paperclip/doc/PUBLISHING.md
Devin Foley a0f5cbffd7
Harden release flow with registry verification and dist-tag checks (#4800)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip orchestrates AI agents for zero-human companies
> - Paperclip is distributed as npm packages, including plugins like
`plugin-e2b`
> - The release process publishes canary and stable builds via npm
dist-tags
> - But there was no automated verification that published packages
actually landed with the correct dist-tags, and broken canary publishes
could silently ship to users
> - This PR adds a registry verification script that checks published
packages match their expected dist-tags, and wires it into PR CI so
regressions are caught before merge
> - The benefit is release integrity is verified automatically, and
broken dist-tag states are caught early

## What Changed

- Added `scripts/verify-release-registry-state.mjs` — verifies that
published npm packages have correct dist-tag assignments and detects
orphaned or mispointed tags
- Added `scripts/verify-release-registry-state.test.mjs` — test coverage
for the verification logic
- Updated `scripts/release.sh` to include canary dist-tag safety checks
before publishing
- Updated `.github/workflows/pr.yml` to run registry verification as a
CI step
- Updated `doc/PUBLISHING.md` and `doc/RELEASING.md` with the new
verification workflow

## Verification

- `pnpm test` — all tests pass including new verification script tests
- `node scripts/verify-release-registry-state.mjs` — runs against the
live npm registry and reports current state
- CI: the new PR workflow step runs on every PR push

## Risks

- Low risk. This is additive CI and tooling — no runtime code changes.
The registry verification is read-only (queries npm, does not publish).
The release script changes add safety checks that abort before
publishing if state is unexpected.

## Model Used

Codex GPT 5.4 high via Paperclip.

## 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
- [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
2026-04-29 15:56:20 -07:00

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6.6 KiB
Markdown

# Publishing to npm
Low-level reference for how Paperclip packages are prepared and published to npm.
For the maintainer workflow, use [doc/RELEASING.md](RELEASING.md). This document focuses on packaging internals.
## Current Release Entry Points
Use these scripts:
- [`scripts/release.sh`](../scripts/release.sh) for canary and stable publish flows
- [`scripts/create-github-release.sh`](../scripts/create-github-release.sh) after pushing a stable tag
- [`scripts/rollback-latest.sh`](../scripts/rollback-latest.sh) to repoint `latest`
- [`scripts/build-npm.sh`](../scripts/build-npm.sh) for the CLI packaging build
Paperclip no longer uses release branches or Changesets for publishing.
## Why the CLI needs special packaging
The CLI package, `paperclipai`, imports code from workspace packages such as:
- `@paperclipai/server`
- `@paperclipai/db`
- `@paperclipai/shared`
- adapter packages under `packages/adapters/`
Those workspace references are valid in development but not in a publishable npm package. The release flow rewrites versions temporarily, then builds a publishable CLI bundle.
## `build-npm.sh`
Run:
```bash
./scripts/build-npm.sh
```
This script:
1. runs the forbidden token check unless `--skip-checks` is supplied
2. runs `pnpm -r typecheck`
3. bundles the CLI entrypoint with esbuild into `cli/dist/index.js`
4. verifies the bundled entrypoint with `node --check`
5. rewrites `cli/package.json` into a publishable npm manifest and stores the dev copy as `cli/package.dev.json`
6. copies the repo `README.md` into `cli/README.md` for npm metadata
After the release script exits, the dev manifest and temporary files are restored automatically.
## Package discovery and versioning
Public packages are discovered from:
- `packages/`
- `server/`
- `ui/`
- `cli/`
The version rewrite step now uses [`scripts/release-package-map.mjs`](../scripts/release-package-map.mjs), which:
- finds all public packages
- sorts them topologically by internal dependencies
- rewrites each package version to the target release version
- rewrites internal `workspace:*` dependency references to the exact target version
- updates the CLI's displayed version string
Those rewrites are temporary. The working tree is restored after publish or dry-run.
## `@paperclipai/ui` packaging
The UI package publishes prebuilt static assets, not the source workspace.
The `ui` package uses [`scripts/generate-ui-package-json.mjs`](../scripts/generate-ui-package-json.mjs) during `prepack` to swap in a lean publish manifest that:
- keeps the release-managed `name` and `version`
- publishes only `dist/`
- omits the source-only dependency graph from downstream installs
After packing or publishing, `postpack` restores the development manifest automatically.
### Manual first publish for `@paperclipai/ui`
If you need to publish only the UI package once by hand, use the real package name:
- `@paperclipai/ui`
Recommended flow from the repo root:
```bash
# optional sanity check: this 404s until the first publish exists
npm view @paperclipai/ui version
# make sure the dist payload is fresh
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/ui build
# confirm your local npm auth before the real publish
npm whoami
# safe preview of the exact publish payload
cd ui
pnpm publish --dry-run --no-git-checks --access public
# real publish
pnpm publish --no-git-checks --access public
```
Notes:
- Publish from `ui/`, not the repo root.
- `prepack` automatically rewrites `ui/package.json` to the lean publish manifest, and `postpack` restores the dev manifest after the command finishes.
- If `npm view @paperclipai/ui version` already returns the same version that is in [`ui/package.json`](../ui/package.json), do not republish. Bump the version or use the normal repo-wide release flow in [`scripts/release.sh`](../scripts/release.sh).
If the first real publish returns npm `E404`, check npm-side prerequisites before retrying:
- `npm whoami` must succeed first. An expired or missing npm login will block the publish.
- For an organization-scoped package like `@paperclipai/ui`, the `paperclipai` npm organization must exist and the publisher must be a member with permission to publish to that scope.
- The initial publish must include `--access public` for a public scoped package.
- npm also requires either account 2FA for publishing or a granular token that is allowed to bypass 2FA.
## Version formats
Paperclip uses calendar versions:
- stable: `YYYY.MDD.P`
- canary: `YYYY.MDD.P-canary.N`
Examples:
- stable: `2026.318.0`
- canary: `2026.318.1-canary.2`
## Publish model
### Canary
Canaries publish under the npm dist-tag `canary`.
Example:
- `paperclipai@2026.318.1-canary.2`
This keeps the default install path unchanged while allowing explicit installs with:
```bash
npx paperclipai@canary onboard
```
The release script now verifies two things after a canary publish:
- the `canary` dist-tag resolves to the version that was just published
- every published internal `@paperclipai/*` dependency referenced by that manifest exists on npm
It also treats `latest -> canary` as a failure by default, because npm metadata can otherwise leave the default install path pointing at an unreleased canary dependency graph. Only pass `./scripts/release.sh canary --allow-canary-latest` when that `latest` behavior is explicitly intended.
### Stable
Stable publishes use the npm dist-tag `latest`.
Example:
- `paperclipai@2026.318.0`
Stable publishes do not create a release commit. Instead:
- package versions are rewritten temporarily
- packages are published from the chosen source commit
- git tag `vYYYY.MDD.P` points at that original commit
## Trusted publishing
The intended CI model is npm trusted publishing through GitHub OIDC.
That means:
- no long-lived `NPM_TOKEN` in repository secrets
- GitHub Actions obtains short-lived publish credentials
- trusted publisher rules are configured per workflow file
See [doc/RELEASE-AUTOMATION-SETUP.md](RELEASE-AUTOMATION-SETUP.md) for the GitHub/npm setup steps.
## Rollback model
Rollback does not unpublish anything.
It repoints the `latest` dist-tag to a prior stable version:
```bash
./scripts/rollback-latest.sh 2026.318.0
```
This is the fastest way to restore the default install path if a stable release is bad.
## Related Files
- [`scripts/build-npm.sh`](../scripts/build-npm.sh)
- [`scripts/generate-npm-package-json.mjs`](../scripts/generate-npm-package-json.mjs)
- [`scripts/generate-ui-package-json.mjs`](../scripts/generate-ui-package-json.mjs)
- [`scripts/release-package-map.mjs`](../scripts/release-package-map.mjs)
- [`cli/esbuild.config.mjs`](../cli/esbuild.config.mjs)
- [`doc/RELEASING.md`](RELEASING.md)