forked from farhoodlabs/paperclip
Devin Foley
90631b09b3
## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents for zero-human companies, running
adapter
> commands like `claude`, `codex`, `pi` either locally or on remote
runtimes
> (SSH hosts, sandboxes, etc.)
> - On a fresh remote runtime — particularly an ephemeral sandbox — the
> adapter's CLI may not be installed yet. Today operators handle this
via
> external configuration (e.g. a project-level `provisionCommand` shell
> script) that has to know about every adapter the operator might want
to use
> - This means every adapter has its own well-known npm package, but
operators
> end up writing duplicate provision shell scripts that paste together
> `npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code`, `npm install -g
@openai/codex`,
> etc. — knowledge the adapter itself already has
> - This PR moves that knowledge into the adapter modules: each adapter
declares
> how its runtime command should be detected and (if applicable)
installed
> via `getRuntimeCommandSpec(config)`. The execution path runs the
adapter's
> own install command on remote sandbox targets before launching, so a
fresh
> sandbox bootstraps itself instead of requiring a hand-written
provision script
> - The benefit is fewer footguns for operators provisioning remote
runtimes,
> and a clean place for new adapters to plug in their install recipe
## What Changed
- New types in `packages/adapter-utils/src/types.ts`:
- `AdapterRuntimeCommandSpec` describing `command`, optional
`detectCommand`, and optional `installCommand`
- Optional `getRuntimeCommandSpec(config)` on `ServerAdapterModule`
- Optional `runtimeCommandSpec` on `AdapterExecutionContext` so adapters
receive the resolved spec at execute time
- New helper `ensureAdapterExecutionTargetRuntimeCommandInstalled(...)`
in
`packages/adapter-utils/src/execution-target.ts` that runs the install
command
on remote targets when `transport === "sandbox"`. SSH and local targets
are
no-ops. Throws on timeout or non-zero exit so failures surface early.
- Each of `claude-local`, `codex-local`, `cursor-local`, `gemini-local`,
`opencode-local`, `pi-local`'s `execute.ts` now reads
`ctx.runtimeCommandSpec?.installCommand` and calls the helper before
launching
the adapter command.
- `server/src/adapters/registry.ts` declares `getRuntimeCommandSpec` for
each
adapter:
- claude/codex/gemini/opencode/pi-local: `npm install -g <package>`
recipe via
a shared `buildNpmRuntimeCommandSpec` helper, with a defensive guard
that
only auto-installs when the configured `command` matches the well-known
fallback (custom binaries are left alone).
- cursor-local: declares `command` only; no auto-install (no public npm
package), preserving the existing manual setup.
- `server/src/services/heartbeat.ts` resolves the spec via
`adapter.getRuntimeCommandSpec?.(runtimeConfig)` and passes it through
to
`AdapterExecutionContext`.
- Tests added in `execution-target.test.ts` (~75 lines), e2b
`plugin.test.ts` (~32 lines), and `environment-run-orchestrator.test.ts`
(~76 lines).
## Verification
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/adapter-utils test`
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/server test --
environment-run-orchestrator`
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/sandbox-providers-e2b test`
- Manual QA: run an adapter (claude/codex/etc.) against a fresh
sandbox-backed
environment that does NOT have the adapter CLI pre-installed. Confirm
the
install runs once at the start of the agent run and the adapter then
launches
successfully. Re-run on the same sandbox; confirm the install command is
idempotent and the second run starts faster.
- Confirm SSH and local execution paths are unaffected (gated by
`transport === "sandbox"`).
## Risks
- Behavioural shift on sandbox runs: a new install step now runs at the
start
of every sandbox agent run for adapters with `installCommand` set. The
install commands are idempotent (`if ! command -v X >/dev/null 2>&1;
then
npm install -g <pkg>; fi`), so this is fast on warm sandboxes. On a cold
sandbox, the first run takes longer.
- Operators who used the legacy project-level `provisionCommand` to
install
adapter CLIs can drop that part of their script; the adapter handles it
now.
Existing scripts continue to work — installs are idempotent.
- The cursor-local adapter has no auto-install (no public npm package).
Behaviour for cursor-local on sandboxes is unchanged.
- New optional surface on `ServerAdapterModule`. Plugins that don't
implement
`getRuntimeCommandSpec` retain previous behaviour (no auto-install).
## 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