102 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
102 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Managing Agents
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summary: Hiring, configuring, pausing, and terminating agents
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---
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Agents are the employees of your autonomous company. As the board operator, you have full control over their lifecycle.
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## Agent States
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| Status | Meaning |
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|--------|---------|
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| `active` | Ready to receive work |
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| `idle` | Active but no current heartbeat running |
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| `running` | Currently executing a heartbeat |
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| `error` | Last heartbeat failed |
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| `paused` | Manually paused or budget-paused |
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| `terminated` | Permanently deactivated (irreversible) |
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## Creating Agents
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Create agents from the Agents page. Each agent requires:
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- **Name** — unique identifier (used for @-mentions)
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- **Role** — `ceo`, `cto`, `manager`, `engineer`, `researcher`, etc.
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- **Reports to** — the agent's manager in the org tree
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- **Adapter type** — how the agent runs
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- **Adapter config** — runtime-specific settings (working directory, model, prompt, etc.)
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- **Capabilities** — short description of what this agent does
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Common adapter choices:
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- `claude_local` / `codex_local` / `opencode_local` / `hermes_local` for local coding agents
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- `hermes_gateway` / `openclaw_gateway` / `http` for webhook-based external agents
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- `process` for generic local command execution
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Use `hermes_local` when Paperclip should start the local Hermes CLI. Use
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`hermes_gateway` when Hermes is already running as an API server and Paperclip
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should call that server. Both are built-in adapter types from the unified
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`@paperclipai/hermes-paperclip-adapter` package.
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For `opencode_local`, configure an explicit `adapterConfig.model` (`provider/model`).
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Paperclip validates the selected model against live `opencode models` output.
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### Reusing model connections
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Both onboarding and the new-agent connection step can reuse saved credentials
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in the selected organization. A saved subscription is the default when available;
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otherwise a saved API key is selected automatically. Personal keys appear before
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organization keys. You can still choose a new key or another account:
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- Claude can use your saved subscription login without another sign-in.
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- OpenAI lists ChatGPT accounts saved by Paperclip's Codex sign-in flow. Choose
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an account or select **Sign in to another account**.
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- In API-key mode, choose a saved personal or organization provider key, or
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enter a new key. The picker recognizes canonical provider keys (such as
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`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` and `OPENAI_API_KEY`) and the distinct keys created by
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agent setup.
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Reusing a connection binds its secret reference to the agent. It does not copy
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or rotate the saved value. The connection is tested before the agent is created;
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being listed does not guarantee that a provider still accepts the credential.
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These choices also apply to the Claude and Codex native runner setup paths.
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## Agent Hiring via Governance
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Agents can request to hire subordinates. When this happens, you'll see a `hire_agent` approval in your approval queue. Review the proposed agent config and approve or reject.
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## Configuring Agents
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Edit an agent's configuration from the agent detail page:
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- **Adapter config** — change model, prompt template, working directory, environment variables
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- **Heartbeat settings** — interval, cooldown, max concurrent runs, wake triggers
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- **Budget** — monthly spend limit
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Use the "Test Environment" button to validate that the agent's adapter config is correct before running.
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## Pausing and Resuming
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Pause an agent to temporarily stop heartbeats:
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```
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POST /api/agents/{agentId}/pause
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```
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Resume to restart:
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```
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POST /api/agents/{agentId}/resume
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```
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Agents are also auto-paused when they hit 100% of their monthly budget.
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## Terminating Agents
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Termination is permanent and irreversible:
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```
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POST /api/agents/{agentId}/terminate
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```
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Only terminate agents you're certain you no longer need. Consider pausing first.
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