## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work.
> - The board sidebar is the primary navigation surface for operators
scanning companies, projects, tasks, agents, and related control-plane
tools.
> - Goals still has a route and product surface, but keeping the
top-level sidebar link always visible makes it part of the default
navigation whether or not that surface is ready for every operator.
> - Instance experimental settings already provide a controlled place to
expose optional UI surfaces while they are being evaluated.
> - This pull request adds a dedicated experimental setting for
restoring the Goals sidebar link.
> - The benefit is a quieter default sidebar with an explicit escape
hatch for operators who still need the Goals entry point.
## Linked Issues or Issue Description
No public GitHub issue exists for this internal task, so the feature
request is described inline.
**Subsystem affected**
Cross-cutting: `ui/`, `server/`, and `packages/shared`.
**Problem or motivation**
The Goals route remains available, but the top-level Goals sidebar entry
makes that surface part of the default operator navigation. While the
goals surface is still being evaluated, operators need a quieter default
sidebar without losing an escape hatch for teams that still rely on the
link.
**Proposed solution**
Add a boolean instance experimental setting, `enableGoalsSidebarLink`,
default it to `false`, and render the Goals sidebar link only when the
setting is enabled. Expose the toggle in Instance Experimental Settings
so operators can restore the link without changing routes or rebuilding
the app.
**Alternatives considered**
- Remove the Goals route entirely: rejected because this task only asks
to hide the sidebar entry point and preserve access for teams evaluating
goals.
- Keep the sidebar link always visible: rejected because it does not
provide the requested quieter default navigation.
- Hard-code a local UI flag: rejected because instance experimental
settings already provide the expected operator-controlled pattern.
**Roadmap alignment**
Checked `ROADMAP.md`; no overlapping goals/sidebar/experimental roadmap
entry was found.
**Additional context**
The `/goals` route is preserved. This PR only gates the sidebar
navigation item.
## What Changed
- Added `enableGoalsSidebarLink` to the shared instance experimental
settings type and validator, defaulting to `false`.
- Normalized the new setting in the server instance settings service.
- Hid the Goals sidebar nav item unless the new setting is enabled.
- Added a Goals Sidebar Link toggle to the Instance Experimental
Settings page.
- Updated shared, server, sidebar, and settings page tests for the new
setting.
## Verification
- `pnpm exec vitest run packages/shared/src/validators/instance.test.ts
server/src/__tests__/instance-settings-service.test.ts
server/src/__tests__/instance-settings-routes.test.ts
ui/src/components/Sidebar.test.tsx
ui/src/pages/InstanceExperimentalSettings.test.tsx`
- `git diff --check origin/master...HEAD`
- `git merge-tree --write-tree HEAD origin/master`
- Searched for duplicate/related PRs by title and
`enableGoalsSidebarLink`; none found.
- Checked `ROADMAP.md` for overlapping goals/sidebar/experimental
entries; none found.
## Risks
Low risk. The main behavior shift is that operators who depended on the
sidebar Goals link need to enable the new experimental toggle. The
`/goals` route itself is not removed.
> 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, GPT-5-based Paperclip CodexCoder session with repository
tool access and command execution. Exact API model identifier and
context window were not exposed by the Paperclip harness.
## 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
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