## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip is an open-source app that lets teams run AI agents for
work tasks; each agent session uses an execution workspace — a git
checkout — to track the agent's active code state.
> - Every execution workspace has an expected target branch
(`PAPERCLIP_WORKSPACE_BRANCH`). The workspace git HEAD should always
point to that branch so agents commit in the right place.
> - When workspace git HEAD diverges from the expected branch — for
example after a harness branch-name fix or an accidental `checkout -b`
during a CI-retrigger — the discrepancy must be corrected before agents
can continue safely.
> - Operators (board users) need a controlled, audited path to reconcile
a workspace's live branch back to the expected target, with an override
escape-hatch for cases where the normal forward path is blocked.
> - This pull request adds a board-only `POST
/api/execution-workspaces/:id/reconcile-branch` service operation and
route that validates safety preconditions, resolves matching
recovery-action fingerprints, posts source-issue audit comments, and
records the reconciliation outcome.
> - The benefit is that operators can correct branch divergence through
the API with a full audit trail, instead of via raw database edits.
## Linked Issues or Issue Description
No public GitHub issue exists for this change. Context below follows the
feature-request template format.
**Subsystem affected**
server/ — REST API & orchestration services; packages/shared — request
validation.
**Problem or motivation**
Execution workspaces have an expected branch record that must match the
checked-out worktree branch. When the live git branch and stored branch
record drift apart, operators currently lack a first-class, audited API
to reconcile the record. The fallback is manual database repair or
workspace replacement, both of which are risky and hard to audit.
**Proposed solution**
Add a board-only execution workspace branch reconciliation operation.
`forward` mode re-inspects the server-side git state and only updates
the branch record when the stored branch is an ancestor of the
checked-out branch. `override` mode is a break-glass path that requires
board access and an operator reason. Both modes require a clean, idle
workspace, write audit details, post a source-issue audit comment, and
resolve the matching workspace-validation recovery action.
**Alternatives considered**
Manual database edit (no durable audit trail and easy to mistype),
recreating the workspace (heavier operational disruption), or trusting
client-supplied ancestry evidence (unsafe because the server must verify
the git state itself).
**Roadmap alignment**
This is incremental hardening for execution-workspace recovery and
operator controls. It does not duplicate a public roadmap item.
**Additional context**
The endpoint is intended for operator recovery, not normal agent control
flow, so the generated OpenAPI metadata and runtime route both classify
it as board-only.
## What Changed
- Added `reconcileExecutionWorkspaceBranchSchema` discriminated-union
validator (`forward` with optional reason, `override` requiring a
non-empty reason string) to
`packages/shared/src/validators/execution-workspace.ts`
- Exported `ReconcileExecutionWorkspaceBranch` type and the new schema
from the shared package index
- Added board-only reconcile-branch service operation in the execution
workspaces service: safety checks, recovery-action fingerprint
resolution, source-issue audit comment, and outcome recording
- Added clean-worktree and stopped-runtime-service preconditions before
branch-record mutation.
- Marked the reconcile route as board-only in OpenAPI generated auth
metadata.
- Added `POST /api/execution-workspaces/:id/reconcile-branch` route
wired to the new service operation with board-permission gate
- Extended `execution-workspaces-routes.test.ts` and
`execution-workspaces-service.test.ts` to cover: safety-check rejection,
override-reason validation, audit-comment posting, and recovery-action
fingerprint resolution (2 files / 19 tests)
## Verification
```sh
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/shared typecheck
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/server typecheck
pnpm exec vitest run server/src/__tests__/execution-workspaces-routes.test.ts server/src/__tests__/execution-workspaces-service.test.ts
pnpm exec vitest run server/src/__tests__/execution-workspaces-service.test.ts server/src/__tests__/openapi-routes.test.ts
```
## Risks
- **Board-only gate:** the operation is gated behind the board
permission; no agent can trigger it without operator authorization.
- **Override requires reason:** the `override` mode requires a non-empty
reason string so every bypass is audited.
- **Idempotent recovery-action resolution:** re-running with the same
fingerprint is safe; duplicate resolution is a no-op.
- **No execution-state mutation:** the route records a reconciliation
intent and updates the branch record; it does not restart the workspace
or modify running agent state.
- Overall risk: **low**.
## Model Used
- Provider: Anthropic
- Model ID: `claude-sonnet-4-6` (Claude Sonnet 4.6)
- Context window: 200 K tokens
- Capabilities: tool use, code execution, multi-turn context
Follow-up safety commit:
- Provider: OpenAI
- Model ID: `codex` / GPT-5 with tool use and code 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
(`feat/execution-workspace-branch-reconciliation-route`) 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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