## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work.
> - The CLI provides a test-drive command for a ready local test
instance.
> - That command must accept a provider credential before it creates the
first agent.
> - The command did not accept a literal key and could lose an exported
key during server startup.
> - This pull request accepts both credential paths and captures the CLI
environment before startup.
> - The benefit is a reliable one-command test drive from an existing
shell.
## Linked Issues or Issue Description
Refs #12894
**What happened?**
`paperclipai test-drive --api-key <value>` failed because the option did
not exist. An exported canonical provider variable could also become
unavailable before the post-listen bootstrap read it.
**Expected behavior**
The command must accept a literal key when the operator requests it. The
command must also use a provider variable that was present when the CLI
started.
**Steps to reproduce**
1. Export `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` in the shell.
2. Run `pnpm paperclipai test-drive`.
3. Observe that bootstrap can report that no credential exists.
4. Run `pnpm paperclipai test-drive --api-key test-value`.
5. Observe that Commander reports an unknown option on the prior
implementation.
**Paperclip version or commit**
The problem exists on `master` after #12894.
**Deployment mode**
Local development with `pnpm` and the embedded database.
## What Changed
- Add the `--api-key <value>` test-drive option.
- Keep `--api-key` and `--api-key-env` mutually exclusive.
- Capture provider variables before in-process server startup changes
the process environment.
- Redact literal and environment-backed credentials from Paperclip
errors, including custom environment-variable names with surrounding
whitespace.
- Scrub split and joined literal-key forms from the JavaScript
`process.argv` view before telemetry, diagnostics, API work, or server
startup.
- Warn about process argument and shell history exposure without
printing the key.
- Add tests for literal keys, option conflicts, environment snapshots,
argv handling, and error redaction.
- Update the CLI and development documentation, including the remaining
external argv exposure tradeoff.
## Verification
- `pnpm exec vitest run cli/src/__tests__/test-drive.test.ts` passed 32
tests.
- `pnpm -r typecheck` passed.
- `pnpm build` passed.
- A live literal-key smoke test created one company and one CEO agent
without a provider call.
- A live exported-variable smoke test created the same clean instance
without credential flags.
- `pnpm test:run` completed locally with 5,870 passing tests and 19
host-dependent failures in six unrelated suites. The failures came from
macOS `/tmp` aliases, exhausted test ports, and existing
workspace-runtime fixture assumptions.
- GitHub CI passed the full build, typecheck, canary dry run, general
tests, serialized server tests, and e2e matrix on clean Linux runners.
- Greptile rated the exact latest head 5/5, Superagent passed, and all
review threads are resolved.
## Risks
- A raw value passed through `--api-key` can appear in operating-system
process listings, shell history, or parent-wrapper output before
Paperclip can scrub its own JavaScript argv view. The command warns
about this risk and Paperclip does not print the value.
- The environment snapshot contains the process environment only in
memory for the life of the foreground command.
- This change adds no schema migration and no REST endpoint.
> 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 with GPT-5. The exact deployment version and context window
are not exposed to the agent. Extended reasoning, tool use, code
execution, and GitHub access were enabled.
## 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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