Improve external agent invite flow (#6183)

## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents for zero-human companies.
> - Agent creation can happen through local runtimes, managed runtimes,
and external agents that onboard through invites.
> - The old OpenClaw-oriented invite UX lived under company
settings/invites and made a gateway-specific path look like a company
access setting.
> - That hid the broader bring-your-own-agent flow and forced operators
to leave the add-agent modal when adding an external agent.
> - This pull request moves external agent invite generation into the
add-agent modal and makes the copy agent-oriented instead of
OpenClaw-only.
> - The benefit is a clearer agent-first onboarding path while company
invites stay focused on human access.

## What Changed

- Added an external-agent invite branch to the add-agent modal,
including a dedicated prompt result view with Back navigation.
- Added a shared agent onboarding prompt builder and focused modal
coverage for prompt replacement/back navigation.
- Removed the agent invite prompt UI from Company Settings and Company
Invites, leaving Company Invites focused on human access links and
invite history.
- Updated the hidden OpenClaw Gateway runtime hint to direct operators
to the add-agent invite flow instead of presenting it as a blocked
runtime card.
- Updated invite/onboarding docs, storybook coverage, and server-side
onboarding copy toward generic agent language while preserving existing
gateway compatibility.

## Verification

- `pnpm -r typecheck`
- `pnpm build`
- `FAKE_BIN="$(mktemp -d)/bin"; mkdir -p "$FAKE_BIN"; printf
'#!/bin/sh\nexit 1\n' > "$FAKE_BIN/tailscale"; chmod +x
"$FAKE_BIN/tailscale"; PATH="$FAKE_BIN:$PATH" pnpm test:run`
- `pnpm test:run` without the fake `tailscale` shim was also attempted;
it failed only in two pre-existing CLI tailnet fallback tests because
this host has a real Tailscale address (`100.125.202.3`) where those
tests expect no Tailscale.
- Focused confirmation for that host-env issue: `FAKE_BIN=...
PATH="$FAKE_BIN:$PATH" pnpm exec vitest run --project paperclipai
cli/src/__tests__/network-bind.test.ts
cli/src/__tests__/onboard.test.ts`
- Manual UI verification: served UI locally in light mode, opened
add-agent modal, generated external agent prompt, verified the generated
prompt replaces the form and Back returns to the form.

### Screenshots

![Add agent
modal](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aronprins/paperclip/pr-assets/6183-agent-invites/.github/pr-screenshots/6183/add-agent-modal-light.png)

![External agent invite
form](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aronprins/paperclip/pr-assets/6183-agent-invites/.github/pr-screenshots/6183/external-agent-invite-form-light.png)

![Generated onboarding prompt replacement
view](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aronprins/paperclip/pr-assets/6183-agent-invites/.github/pr-screenshots/6183/onboarding-prompt-result-light.png)

## Risks

- Existing OpenClaw gateway compatibility remains, but operators now
discover external agent onboarding from the add-agent modal instead of
company settings.
- Agent invites still appear in the invite history table, so that page
may show agent-scoped invite rows even though it no longer creates agent
onboarding prompts.
- Low migration risk: no schema changes.

> 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 agent in Codex desktop; tool-enabled
repository, shell, browser, and GitHub workflow. Context window size was
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
- [x] 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
This commit is contained in:
Aron Prins 2026-05-23 16:09:40 +02:00 committed by GitHub
parent e3c875c1c7
commit 897cc322c7
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17 changed files with 693 additions and 451 deletions

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@ -1554,16 +1554,17 @@ function buildInviteOnboardingManifest(
),
onboarding: {
instructions:
"Join as an OpenClaw Gateway agent, save your one-time claim secret, wait for board approval, then claim your API key. Save the claim response token to ~/.openclaw/workspace/paperclip-claimed-api-key.json and load PAPERCLIP_API_KEY from that file before starting heartbeat loops. You MUST submit adapterType='openclaw_gateway', set agentDefaultsPayload.url to your ws:// or wss:// OpenClaw gateway endpoint, and include agentDefaultsPayload.headers.x-openclaw-token (or legacy x-openclaw-auth).",
"Join as an external Paperclip agent, save your one-time claim secret, wait for board approval, then claim your API key. Use requestType='agent', include your agentName and capabilities, and set adapterType plus agentDefaultsPayload for your runtime when applicable. OpenClaw Gateway agents must use adapterType='openclaw_gateway', set agentDefaultsPayload.url to a ws:// or wss:// gateway endpoint, and include agentDefaultsPayload.headers.x-openclaw-token.",
inviteMessage: extractInviteMessage(invite),
recommendedAdapterType: "openclaw_gateway",
recommendedAdapterType: null,
requiredFields: {
requestType: "agent",
agentName: "Display name for this agent",
adapterType: "Use 'openclaw_gateway' for OpenClaw Gateway agents",
adapterType:
"Adapter type for this runtime. Use 'openclaw_gateway' only for OpenClaw Gateway agents.",
capabilities: "Optional capability summary",
agentDefaultsPayload:
"Adapter config for OpenClaw gateway. MUST include url (ws:// or wss://) and headers.x-openclaw-token (or legacy x-openclaw-auth). Optional fields: paperclipApiUrl, waitTimeoutMs, sessionKeyStrategy, sessionKey, role, scopes, disableDeviceAuth, devicePrivateKeyPem."
"Runtime-specific adapter config. OpenClaw Gateway agents must include url (ws:// or wss://) and headers.x-openclaw-token. Other runtimes should include the config their adapter expects."
},
registrationEndpoint: {
method: "POST",
@ -1600,7 +1601,7 @@ function buildInviteOnboardingManifest(
name: "paperclip",
path: skillPath,
url: skillUrl,
installPath: "~/.openclaw/skills/paperclip/SKILL.md"
installPath: "runtime-specific Paperclip skill location"
}
}
};
@ -1651,7 +1652,7 @@ export function buildInviteOnboardingTextDocument(
};
appendBlock(`
# Paperclip OpenClaw Gateway Onboarding
# Paperclip Agent Onboarding
This document is meant to be readable by both humans and agents.
@ -1675,62 +1676,30 @@ export function buildInviteOnboardingTextDocument(
appendBlock(`
## Step 0
Get the OpenClaw gateway auth token (THIS MUST BE SENT)
Token lives in:
Decide which Paperclip adapter type matches your runtime.
~/.openclaw/openclaw.json -> gateway.auth.token
Extract:
TOKEN="$(node -p 'require(process.env.HOME+\"/.openclaw/openclaw.json\").gateway.auth.token')"
test -n "$TOKEN" || (echo "Missing TOKEN" && exit 1)
test "\${#TOKEN}" -ge 16 || (echo "Gateway token unexpectedly short (\${#TOKEN})" && exit 1)
3) IMPORTANT: Don't accidentally drop the token when generating JSON
If you build JSON with Node, pass the token explicitly (argv), don't rely on an un-exported env var.
Safe payload build looks sort of like this (substitute where necessary):
BODY="$(node -e '
const token = process.argv[1];
if (!token) process.exit(2);
const body = {
requestType: "agent",
agentName: "OpenClaw",
adapterType: "openclaw_gateway",
capabilities: "OpenClaw agent adapter",
agentDefaultsPayload: {
url: "ws://127.0.0.1:18789",
paperclipApiUrl: "http://host.docker.internal:3100",
headers: { "x-openclaw-token": token },
waitTimeoutMs: 120000,
sessionKeyStrategy: "issue",
role: "operator",
scopes: ["operator.admin"]
}
};
process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify(body));
' "$TOKEN")"
Use adapterType only when there is a matching Paperclip adapter. Put runtime-specific settings in agentDefaultsPayload.
## Step 1: Submit agent join request
${onboarding.registrationEndpoint.method} ${
onboarding.registrationEndpoint.url
}
IMPORTANT: You MUST include agentDefaultsPayload.headers.x-openclaw-token with your gateway token.
Legacy x-openclaw-auth is also accepted, but x-openclaw-token is preferred.
Use adapterType "openclaw_gateway" and a ws:// or wss:// gateway URL.
Pairing mode requirement:
- Keep device auth enabled (recommended). If devicePrivateKeyPem is omitted, Paperclip generates and persists one during join so pairing approvals are stable.
- You may set disableDeviceAuth=true only for special environments that cannot support pairing.
- First run may return "pairing required" once; approve the pending pairing request in OpenClaw, then retry.
Do NOT use /v1/responses or /hooks/* in this gateway join flow.
Body (JSON):
{
"requestType": "agent",
"agentName": "My Agent",
"adapterType": "adapter_type_for_this_runtime",
"capabilities": "Short summary of what this agent can do",
"agentDefaultsPayload": {}
}
OpenClaw Gateway payload example:
{
"requestType": "agent",
"agentName": "My OpenClaw Agent",
"adapterType": "openclaw_gateway",
"capabilities": "Optional summary",
"capabilities": "OpenClaw gateway agent",
"agentDefaultsPayload": {
"url": "wss://your-openclaw-gateway.example",
"paperclipApiUrl": "https://paperclip-hostname-your-agent-can-reach:3100",
@ -1742,6 +1711,8 @@ export function buildInviteOnboardingTextDocument(
}
}
For OpenClaw Gateway, include agentDefaultsPayload.headers.x-openclaw-token with your gateway token. Legacy x-openclaw-auth is also accepted, but x-openclaw-token is preferred. Do NOT use /v1/responses or /hooks/* in this gateway join flow.
Expected response includes:
- request id
- one-time claimSecret
@ -1760,35 +1731,18 @@ export function buildInviteOnboardingTextDocument(
"claimSecret": "<one-time-claim-secret>"
}
On successful claim, save the full JSON response to:
- ~/.openclaw/workspace/paperclip-claimed-api-key.json
chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/workspace/paperclip-claimed-api-key.json
And set the PAPERCLIP_API_KEY and PAPERCLIP_API_URL in your environment variables as specified here:
https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/environment
e.g.
{
env: {
PAPERCLIP_API_KEY: "...",
PAPERCLIP_API_URL: "...",
},
}
Then set PAPERCLIP_API_KEY and PAPERCLIP_API_URL from the saved token field for every heartbeat run.
On successful claim, save the full JSON response somewhere private for your runtime and set PAPERCLIP_API_KEY and PAPERCLIP_API_URL for future Paperclip API calls.
Important:
- claim secrets expire
- claim secrets are single-use
- claim fails before board approval
## Step 4: Install Paperclip skill in OpenClaw
## Step 4: Install Paperclip skill
GET ${onboarding.skill.url}
Install path: ${onboarding.skill.installPath}
Be sure to prepend your PAPERCLIP_API_URL to the top of your skill and note the path to your PAPERCLIP_API_URL
Use your runtime's normal skill or instruction installation path.
## Text onboarding URL
${onboarding.textInstructions.url}