forked from farhoodlabs/paperclip
Devin Foley
6c090f84a9
## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents for zero-human companies
> - Agents executing on remote SSH hosts receive an env map built from
the host
> process's env plus per-run additions like `PAPERCLIP_API_KEY`,
> `PAPERCLIP_RUN_ID`, etc.
> - The env map currently includes inherited host vars by default,
including
> identity-bound ones like `PATH`, `HOME`, `USER`, `NVM_DIR`, `XDG_*` —
> variables whose values are meaningful only on the host they came from
> - Sending the host's `PATH` (containing host-only directories like a
local
> nvm install path) to a remote SSH box overrides the remote's actual
`PATH`
> and breaks command resolution. Same hazard for `HOME` (commands
looking for
> config files end up in a non-existent dir), `USER` (writes go to the
wrong
> path), etc.
> - This PR adds `sanitizeSshRemoteEnv()` that drops inherited
identity-bound
> vars when their value matches the host process's value. Explicitly-set
> values pass through untouched, so callers that genuinely want to
override
> remote `PATH` etc. still can — but accidental leakage from
> `process.env` is filtered.
> - The benefit is that SSH remote execution stops corrupting the remote
> shell's environment with host-shaped paths, so commands resolve
correctly
> against the remote PATH and config files land in the remote `HOME`
## What Changed
- New `sanitizeSshRemoteEnv(env, inheritedEnv = process.env)` in
`packages/adapter-utils/src/server-utils.ts`. The identity-bound key set
is:
- `PATH`, `HOME`, `PWD`, `SHELL`, `USER`, `LOGNAME`
- `NVM_DIR`, `TMPDIR`, `TMP`, `TEMP`
- `XDG_CONFIG_HOME`, `XDG_CACHE_HOME`, `XDG_DATA_HOME`,
`XDG_STATE_HOME`, `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR`
For any key in this set, the entry is dropped iff the env value equals
the
inherited (host process) value. Other keys pass through unchanged.
- `readEnvValueCaseInsensitive(...)` helper handles Windows-style
case-insensitive env var lookups.
- Wired into `resolveSpawnTarget(...)` for the SSH transport. Sandbox
and local
paths are unaffected.
- Tests added in `server-utils.test.ts` (~50 lines) covering: matching
keys
filtered, mismatched keys preserved, non-identity keys passed through,
case
insensitivity.
## Verification
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/adapter-utils test -- server-utils`
- Manual QA: run any adapter against an SSH-backed environment, confirm
remote command resolution works (e.g. `node`, `npm`, the adapter's CLI)
and
config files land in the remote user's `HOME`. Compare to the prior
behaviour
by transiently re-introducing the inherited `PATH` and watching commands
fail with `command not found`.
## Risks
- Behavioural shift: SSH remote execution previously passed inherited
host env
vars verbatim. Code that relied on that (e.g. a remote command somehow
expecting the host's `PATH`) will see different behaviour. None of the
adapter code in this repo has such a dependency.
- Edge case: if a caller explicitly sets `PATH` to the same value as the
host's
`PATH` (literally — same exact string), the sanitizer drops it as a
leak.
In practice no caller constructs the env this way.
- Windows host: case-insensitive lookup handles `Path` vs `PATH`
correctly.
Tested.
## Model Used
- OpenAI GPT-5.4 (reasoning effort: high) via Codex CLI
- Provider: OpenAI
- Used to author the code changes in this PR
## 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 — N/A
- [ ] I have updated relevant documentation to reflect my changes — N/A
- [x] I have considered and documented any risks above
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge