderr_group** — amber accordion for MCP init noise in `RunTranscriptView.tsx`
+2. **tool_group** — accordion for consecutive non-terminal tools (write, read, search, browser)
+3. **Dashboard excerpt** — `LatestRunCard` strips markdown, shows first 3 lines/280 chars
+
+### Plugin System
+
+PR #2218 (`feat/external-adapter-phase1`) adds external adapter support. See root `AGENTS.md` for full details.
+
+- Adapters can be loaded as external plugins via `~/.paperclip/adapter-plugins.json`
+- The plugin-loader should have ZERO hardcoded adapter imports — pure dynamic loading
+- `createServerAdapter()` must include ALL optional fields (especially `detectModel`)
+- Built-in UI adapters can shadow external plugin parsers — remove built-in when fully externalizing
+- Reference external adapters: Hermes (`@henkey/hermes-paperclip-adapter` or `file:`) and Droid (npm)

packages/adapter-utils/src/index.ts

@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ export type {
   AdapterModel,
   HireApprovedPayload,
   HireApprovedHookResult,
+  ConfigFieldOption,
+  ConfigFieldSchema,
+  AdapterConfigSchema,
   ServerAdapterModule,
   QuotaWindow,
   ProviderQuotaResult,

packages/adapter-utils/src/types.ts

@@ -261,6 +261,30 @@ export interface ProviderQuotaResult {
   windows: QuotaWindow[];
 }
 
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Adapter config schema — declarative UI config for external adapters
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+export interface ConfigFieldOption {
+  label: string;
+  value: string;
+}
+
+export interface ConfigFieldSchema {
+  key: string;
+  label: string;
+  type: "text" | "select" | "toggle" | "number" | "textarea";
+  options?: ConfigFieldOption[];
+  default?: unknown;
+  hint?: string;
+  required?: boolean;
+  group?: string;
+}
+
+export interface AdapterConfigSchema {
+  fields: ConfigFieldSchema[];
+}
+
 export interface ServerAdapterModule {
   type: string;
   execute(ctx: AdapterExecutionContext): Promise<AdapterExecutionResult>;
@@ -293,6 +317,13 @@ export interface ServerAdapterModule {
    * the adapter does not support detection or no config is found.
    */
   detectModel?: () => Promise<{ model: string; provider: string; source: string; candidates?: string[] } | null>;
+  /**
+   * Optional: return a declarative config schema so the UI can render
+   * adapter-specific form fields without shipping React components.
+   * Dynamic options (e.g. scanning a profiles directory) should be
+   * resolved inside this method — the caller receives a fully hydrated schema.
+   */
+  getConfigSchema?: () => Promise<AdapterConfigSchema> | AdapterConfigSchema;
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -353,4 +384,6 @@ export interface CreateConfigValues {
   maxTurnsPerRun: number;
   heartbeatEnabled: boolean;
   intervalSec: number;
+  /** Arbitrary key-value pairs populated by schema-driven config fields. */
+  adapterSchemaValues?: Record<string, unknown>;
 }

server/src/adapters/types.ts

@@ -25,5 +25,8 @@ export type {
   NativeContextManagement,
   ResolvedSessionCompactionPolicy,
   SessionCompactionPolicy,
+  ConfigFieldOption,
+  ConfigFieldSchema,
+  AdapterConfigSchema,
   ServerAdapterModule,
 } from "@paperclipai/adapter-utils";

server/src/routes/adapters.ts

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ import {
   setAdapterDisabled,
 } from "../services/adapter-plugin-store.js";
 import type { AdapterPluginRecord } from "../services/adapter-plugin-store.js";
-import type { ServerAdapterModule } from "../adapters/types.js";
+import type { ServerAdapterModule, AdapterConfigSchema } from "../adapters/types.js";
 import { loadExternalAdapterPackage, getUiParserSource, getOrExtractUiParserSource, reloadExternalAdapter } from "../adapters/plugin-loader.js";
 import { logger } from "../middleware/logger.js";
 import { assertBoard } from "./authz.js";
@@ -453,6 +453,7 @@ export function adapterRoutes() {
       // Swap in the reloaded module
       unregisterServerAdapter(type);
       registerWithSessionManagement(newModule);
+      configSchemaCache.delete(type);
 
       // Sync store.version from package.json (store may be missing version for local installs).
       const record = getAdapterPluginByType(type);
@@ -520,6 +521,7 @@ export function adapterRoutes() {
 
       unregisterServerAdapter(type);
       registerWithSessionManagement(newModule);
+      configSchemaCache.delete(type);
 
       // Sync store version from disk
       let newVersion: string | undefined;
@@ -541,6 +543,44 @@ export function adapterRoutes() {
     }
   });
 
+  // ── GET /api/adapters/:type/config-schema ────────────────────────────────
+  // Serve a declarative config schema for an adapter's UI form fields.
+  // The adapter's getConfigSchema() resolves all options (static and dynamic)
+  // so the UI receives a fully hydrated schema in a single fetch.
+  const configSchemaCache = new Map<string, { schema: AdapterConfigSchema; fetchedAt: number }>();
+  const CONFIG_SCHEMA_TTL_MS = 30_000;
+
+  router.get("/adapters/:type/config-schema", async (req, res) => {
+    assertBoard(req);
+    const { type } = req.params;
+
+    const adapter = findServerAdapter(type);
+    if (!adapter) {
+      res.status(404).json({ error: `Adapter "${type}" is not registered.` });
+      return;
+    }
+    if (!adapter.getConfigSchema) {
+      res.status(404).json({ error: `Adapter "${type}" does not provide a config schema.` });
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const cached = configSchemaCache.get(type);
+    if (cached && Date.now() - cached.fetchedAt < CONFIG_SCHEMA_TTL_MS) {
+      res.json(cached.schema);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      const schema = await adapter.getConfigSchema();
+      configSchemaCache.set(type, { schema, fetchedAt: Date.now() });
+      res.json(schema);
+    } catch (err) {
+      const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+      logger.error({ err, type }, "Failed to resolve config schema");
+      res.status(500).json({ error: `Failed to resolve config schema: ${message}` });
+    }
+  });
+
   // ── GET /api/adapters/:type/ui-parser.js ─────────────────────────────────
   // Serve the self-contained UI parser JS for an adapter type.
   // This allows external adapters to provide custom run-log parsing

ui/src/adapters/registry.ts

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { hermesLocalUIAdapter } from "./hermes-local";
 import { processUIAdapter } from "./process";
 import { httpUIAdapter } from "./http";
 import { loadDynamicParser } from "./dynamic-loader";
+import { SchemaConfigFields, buildSchemaAdapterConfig } from "./schema-config-fields";
 
 const uiAdapters: UIAdapterModule[] = [];
 const adaptersByType = new Map<string, UIAdapterModule>();
@@ -60,7 +61,6 @@ export function getUIAdapter(type: string): UIAdapterModule {
   const builtIn = adaptersByType.get(type);
 
   if (!builtIn) {
-    // No built-in adapter — fall through to the external-only path.
     let loadStarted = false;
     return {
       type,
@@ -74,16 +74,16 @@ export function getUIAdapter(type: string): UIAdapterModule {
                 type,
                 label: type,
                 parseStdoutLine: parser,
-                ConfigFields: processUIAdapter.ConfigFields,
-                buildAdapterConfig: processUIAdapter.buildAdapterConfig,
+                ConfigFields: SchemaConfigFields,
+                buildAdapterConfig: buildSchemaAdapterConfig,
               });
             }
           });
         }
         return processUIAdapter.parseStdoutLine(line, ts);
       },
-      ConfigFields: processUIAdapter.ConfigFields,
-      buildAdapterConfig: processUIAdapter.buildAdapterConfig,
+      ConfigFields: SchemaConfigFields,
+      buildAdapterConfig: buildSchemaAdapterConfig,
     };
   }
 
@@ -117,16 +117,16 @@ export function syncExternalAdapters(
                 type,
                 label,
                 parseStdoutLine: parser,
-                ConfigFields: processUIAdapter.ConfigFields,
-                buildAdapterConfig: processUIAdapter.buildAdapterConfig,
+                ConfigFields: SchemaConfigFields,
+                buildAdapterConfig: buildSchemaAdapterConfig,
               });
             }
           });
         }
         return processUIAdapter.parseStdoutLine(line, ts);
       },
-      ConfigFields: processUIAdapter.ConfigFields,
-      buildAdapterConfig: processUIAdapter.buildAdapterConfig,
+      ConfigFields: SchemaConfigFields,
+      buildAdapterConfig: buildSchemaAdapterConfig,
     });
   }
 }

ui/src/adapters/schema-config-fields.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,259 @@
+import { useState, useEffect } from "react";
+
+import type { AdapterConfigSchema, ConfigFieldSchema, CreateConfigValues } from "@paperclipai/adapter-utils";
+
+import type { AdapterConfigFieldsProps } from "./types";
+import {
+  Field,
+  DraftInput,
+  DraftNumberInput,
+  DraftTextarea,
+  ToggleField,
+} from "../components/agent-config-primitives";
+
+const inputClass =
+  "w-full rounded-md border border-border px-2.5 py-1.5 bg-transparent outline-none text-sm font-mono placeholder:text-muted-foreground/40";
+
+const selectClass =
+  "w-full rounded-md border border-border px-2.5 py-1.5 bg-transparent outline-none text-sm font-mono";
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Schema cache (module-level, survives re-renders)
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+const schemaCache = new Map<string, AdapterConfigSchema | null>();
+const schemaFetchInflight = new Map<string, Promise<AdapterConfigSchema | null>>();
+const failedSchemaTypes = new Set<string>();
+
+async function fetchConfigSchema(adapterType: string): Promise<AdapterConfigSchema | null> {
+  const cached = schemaCache.get(adapterType);
+  if (cached !== undefined) return cached;
+  if (failedSchemaTypes.has(adapterType)) return null;
+
+  const inflight = schemaFetchInflight.get(adapterType);
+  if (inflight) return inflight;
+
+  const promise = (async () => {
+    try {
+      const res = await fetch(`/api/adapters/${encodeURIComponent(adapterType)}/config-schema`);
+      if (!res.ok) {
+        failedSchemaTypes.add(adapterType);
+        return null;
+      }
+      const schema = (await res.json()) as AdapterConfigSchema;
+      schemaCache.set(adapterType, schema);
+      return schema;
+    } catch {
+      failedSchemaTypes.add(adapterType);
+      return null;
+    } finally {
+      schemaFetchInflight.delete(adapterType);
+    }
+  })();
+
+  schemaFetchInflight.set(adapterType, promise);
+  return promise;
+}
+
+export function invalidateConfigSchemaCache(adapterType: string): void {
+  schemaCache.delete(adapterType);
+  failedSchemaTypes.delete(adapterType);
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Hook
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+function useConfigSchema(adapterType: string): AdapterConfigSchema | null {
+  const [schema, setSchema] = useState<AdapterConfigSchema | null>(
+    schemaCache.get(adapterType) ?? null,
+  );
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let cancelled = false;
+    fetchConfigSchema(adapterType).then((s) => {
+      if (!cancelled) setSchema(s);
+    });
+    return () => {
+      cancelled = true;
+    };
+  }, [adapterType]);
+
+  return schema;
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Helpers
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+function getDefaultValue(field: ConfigFieldSchema): unknown {
+  if (field.default !== undefined) return field.default;
+  switch (field.type) {
+    case "toggle":
+      return false;
+    case "number":
+      return 0;
+    case "text":
+    case "textarea":
+      return "";
+    case "select":
+      return field.options?.[0]?.value ?? "";
+  }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Component
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+export function SchemaConfigFields({
+  adapterType,
+  isCreate,
+  values,
+  set,
+  config,
+  eff,
+  mark,
+}: AdapterConfigFieldsProps) {
+  const schema = useConfigSchema(adapterType);
+
+  const [defaultsApplied, setDefaultsApplied] = useState(false);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!schema || !isCreate || defaultsApplied) return;
+    const defaults: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+    for (const field of schema.fields) {
+      const def = getDefaultValue(field);
+      if (def !== undefined && def !== "") {
+        defaults[field.key] = def;
+      }
+    }
+    if (Object.keys(defaults).length > 0) {
+      set?.({
+        adapterSchemaValues: { ...values?.adapterSchemaValues, ...defaults },
+      });
+    }
+    setDefaultsApplied(true);
+  }, [schema, isCreate, defaultsApplied, set, values?.adapterSchemaValues]);
+
+  if (!schema || schema.fields.length === 0) return null;
+
+  function readValue(field: ConfigFieldSchema): unknown {
+    if (isCreate) {
+      return values?.adapterSchemaValues?.[field.key] ?? getDefaultValue(field);
+    }
+    const stored = config[field.key];
+    return eff("adapterConfig", field.key, (stored ?? getDefaultValue(field)) as string);
+  }
+
+  function writeValue(field: ConfigFieldSchema, value: unknown): void {
+    if (isCreate) {
+      set?.({
+        adapterSchemaValues: {
+          ...values?.adapterSchemaValues,
+          [field.key]: value,
+        },
+      });
+    } else {
+      mark("adapterConfig", field.key, value);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      {schema.fields.map((field) => {
+        switch (field.type) {
+          case "select":
+            return (
+              <Field key={field.key} label={field.label} hint={field.hint}>
+                <select
+                  className={selectClass}
+                  value={String(readValue(field) ?? "")}
+                  onChange={(e) => writeValue(field, e.target.value)}
+                >
+                  {field.options?.map((opt) => (
+                    <option key={opt.value} value={opt.value}>
+                      {opt.label}
+                    </option>
+                  ))}
+                </select>
+              </Field>
+            );
+
+          case "toggle":
+            return (
+              <ToggleField
+                key={field.key}
+                label={field.label}
+                hint={field.hint}
+                checked={readValue(field) === true}
+                onChange={(v) => writeValue(field, v)}
+              />
+            );
+
+          case "number":
+            return (
+              <Field key={field.key} label={field.label} hint={field.hint}>
+                <DraftNumberInput
+                  value={Number(readValue(field) ?? 0)}
+                  onCommit={(v) => writeValue(field, v)}
+                  immediate
+                  className={inputClass}
+                />
+              </Field>
+            );
+
+          case "textarea":
+            return (
+              <Field key={field.key} label={field.label} hint={field.hint}>
+                <DraftTextarea
+                  value={String(readValue(field) ?? "")}
+                  onCommit={(v) => writeValue(field, v || undefined)}
+                  immediate
+                />
+              </Field>
+            );
+
+          case "text":
+          default:
+            return (
+              <Field key={field.key} label={field.label} hint={field.hint}>
+                <DraftInput
+                  value={String(readValue(field) ?? "")}
+                  onCommit={(v) => writeValue(field, v || undefined)}
+                  immediate
+                  className={inputClass}
+                />
+              </Field>
+            );
+        }
+      })}
+    </>
+  );
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Build adapter config from schema values + standard CreateConfigValues fields
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+export function buildSchemaAdapterConfig(
+  values: CreateConfigValues,
+): Record<string, unknown> {
+  const ac: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+
+  if (values.model?.trim()) ac.model = values.model.trim();
+  if (values.cwd) ac.cwd = values.cwd;
+  if (values.command) ac.command = values.command;
+  if (values.instructionsFilePath) ac.instructionsFilePath = values.instructionsFilePath;
+  if (values.thinkingEffort) ac.thinkingEffort = values.thinkingEffort;
+
+  if (values.extraArgs) {
+    ac.extraArgs = values.extraArgs
+      .split(/\s+/)
+      .filter(Boolean);
+  }
+
+  if (values.adapterSchemaValues) {
+    Object.assign(ac, values.adapterSchemaValues);
+  }
+
+  return ac;
+}

ui/src/pages/AdapterManager.tsx

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import { useToast } from "@/context/ToastContext";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
 import { ChoosePathButton } from "@/components/PathInstructionsModal";
 import { invalidateDynamicParser } from "@/adapters/dynamic-loader";
+import { invalidateConfigSchemaCache } from "@/adapters/schema-config-fields";
 
 function AdapterRow({
   adapter,
@@ -215,6 +216,7 @@ export function AdapterManager() {
     onSuccess: (result) => {
       invalidate();
       invalidateDynamicParser(result.type);
+      invalidateConfigSchemaCache(result.type);
       pushToast({
         title: "Adapter reloaded",
         body: `Type "${result.type}" reloaded.${result.version ? ` (v${result.version})` : ""}`,
@@ -231,6 +233,7 @@ export function AdapterManager() {
     onSuccess: (result) => {
       invalidate();
       invalidateDynamicParser(result.type);
+      invalidateConfigSchemaCache(result.type);
       pushToast({
         title: "Adapter reinstalled",
         body: `Type "${result.type}" updated from npm.${result.version ? ` (v${result.version})` : ""}`,