## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work
> - The app can run self-hosted or as a cloud-managed instance, where a
hosting platform provisions the instance with its company already
materialized (the existing `isCloudManagedInstance()` predicate and
`cloud_managed` floors)
> - The company Import/Export surface lets an operator materialize whole
companies from an export bundle; on a cloud-managed instance this
bypasses the existing `cloud_managed` company-creation floor and
conflicts with platform-owned provisioning
> - Importing should be disabled on cloud-managed instances, while
export stays open as the data-portability escape hatch
> - This pull request floors every import route with 403
`code=cloud_managed` on cloud-managed instances and hides the Import UI
there, using the existing predicate and the established floor pattern
> - It also extends the operator-hidden settings registry with keys for
every top-level company settings page, so a hosting operator can hide
any of them with `PAPERCLIP_HIDDEN_SETTINGS` alone next time
> - The benefit is one consistent managed-instance policy: cloud-managed
instances cannot import companies, self-hosted installs keep the full
import surface unchanged
## Linked Issues or Issue Description
No public issue exists; the underlying problem follows the enhancement
template.
**What existing behavior does this improve?**
The company import surface (`/api/companies/import*`,
`/api/companies/:companyId/imports/*`) and its UI entry points on
cloud-managed instances.
**Subsystem affected**
Server routes (`server/src/routes/companies.ts`) and UI navigation/pages
(settings sidebar, settings tabs, org chart, `/company/import` route).
**Current behavior**
A cloud-managed instance floors direct company creation (`POST
/api/companies` answers 403 `cloud_managed`), but the import routes
still accept company bundles, so an import can materialize companies the
hosting platform did not provision. The UI offers Import entry points
that lead to a surface that is not available on cloud-managed instances.
**Proposed behavior**
On instances where `isCloudManagedInstance()` is true, every import
route answers 403 `code=cloud_managed` before auth and body work, and
the Import UI (sidebar entry, settings tab, org-chart button,
`/company/import` route) is hidden or redirected. Export remains fully
available. Self-hosted instances are unchanged.
**Reason and benefit**
Cloud-managed instances keep one consistent provisioning authority, and
users do not see an Import surface that dead-ends in a 403.
## What Changed
- `server/src/routes/companies.ts`: a router-level floor mounted at the
`/import` and `/:companyId/imports` prefixes. It covers the single-shot
upload, preview, job polling, chunked transfer
declare/part-upload/status/preview/apply, and the agent-safe per-company
import routes. It throws `forbidden(..., { code: "cloud_managed" })` on
cloud-managed instances, or `403 settings_operator_managed` when the
operator hides `company.import` — both before auth and body validation,
mirroring the company-creation floor.
- `packages/shared/src/settings-visibility.ts`: new
`HIDEABLE_COMPANY_PAGES` registry group — `company.members`,
`company.invites`, `company.secrets`, `company.export`, `company.import`
— with a `hidesCompanyPage` helper. The company General page stays
non-hideable (settings root). `company.import` floors its API; the other
keys are UI-visibility only, as documented in the registry, so
membership/invite/secret/export APIs stay live for agents.
- `ui/src/components/CloudManagedPageGate.tsx` (new): route gate that
redirects cloud-managed instances to `/company/settings`, modeled on
`HiddenSettingsPageGate`.
- `ui/src/App.tsx`: wraps the `company/import` route in
`CloudManagedPageGate`.
- `ui/src/components/CompanySettingsSidebar.tsx`,
`ui/src/components/access/CompanySettingsNav.tsx`,
`ui/src/pages/OrgChart.tsx`: hide the Import entry points when
`useCloudInstance()` reports a managed instance, and honor the new
`company.*` hidden-settings keys for every company page entry (sidebar
item, tab, org-chart buttons).
- `ui/src/App.tsx`: `HiddenSettingsPageGate` route gates for the members
(incl. the legacy access route), invites, secrets, export, and import
pages under their `company.*` keys.
- `docs/deploy/environment-variables.md`: documents the new keys and
their semantics; the CLI and board-operator guides note that import is
unavailable on cloud-managed instances.
- Tests: new `server/src/__tests__/company-import-cloud-floor.test.ts`
and `ui/src/components/CloudManagedPageGate.test.tsx`, registry cases in
`packages/shared/src/settings-visibility.test.ts`, plus cloud and
hidden-key cases in the sidebar, settings-nav, and org-chart suites.
## Verification
- TypeScript typechecks pass for every workspace package (`tsc` in
shared, server, ui; the runner's Rust leg needs a local cargo toolchain
and is covered by CI).
- `pnpm test` on this branch fails only in 9 files that also fail on a
clean `origin/master` checkout on the same machine
(environment-dependent suites: live-listener probes,
workspace/native-runtime spawns, skill materialization). Zero
branch-only failures against that baseline; every suite touched by this
change passes.
- `server/src/__tests__/company-import-cloud-floor.test.ts` asserts:
every import route answers 403 `cloud_managed` under the server-token
signal; the managed-config signal alone also floors; every import route
answers 403 `settings_operator_managed` when `company.import` is hidden;
hiding other company pages leaves import open; the floor applies before
auth and body validation; export stays open on cloud-managed instances;
self-hosted import preview and job polling still work.
- `packages/shared/src/settings-visibility.test.ts` covers the new
`company.*` keys and `hidesCompanyPage`.
- UI suites assert the Import tab, sidebar entry, and org-chart button
disappear on a cloud-managed instance while Export stays, that
`/company/import` redirects through the gate, and that the `company.*`
keys hide their sidebar entries and tabs.
## Risks
- Low risk for self-hosted installs: the floor is inert unless a cloud
signal (`PAPERCLIP_CLOUD_TENANT_SERVER_TOKEN` or
`PAPERCLIP_MANAGED_CONFIG`) is present, and the self-hosted paths are
regression-tested.
- On cloud-managed instances this is a deliberate behavioral removal:
import (including agent-driven safe imports and resumable transfers)
stops working the moment an instance runs this build. In-flight chunked
transfers on such instances cannot be applied afterward; they answer
403.
- CLI import commands against a cloud-managed instance now fail with the
`cloud_managed` error; the message names the reason.
- The new `company.*` keys change nothing unless an operator sets them:
`PAPERCLIP_HIDDEN_SETTINGS` unset keeps behavior identical, and older
images ignore unknown keys by design. The four non-import company keys
hide UI only; their APIs stay live, which the registry documents
explicitly.
## Model Used
Claude Fable 5 (`claude-fable-5`, Anthropic) via Claude Code — agentic
coding session with tool use (code search, editing, local test
execution).
## 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
- [ ] All Paperclip CI gates are green
- [ ] Greptile is 5/5 with no open P2s, recommendations, or follow-ups
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge
Devin Foley