# Paperclip (slim)

> Paperclip is an open-source, self-hosted server and web interface that organises AI agents into a company with an org chart, tasks, budgets and approvals. It drives Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw and other harnesses through adapters.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paperclip.md (~7,700 tokens) · this version ~1,580 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paperclip.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paperclip
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-08

**C · 59/100 · rank #390 of 629 · #12 in Agent harnesses · not agent-ready · confidence medium**


Assessment: Board approvals, budgets with a hard stop and an activity log sit above whichever harnesses do the work, and eleven stable versions shipped in 90 days. The Claude Code and Codex adapters skip permission prompts and the sandbox by default, and twelve security advisories, five of them critical, have been published since April 2026.

## Facts

- Kind: Agent harness · vendor: Paperclip Labs, Inc. · category: Agent harnesses · legal entity: Paperclip Labs, Inc. · provenance 56/100
- Packages: npm `paperclipai`, npm `@paperclipai/mcp-server`, oci `ghcr.io/paperclipai/paperclip`
- Auth: OAuth or key · pricing: Free · x402: no · licence: MIT
- Probe metrics: not measured yet (probes haven't run)
- Interfaces: Web UI and REST API on `http://localhost:3100`, the `paperclipai` CLI with `--json`, a stdio MCP server (`@paperclipai/mcp-server`, 44 tools) and an experimental OAuth MCP endpoint at `/mcp/paperclip`, off by default
- Adapters: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Cursor Cloud, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Pi, Hermes and Hermes Gateway, Grok Build, Kimi Code, OpenClaw gateway, plus custom processes, HTTP endpoints and external adapter packages
- Approvals: Board approval for agent hires, CEO strategy and budget overrides. Execution policies with review and approval stages. Connection actions Allowed, Ask first or Off
- Sandbox: None by default. Local adapters run the harness on the host, and `claude_local` and `codex_local` skip the harness's own prompts by default. Sandbox provider plugins for E2B, Cloudflare, Daytona, Modal, Novita and Kubernetes
- Network: No egress controls found for local runs. Loopback bind by default, with a hostname guard on private deployments
- MCP client: Connectors catalogue and custom MCP servers over HTTP with OAuth, a key or no credentials, reached by agents through a tool gateway
- Models: Whatever each harness runs. Model keys or subscriptions belong to the owner
- Headless: `npx paperclipai@latest onboard --yes`, CLI commands with `--json`, and routines started by cron, webhook or API with `Idempotency-Key`
- Telemetry: On by default, anonymous per the README. `PAPERCLIP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1`, `DO_NOT_TRACK=1`, `CI=true` or `telemetry.enabled: false`. Sentry and OpenTelemetry are opt-in
- Releases in 90 days: 11 stable (2026.720.0 to 2026.1005.0), with canary builds on every push to master
- Storage: Embedded PostgreSQL and local files by default, or the owner's PostgreSQL and S3-compatible storage
- Hosted option: Paperclip Cloud is a waitlist with no published price (https://paperclip.ing/waitlist/)

- Scores: Reliability 66, Performance pending, Schema & documentation 81, Agent ergonomics 70, Security & auth 64, Payments & pricing 60, Task success pending, Maintenance & community 78, Transparency & trust 65 · negative events -10 · total over the 7 assessed categories
- Why: Reliability, Read as local software. · Schema & documentation, The running server publishes OpenAPI at `/api/openapi.json` and validates requests with Zod, and the MCP server's tools take Zod schemas. · Agent ergonomics, Harness reading of the framework line, scored on what an agent or pipeline driving it has to supply. · Security & auth, Harness reading of the framework checklist, as used for the other harnesses. · Payments & pricing, No payment protocol (0). · Maintenance & community, Version 2026.1005.0, dated 5 October 2026 in its notes and published on GitHub and npm on 6 October (30). · Transparency & trust, MIT (30).
- Sources: 29, open questions: 9, both in the full twin
- Capabilities: agent.multi-agent, agent.mcp-client
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/paperclip.json
- Verify (for the vendor): the badge `https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/paperclip.svg` or a link to https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paperclip from a page on paperclip.ing or one of its subdomains, or the README of github.com/paperclipai/paperclip, then `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/verify` `{"slug", "url"}` or `verify_listing` at /mcp; re-checked weekly, no effect on the grade. Snippets in the full twin.

## Before you call it

1. Set `PAPERCLIP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1` or `DO_NOT_TRACK=1` before the first start. Telemetry is on by default
2. Set `dangerouslySkipPermissions` and `dangerouslyBypassApprovalsAndSandbox` to false on agents that read untrusted input, or run them in a sandbox provider
3. Install with Node.js 24.11 or newer, and install and sign in to each harness CLI on the host first. Paperclip assumes they are there
4. Use `--bind lan` or `--bind tailnet` at onboarding for anything beyond one machine. The default `local_trusted` mode treats every request as the board admin
5. Treat 409 on task checkout as owned by another agent and pick different work. The API docs say not to retry

## Connect

```bash
npx paperclipai@latest onboard --yes   # Node.js 24.11 or newer
```

```bash
curl http://localhost:3100/api/health
```

## Similar tools

| Tool | Grade | Score | Shared capabilities | Slim |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| OpenAI Agents SDK | AA | 86.2 | agent.multi-agent, agent.mcp-client | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-agents-sdk.min.md |
| Pydantic AI | A | 83.7 | agent.multi-agent, agent.mcp-client | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pydantic-ai.min.md |
| Microsoft Agent Framework | A | 82.2 | agent.multi-agent, agent.mcp-client | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.min.md |
| Docker Agent | BB | 76.5 | agent.multi-agent, agent.mcp-client | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/docker-agent.min.md |
| Agent Development Kit (ADK) | BB | 74.7 | agent.multi-agent, agent.mcp-client | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-adk.min.md |


## Panel reviews (0, desk reviews from public material, no calls made)