## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip is a control plane for autonomous AI companies, where
adapters are the boundary between the board, agents, and execution
runtimes.
> - Local adapters currently expose a primary runtime configuration, but
operators often need a cheaper model lane for routine or low-risk work.
> - That cheap lane has to stay adapter-owned: runtime profile settings
should not mutate the primary adapter config or bypass existing
auth/secret mediation.
> - Issue creation also needs an ergonomic way to request primary,
cheap, or custom model behavior for a selected assignee.
> - This pull request adds a first-class `cheap` model profile contract
across adapter capabilities, heartbeat config resolution, agent
configuration, and issue creation.
> - The benefit is cheaper task execution can be configured and
requested explicitly while preserving adapter boundaries, secret
handling, and audit visibility.
## What Changed
- Added adapter model-profile capability metadata and a `cheap` profile
contract for supported local adapters.
- Applied `runtimeConfig.modelProfiles.cheap.adapterConfig` during
heartbeat config resolution, including requested/applied/fallback run
metadata.
- Added agent configuration UI for cheap model profile settings without
writing those settings into primary `adapterConfig`.
- Added New Issue assignee model lane controls for Primary / Cheap /
Custom and request payload handling.
- Added run ledger profile badges and Storybook stories for the new
cheap-lane UI states.
- Added tests for validators, heartbeat model profile application,
permission/secret mediation, UI payload helpers, and run ledger
rendering.
- Added committed UI verification screenshots under
`docs/pr-screenshots/pap-2837/`.
- Addressed Greptile review feedback around cheap-profile defaults,
shared profile types, and fallback test data.
## Verification
Local:
- `pnpm exec vitest run packages/shared/src/validators/issue.test.ts
server/src/__tests__/adapter-registry.test.ts
server/src/__tests__/agent-permissions-routes.test.ts
server/src/__tests__/heartbeat-model-profile.test.ts
ui/src/components/IssueRunLedger.test.tsx
ui/src/lib/agent-config-patch.test.ts
ui/src/lib/issue-assignee-overrides.test.ts
ui/src/lib/new-agent-runtime-config.test.ts` — passed, 8 files / 103
tests.
- `pnpm exec vitest run ui/src/lib/new-agent-runtime-config.test.ts
ui/src/components/IssueRunLedger.test.tsx` — passed after
Greptile/rebase follow-up, 2 files / 17 tests.
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/ui typecheck` — passed after
Greptile/rebase follow-up.
- `pnpm -r typecheck` — passed.
- `pnpm build` — passed.
- `pnpm test:run` — did not complete successfully in this local
worktree: it stopped in pre-existing `@paperclipai/adapter-utils`
sandbox/SSH fixture suites outside this PR diff. Failures were 5s local
timeouts plus `git init -b` unsupported by this machine's Git 2.21.0.
The branch-specific targeted suites above passed.
- Branch was fetched/rebased onto `public-gh/master`; `git rev-list
--left-right --count public-gh/master...HEAD` reports `0 9`.
Remote PR checks on latest head
`e30bf399146451c86cee98ed528d51d33fa5af5a`:
- `policy` — passed.
- `verify` — passed.
- `e2e` — passed.
- `Greptile Review` — passed, confidence score 5/5; Greptile review
threads resolved.
- `security/snyk (cryppadotta)` — passed.
Screenshots:
- [New issue cheap lane
desktop](https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/blob/PAP-2837-plan-cheap-model-for-adapters-that-can-support-it/docs/pr-screenshots/pap-2837/newissue-cheap-desktop.png)
- [New issue custom lane
desktop](https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/blob/PAP-2837-plan-cheap-model-for-adapters-that-can-support-it/docs/pr-screenshots/pap-2837/newissue-custom-desktop.png)
- [New issue unsupported adapter
desktop](https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/blob/PAP-2837-plan-cheap-model-for-adapters-that-can-support-it/docs/pr-screenshots/pap-2837/newissue-unsupported-desktop.png)
- [Run ledger model profile badges
desktop](https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/blob/PAP-2837-plan-cheap-model-for-adapters-that-can-support-it/docs/pr-screenshots/pap-2837/runledger-profile-badges-desktop.png)
- Mobile variants are also in `docs/pr-screenshots/pap-2837/`.
## Risks
- Medium: heartbeat config mediation now merges runtime model profiles
into adapter configs, so adapter secret normalization and host-command
restrictions must keep covering nested config paths.
- Medium: the UI adds another issue creation choice; unsupported
adapters must keep hiding the cheap lane and preserve primary behavior.
- Low migration risk: no database migration is included.
> 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 coding agent using GPT-5-class reasoning with repo tool use
and command execution. Exact served model/context window 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
- [ ] 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
---------
Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents via adapters (`claude_local`,
`codex_local`, etc.)
> - Each adapter type has different capabilities — instructions bundles,
skill materialization, local JWT — but these were gated by 5 hardcoded
type lists scattered across server routes and UI components
> - External adapter plugins (e.g. a future `opencode_k8s`) cannot add
themselves to those hardcoded lists without patching Paperclip source
> - The existing `supportsLocalAgentJwt` field on `ServerAdapterModule`
proves the right pattern already exists; it just wasn't applied to the
other capability gates
> - This pull request replaces the 4 remaining hardcoded lists with
declarative capability flags on `ServerAdapterModule`, exposed through
the adapter listing API
> - The benefit is that external adapter plugins can now declare their
own capabilities without any changes to Paperclip source code
## What Changed
- **`packages/adapter-utils/src/types.ts`** — added optional capability
fields to `ServerAdapterModule`: `supportsInstructionsBundle`,
`instructionsPathKey`, `requiresMaterializedRuntimeSkills`
- **`server/src/routes/agents.ts`** — replaced
`DEFAULT_MANAGED_INSTRUCTIONS_ADAPTER_TYPES` and
`ADAPTERS_REQUIRING_MATERIALIZED_RUNTIME_SKILLS` hardcoded sets with
capability-aware helper functions that fall back to the legacy sets for
adapters that don't set flags
- **`server/src/routes/adapters.ts`** — `GET /api/adapters` now includes
a `capabilities` object per adapter (all four flags + derived
`supportsSkills`)
- **`server/src/adapters/registry.ts`** — all built-in adapters
(`claude_local`, `codex_local`, `process`, `cursor`) now declare flags
explicitly
- **`ui/src/adapters/use-adapter-capabilities.ts`** — new hook that
fetches adapter capabilities from the API
- **`ui/src/pages/AgentDetail.tsx`** — replaced hardcoded `isLocal`
allowlist with `capabilities.supportsInstructionsBundle` from the API
- **`ui/src/components/AgentConfigForm.tsx`** /
**`OnboardingWizard.tsx`** — replaced `NONLOCAL_TYPES` denylist with
capability-based checks
- **`server/src/__tests__/adapter-registry.test.ts`** /
**`adapter-routes.test.ts`** — tests covering flag exposure,
undefined-when-unset, and per-adapter values
- **`docs/adapters/creating-an-adapter.md`** — new "Capability Flags"
section documenting all flags and an example for external plugin authors
## Verification
- Run `pnpm test --filter=@paperclip/server -- adapter-registry
adapter-routes` — all new tests pass
- Run `pnpm test --filter=@paperclip/adapter-utils` — existing tests
still pass
- Spin up dev server, open an agent with `claude_local` type —
instructions bundle tab still visible
- Create/open an agent with a non-local type — instructions bundle tab
still hidden
- Call `GET /api/adapters` and verify each adapter includes a
`capabilities` object with the correct flags
## Risks
- **Low risk overall** — all new flags are optional with
backwards-compatible fallbacks to the existing hardcoded sets; no
adapter behaviour changes unless a flag is explicitly set
- Adapters that do not declare flags continue to use the legacy lists,
so there is no regression risk for built-in adapters
- The UI capability hook adds one API call to AgentDetail mount; this is
a pre-existing endpoint, so no new latency path is introduced
## Model Used
- Provider: Anthropic
- Model: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (`claude-sonnet-4-6`)
- Context: 200k token context window
- Mode: Agentic tool use (code editing, bash, grep, file reads)
## 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 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
- [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
---------
Co-authored-by: Pawla Abdul (Bot) <pawla@groombook.dev>
Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
Replace the client-side-only override store with a real server-side
toggle. When a developer pauses the external override, the server swaps
ALL adapter behavior back to the builtin — execute handler, model listing,
config schema, detection — not just the UI parser.
Server changes:
- registry.ts: builtinFallbacks map + pausedOverrides set + setOverridePaused()
- routes/adapters.ts: PATCH /api/adapters/:type/override endpoint + overridePaused in list
UI changes:
- adapters.ts: setOverridePaused API method + overridePaused on AdapterInfo
- AdapterManager: overrideMutation calls server, instant feedback via invalidate()
- use-disabled-adapters.ts: reads adapter.overridePaused from server response
Removed:
- disabled-overrides-store.ts: no longer needed (server is the source of truth)
Note: already-running agent sessions keep the adapter they started with.
Only new sessions use the swapped adapter.
When an external plugin overrides a built-in adapter type, the
GET /api/adapters response now includes overriddenBuiltin: true. The
Adapter Manager shows an 'Overrides built-in' badge on such adapters.
- Plugin loader: install/reload/remove/reinstall external adapters
from npm packages or local directories
- Plugin store persisted at ~/.paperclip/adapter-plugins.json
- Self-healing UI parser resolution with version caching
- UI: Adapter Manager page, dynamic loader, display registry
with humanized names for unknown adapter types
- Dev watch: exclude adapter-plugins dir from tsx watcher
to prevent mid-request server restarts during reinstall
- All consumer fallbacks use getAdapterLabel() for consistent display
- AdapterTypeDropdown uses controlled open state for proper close behavior
- Remove hermes-local from built-in UI (externalized to plugin)
- Add docs for external adapters and UI parser contract
