## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents for zero-human companies, so issue
threads are a core operator surface for reviewing work.
> - The issue detail page is the place where humans read agent messages,
user comments, and execution context together.
> - That thread originally rendered oldest-first, which made recent
activity harder to see during active review.
> - Reversing the thread order changes navigation expectations,
timestamp placement, and the "Jump to latest" affordance, so the UI
behavior needed to move as a coherent set.
> - Because this is a visible core-product behavior shift, it also
needed a safe rollout path instead of becoming the default immediately.
> - This pull request adds the newest-first issue thread behavior behind
an Experimental setting, updates the thread UI to match that mode, and
keeps the legacy oldest-first experience unchanged by default.
> - The benefit is that reviewers can opt into a more recent-first issue
workflow without forcing a global behavior change on every Paperclip
instance.
## What Changed
- Reversed issue thread rendering so the newest comments and messages
appear first when the experiment is enabled.
- Moved the plain comment timestamp into the card header in newest-first
mode and kept the legacy timestamp placement for oldest-first mode.
- Moved the `Jump to latest` control to the bottom of the thread in
newest-first mode while leaving the existing top placement for the
legacy mode.
- Added the `Enable Newest-First Issue Thread` experimental instance
setting and wired issue detail to read that toggle.
- Added regression coverage for thread order, timestamp placement,
jump-button placement, and the issue-detail experiment toggle behavior.
## Verification
- `pnpm -r typecheck`
- `pnpm test:run`
- `pnpm build`
- Focused checks that also passed during issue review:
- `pnpm vitest run src/components/IssueChatThread.test.tsx
src/pages/IssueDetail.test.tsx` in `ui/`
- `pnpm vitest run src/__tests__/instance-settings-routes.test.ts` in
`server/`
- Manual review path:
- Enable `Instance Settings > Experimental > Enable Newest-First Issue
Thread`
- Open an issue with comments/messages and confirm newest activity
renders first, timestamps move into the header, and `Jump to latest`
sits below the thread
- Disable the experiment and confirm the legacy oldest-first behavior
returns
## Risks
- Low risk: the behavioral change is gated behind an instance-level
experimental toggle and defaults off.
- The main regression risk is thread navigation drift between the two
modes, especially around anchor scrolling and the `Jump to latest`
affordance.
- There is some UI coupling between issue-detail query state and
experimental settings fetches, so future changes in that area should
keep both modes covered.
- Screenshots are not attached in this PR body; verification is
described with automated coverage and manual steps instead.
> I checked [`ROADMAP.md`](ROADMAP.md). This is a scoped issue-thread UX
improvement and rollout gate, not a duplicate of a roadmap-level planned
core feature.
## Model Used
- OpenAI Codex via the local `codex_local` Paperclip adapter,
GPT-5-based coding agent with terminal tool use and local code execution
in this repository worktree.
## 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
- [ ] If this change affects the UI, I have included before/after
screenshots
- [ ] 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
## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents for zero-human companies.
> - Heartbeat liveness recovery decides when stalled issue trees need
manager-visible follow-up.
> - Automatic recovery issue creation is useful, but operators need
instance-level controls for how aggressive it is.
> - Without controls, recovery behavior is harder to tune for local
development, production operations, and noisy edge cases.
> - This pull request adds configurable liveness auto-recovery settings
across shared contracts, API routes, services, and the instance
experimental settings UI.
> - The benefit is that operators can keep liveness findings advisory or
enable bounded recovery automation with explicit intervals and lookback
windows.
## What Changed
- Added shared types and validators for liveness auto-recovery settings.
- Extended instance settings routes and services to persist and validate
the new controls.
- Wired heartbeat/recovery services to honor enablement, minimum
interval, and lookback settings.
- Added UI controls for liveness recovery under instance experimental
settings.
- Covered the new server behavior with instance settings and liveness
escalation tests.
## Verification
- `pnpm exec vitest run --project @paperclipai/server
server/src/__tests__/heartbeat-issue-liveness-escalation.test.ts
server/src/__tests__/instance-settings-routes.test.ts --pool=forks
--poolOptions.forks.isolate=true`
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/shared typecheck`
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/server typecheck`
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/ui typecheck`
## Risks
- Moderate behavioral risk because recovery automation timing changes
when enabled; defaults keep existing advisory behavior unless the
setting is turned on.
- No database migration in this PR; settings are stored through the
existing instance settings path.
> 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 model with tool use and local command
execution; context window not exposed by the 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
- [ ] 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>
## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents for zero-human companies
> - The environments subsystem already models execution environments,
but before this branch there was no end-to-end SSH-backed runtime path
for agents to actually run work against a remote box
> - That meant agents could be configured around environment concepts
without a reliable way to execute adapter sessions remotely, sync
workspace state, and preserve run context across supported adapters
> - We also need environment selection to participate in normal
Paperclip control-plane behavior: agent defaults, project/issue
selection, route validation, and environment probing
> - Because this capability is still experimental, the UI surface should
be easy to hide and easy to remove later without undoing the underlying
implementation
> - This pull request adds SSH environment execution support across the
runtime, adapters, routes, schema, and tests, then puts the visible
environment-management UI behind an experimental flag
> - The benefit is that we can validate real SSH-backed agent execution
now while keeping the user-facing controls safely gated until the
feature is ready to come out of experimentation
## What Changed
- Added SSH-backed execution target support in the shared adapter
runtime, including remote workspace preparation, skill/runtime asset
sync, remote session handling, and workspace restore behavior after
runs.
- Added SSH execution coverage for supported local adapters, plus remote
execution tests across Claude, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, OpenCode, and Pi.
- Added environment selection and environment-management backend support
needed for SSH execution, including route/service work, validation,
probing, and agent default environment persistence.
- Added CLI support for SSH environment lab verification and updated
related docs/tests.
- Added the `enableEnvironments` experimental flag and gated the
environment UI behind it on company settings, agent configuration, and
project configuration surfaces.
## Verification
- `pnpm exec vitest run
packages/adapters/claude-local/src/server/execute.remote.test.ts
packages/adapters/cursor-local/src/server/execute.remote.test.ts
packages/adapters/gemini-local/src/server/execute.remote.test.ts
packages/adapters/opencode-local/src/server/execute.remote.test.ts
packages/adapters/pi-local/src/server/execute.remote.test.ts`
- `pnpm exec vitest run server/src/__tests__/environment-routes.test.ts`
- `pnpm exec vitest run
server/src/__tests__/instance-settings-routes.test.ts`
- `pnpm exec vitest run ui/src/lib/new-agent-hire-payload.test.ts
ui/src/lib/new-agent-runtime-config.test.ts`
- `pnpm -r typecheck`
- `pnpm build`
- Manual verification on a branch-local dev server:
- enabled the experimental flag
- created an SSH environment
- created a Linux Claude agent using that environment
- confirmed a run executed on the Linux box and synced workspace changes
back
## Risks
- Medium: this touches runtime execution flow across multiple adapters,
so regressions would likely show up in remote session setup, workspace
sync, or environment selection precedence.
- The UI flag reduces exposure, but the underlying runtime and route
changes are still substantial and rely on migration correctness.
- The change set is broad across adapters, control-plane services,
migrations, and UI gating, so review should pay close attention to
environment-selection precedence and remote workspace lifecycle
behavior.
## Model Used
- OpenAI Codex via Paperclip's local Codex adapter, GPT-5-class coding
model with tool use and code execution in the local repo workspace. The
local adapter does not surface a more specific public model version
string in this branch workflow.
## 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
- [ ] 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
Replace single retentionDays with a three-tier BackupRetentionPolicy:
- Daily: keep all backups (presets: 3, 7, 14 days; default 7)
- Weekly: keep one per calendar week (presets: 1, 2, 4 weeks; default 4)
- Monthly: keep one per calendar month (presets: 1, 3, 6 months; default 1)
Pruning sorts backups newest-first and applies each tier's cutoff,
keeping only the newest entry per ISO week/month bucket. The Instance
Settings General page now shows three preset selectors (no icon, matches
existing page design). Remove Database icon import.
Compress database backups with gzip (.sql.gz), reducing file size ~83%.
Add backup retention configuration to Instance Settings UI with preset
options (7 days, 2 weeks, 1 month). The backup scheduler now reads
retention from the database on each tick so changes take effect without
restart. Default retention changed from 30 to 7 days.
Introduce a singleton instance_settings store and experimental settings API, add the Experimental instance settings page, and gate execution workspace behavior behind the new enableIsolatedWorkspaces flag.
Co-Authored-By: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
Devin Foley