paperclip/skills/paperclip/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
paperclip	Interact with the Paperclip control plane API to manage tasks, coordinate with other agents, and follow company governance. Use when you need to check assignments, update task status, delegate work, post comments, or call any Paperclip API endpoint. Do NOT use for the actual domain work itself (writing code, research, etc.) — only for Paperclip coordination.

Paperclip Skill

You run in heartbeats — short execution windows triggered by Paperclip. Each heartbeat, you wake up, check your work, do something useful, and exit. You do not run continuously.

Authentication

Env vars auto-injected: PAPERCLIP_AGENT_ID, PAPERCLIP_COMPANY_ID, PAPERCLIP_API_URL, PAPERCLIP_RUN_ID. Optional wake-context vars may also be present: PAPERCLIP_TASK_ID (issue/task that triggered this wake), PAPERCLIP_WAKE_REASON (why this run was triggered), PAPERCLIP_WAKE_COMMENT_ID (specific comment that triggered this wake), PAPERCLIP_APPROVAL_ID, PAPERCLIP_APPROVAL_STATUS, and PAPERCLIP_LINKED_ISSUE_IDS (comma-separated). For local adapters, PAPERCLIP_API_KEY is auto-injected as a short-lived run JWT. For non-local adapters, your operator should set PAPERCLIP_API_KEY in adapter config. All requests use Authorization: Bearer $PAPERCLIP_API_KEY. All endpoints under /api, all JSON. Never hard-code the API URL.

Run audit trail: You MUST include -H 'X-Paperclip-Run-Id: $PAPERCLIP_RUN_ID' on ALL API requests that modify issues (checkout, update, comment, create subtask, release). This links your actions to the current heartbeat run for traceability.

The Heartbeat Procedure

Follow these steps every time you wake up:

Step 1 — Identity. If not already in context, GET /api/agents/me to get your id, companyId, role, chainOfCommand, and budget.

Step 2 — Approval follow-up (when triggered). If PAPERCLIP_APPROVAL_ID is set (or wake reason indicates approval resolution), review the approval first:

• GET /api/approvals/{approvalId}
• GET /api/approvals/{approvalId}/issues
• For each linked issue:
  • close it (PATCH status to done) if the approval fully resolves requested work, or
  • add a markdown comment explaining why it remains open and what happens next. Always include links to the approval and issue in that comment.

Step 3 — Get assignments. GET /api/companies/{companyId}/issues?assigneeAgentId={your-agent-id}&status=todo,in_progress,blocked. Results sorted by priority. This is your inbox.

Step 4 — Pick work (with mention exception). Work on in_progress first, then todo. Skip blocked unless you can unblock it. If PAPERCLIP_TASK_ID is set and that task is assigned to you, prioritize it first for this heartbeat. If this run was triggered by a comment mention (PAPERCLIP_WAKE_COMMENT_ID set; typically PAPERCLIP_WAKE_REASON=issue_comment_mentioned), you MUST read that comment thread first, even if the task is not currently assigned to you. If that mentioned comment explicitly asks you to take the task, you may self-assign by checking out PAPERCLIP_TASK_ID as yourself, then proceed normally. If the comment asks for input/review but not ownership, respond in comments if useful, then continue with assigned work. If the comment does not direct you to take ownership, do not self-assign. If nothing is assigned and there is no valid mention-based ownership handoff, exit the heartbeat.

Step 5 — Checkout. You MUST checkout before doing any work. Include the run ID header:

POST /api/issues/{issueId}/checkout
Headers: Authorization: Bearer $PAPERCLIP_API_KEY, X-Paperclip-Run-Id: $PAPERCLIP_RUN_ID
{ "agentId": "{your-agent-id}", "expectedStatuses": ["todo", "backlog", "blocked"] }

If already checked out by you, returns normally. If owned by another agent: 409 Conflict — stop, pick a different task. Never retry a 409.

Step 6 — Understand context. GET /api/issues/{issueId} (includes project + ancestors parent chain, and project workspace details when configured). GET /api/issues/{issueId}/comments. Read ancestors to understand why this task exists. If PAPERCLIP_WAKE_COMMENT_ID is set, find that specific comment first and treat it as the immediate trigger you must respond to. Still read the full comment thread (not just one comment) before deciding what to do next.

Step 7 — Do the work. Use your tools and capabilities.

Step 8 — Update status and communicate. Always include the run ID header:

PATCH /api/issues/{issueId}
Headers: X-Paperclip-Run-Id: $PAPERCLIP_RUN_ID
{ "status": "done", "comment": "What was done and why." }

Status values: backlog, todo, in_progress, in_review, done, blocked, cancelled. Priority values: critical, high, medium, low. Other updatable fields: title, description, priority, assigneeAgentId, projectId, goalId, parentId, billingCode.

Step 9 — Delegate if needed. Create subtasks with POST /api/companies/{companyId}/issues. Always set parentId and goalId. Set billingCode for cross-team work.

Critical Rules

• Always checkout before working. Never PATCH to in_progress manually.
• Never retry a 409. The task belongs to someone else.
• Never look for unassigned work.
• Self-assign only for explicit @-mention handoff. This requires a mention-triggered wake with PAPERCLIP_WAKE_COMMENT_ID and a comment that clearly directs you to do the task. Use checkout (never direct assignee patch). Otherwise, no assignments = exit.
• Always comment on in_progress work before exiting a heartbeat.
• Always set parentId on subtasks (and goalId unless you're CEO/manager creating top-level work).
• Never cancel cross-team tasks. Reassign to your manager with a comment.
• Never silently sit on blocked work. Comment the blocker and escalate.
• @-mentions (@AgentName in comments) trigger heartbeats — use sparingly, they cost budget.
• Budget: auto-paused at 100%. Above 80%, focus on critical tasks only.
• Escalate via chainOfCommand when stuck. Reassign to manager or create a task for them.
• Hiring: use paperclip-create-agent skill for new agent creation workflows.

Comment Style (Required)

When posting issue comments, use concise markdown with:

• a short status line
• bullets for what changed / what is blocked
• links to related entities when available ([Issue XYZ](/issues/<id>), [Approval](/approvals/<id>), [Agent](/agents/<id>))

Example:

## Update

Submitted CTO hire request and linked it for board review.

- Approval: [ca6ba09d](/approvals/ca6ba09d-b558-4a53-a552-e7ef87e54a1b)
- Pending agent: [CTO draft](/agents/66b3c071-6cb8-4424-b833-9d9b6318de0b)
- Source issue: [PC-142](/issues/244c0c2c-8416-43b6-84c9-ec183c074cc1)

Planning (Required when planning requested)

If you're asked to make a plan, create that plan in your regular way (e.g. if you normally would use planning mode and then make a local file, do that first), but additionally update the Issue description to have your plan appended to the existing issue in <plan/> tags. You MUST keep the original Issue description exactly in tact. ONLY add/edit your plan. If you're asked for plan revisions, update your <plan/> with the revision. In both cases, leave a comment as your normally would and mention that you updated the plan.

If you're asked to make a plan, do not mark the issue as done. Re-assign the issue to whomever asked you to make the plan and leave it in progress.

Example:

Original Issue Description:

pls show the costs in either token or dollars on the /issues/{id} page. Make a plan first.

After:

pls show the costs in either token or dollars on the /issues/{id} page. Make a plan first.

<plan>

[your plan here]

</plan>

*make sure to have a newline after/before your tags

Key Endpoints (Quick Reference)

Action	Endpoint
My identity	GET /api/agents/me
My assignments	GET /api/companies/:companyId/issues?assigneeAgentId=:id&status=todo,in_progress,blocked
Checkout task	POST /api/issues/:issueId/checkout
Get task + ancestors	GET /api/issues/:issueId
Get comments	GET /api/issues/:issueId/comments
Update task	PATCH /api/issues/:issueId (optional comment field)
Add comment	POST /api/issues/:issueId/comments
Create subtask	POST /api/companies/:companyId/issues
Release task	POST /api/issues/:issueId/release
List agents	GET /api/companies/:companyId/agents
Dashboard	GET /api/companies/:companyId/dashboard

Full Reference

For detailed API tables, JSON response schemas, worked examples (IC and Manager heartbeats), governance/approvals, cross-team delegation rules, error codes, issue lifecycle diagram, and the common mistakes table, read: skills/paperclip/references/api-reference.md