docs(connections): cross-reference the identity model (identity vs. connections) (#9953)
## Thinking Path > - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for work > - Integrations are governed through the Apps v2 "connections" substrate documented in `doc/connections/` > - Contributors adding connectors had no written boundary between *signing a user in* (identity) and *connecting an external resource* (a connection), so app-store work could drift into merging the two > - Unwritten, that boundary risks a design where a sign-in provider's token gets reused as a resource token, or the identity service grows a connections hub — exactly the failure the separation exists to prevent > - This pull request adds an "Identity vs. connections" section to the public connections docs that names the three planes, states the standing rule verbatim, and aligns naming across surfaces > - The benefit is that connector implementers inherit the identity/connection boundary from accessible repository documentation instead of re-deriving it ## Linked Issues or Issue Description Docs-only change. No public GitHub issue. **Problem:** The `doc/connections/` docs describe how to add a connector (the First-30 matrix and connector playbook) but never state where identity ends and connections begin. Without an accessible statement of that boundary, connector work can accidentally blur sign-in tokens and resource tokens. **Change:** Adds a public reference section fixing the boundary and makes it self-contained for contributors without access to private identity-service implementation documentation. ## What Changed - `doc/connections/README.md`: adds an **Identity vs. connections** section with the P1/P2/P3 model, D7 standing rule, rationale, naming alignment, and canonical-doc cross-reference. - `doc/connections/FIRST-30-MATRIX.md`: notes that every listed provider is a plane-P2 connection and links the new section. - `doc/connections/CONNECTOR-PLAYBOOK.md`: points connector authors to the boundary and standing rule before implementation. - Removes inaccessible private-repository documentation links so every reference in the new public guidance is usable by contributors. ## Verification - `git diff --check origin/master...HEAD` - Verified Markdown table column consistency across the three changed files. - Verified no private `paperclip-id` URLs or new internal Paperclip issue references remain in the diff. - Current-head CI is fully green, including typecheck, build, server/workspace tests, serialized suites, canary, and both e2e shards. - Greptile reviewed commit `d964abab50b39a79fef394c0b1855dd1f2e4b92b` at 5/5 with no unresolved findings; its connections-doc validation returned `RESULT: PASS`. ## Risks Low risk — documentation only. No code, schema, migration, or runtime behavior 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 - Anthropic Claude Opus 4.8 (`claude-opus-4-8`), 1M context, extended thinking with tool use, authored the initial documentation change. - OpenAI Codex CLI (runtime model identifier not exposed to this session), agentic reasoning with shell and GitHub tooling, performed PR preparation, rebase, review-loop diagnosis, and the public-link correction. ## 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 searched GitHub for duplicate or related PRs and linked them above - [x] I have either (a) linked existing issues with `Fixes: #` / `Closes #` / `Refs #` OR (b) described the issue in-PR following the relevant issue template - [x] I have not referenced internal/instance-local Paperclip issues or links (only public GitHub `#NNN` / `github.com/paperclipai/paperclip` URLs) - [x] My branch name describes the change (e.g. `docs/...`, `fix/...`) and contains no internal Paperclip ticket id or instance-derived details - [x] I have run tests locally and they pass - [x] I have added or updated tests where applicable - [x] I have updated relevant documentation to reflect my changes - [x] I have considered and documented any risks above - [x] All Paperclip CI gates are green - [x] Greptile is 5/5 with no open P2s, recommendations, or follow-ups - [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before requesting merge --------- Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
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@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ This playbook is the repeatable template for adding a vendor to the Apps catalog
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Use it when Paperclip acts on an external system through a governed connection: a stored credential, a capability catalog, access profiles and policy rules, and audit. Inbound integrations, such as an external client acting on Paperclip, use gateway or webhook guidance instead.
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Every connector built with this playbook is a **plane P2** connection — a resource token in the instance vault, acquired via the connect broker, never a sign-in authenticator. Before writing a connector, read [Identity vs. connections](./README.md#identity-vs-connections) for the P1/P2/P3 boundary and the D7 standing rule (sign-in tokens are never reused as resource tokens; id.paperclip.ing never stores resource tokens; no connections hub on the ID service).
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## Output
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A complete connector proposal produces:
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@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ review gates for a provider before writing a connector ticket or playbook entry.
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Source: harvested from [PAP-2432](/PAP/issues/PAP-2432) and made canonical for
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the [PAP-13211](/PAP/issues/PAP-13211) Apps v2 unification program.
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> Every provider here is a **plane P2** connection: a resource token in the
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> instance vault, acquired via the connect broker — never a sign-in method. See
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> [Identity vs. connections](./README.md#identity-vs-connections) for the P1/P2/P3
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> boundary and the D7 standing rule.
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## Batch Recommendation
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First implementation batch after the proof providers:
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@ -69,6 +69,59 @@ The agent should not hold a durable provider credential. It should hold a
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Paperclip run/session token; the server or broker resolves the connection,
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checks governance, invokes the provider, and writes audit.
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## Identity vs. connections
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Signing a user *in* and connecting a *resource* are different planes with
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different owners, different token profiles, and different homes. Do not merge
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them. This section is the public, connections-side statement of the identity
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model so connector implementers inherit the rule without depending on private
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identity-service documentation or re-deriving it.
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| Plane | Question | Lives where | Token profile |
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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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| **P1. Sign-in methods** | *Who are you?* | `paperclip-id` (id.paperclip.ing → Account) | Minimal-scope provider tokens (`openid email profile`), used once to authenticate, encrypted at rest, never exported |
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| **P2. Connections (Apps)** | *What may your agents touch?* | Paperclip App instances (`tool_connections`), acquired via the **connect broker** for hosted + self-hosted | Rich-scope, long-lived resource tokens in the **instance's** encrypted vault; per-agent grants; ask-first on writes |
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| **P3. Login with Paperclip** | *Who may authenticate against us?* | `paperclip-id` OIDC provider + DB-backed client registry | Our ES256 ID/access tokens issued *by* us to registered RPs (instances, the broker, future third parties) |
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Everything in `doc/connections/` — the [First-30 matrix](./FIRST-30-MATRIX.md),
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the [connector playbook](./CONNECTOR-PLAYBOOK.md), and the connect-broker work —
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lives on **plane P2**. It never acquires, stores, or brokers a P1 sign-in token.
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### The standing rule (D7)
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Adopted as a standing rule (decision D7) with the identity-model plan. State it
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verbatim in any P2 design so the app-store work cannot drift into merging the
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planes:
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> Sign-in tokens are never reused as resource tokens; id.paperclip.ing never
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> stores resource tokens; no connections hub on the ID service.
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P2 tokens flow broker → instance vault as pass-through only; the id.paperclip.ing
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Account page therefore must **not** grow a "Connections" hub. The reasons to
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hold the planes apart (from the plan §3):
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- **Scope discipline.** Sign-in wants the narrowest grant; connections want
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deliberately broad ones. One button that does both is how you grant repo
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access just to log in.
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- **Blast radius.** id.paperclip.ing holding every customer's Vercel/Slack/GitHub
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resource tokens would make it the single juiciest target in the fleet; the
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broker is intentionally pass-through.
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- **Self-hosted symmetry.** Instances own their vaults, so self-hosters don't
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depend on our uptime to *use* their own connections.
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- **Legibility.** Sign-in and connections answer different user questions, and
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every product we benchmarked (Vercel, Railway, GitHub, Google) keeps them on
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separate pages with separate names.
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### Naming alignment
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Use the surface-correct name for each plane; they intentionally differ:
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| Surface | Plane | Name to use |
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| --- | --- | --- |
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| Paperclip App instances | P2 | **"Connections"** |
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| id.paperclip.ing Account | P1 | **"Ways to sign in"** |
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| id.paperclip.ing admin | P3 | **"OIDC clients"** (until the app store productizes it) |
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## Packaging Rule
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Default to a **catalog entry** when an integration can be described as metadata:
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@ -85,6 +138,8 @@ not own durable tokens.
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## Canonical Docs
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- [Glossary](./GLOSSARY.md) defines product and internal terms.
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- [Identity vs. connections](#identity-vs-connections) is the public statement
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of the P1/P2/P3 boundary and the D7 standing rule for connections work.
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- [Security threat model](./SECURITY-THREAT-MODEL.md) harvests the keeper from
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[PAP-2359](/PAP/issues/PAP-2359) and maps it onto Apps v2.
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- [First-30 matrix](./FIRST-30-MATRIX.md) harvests the keeper from
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