## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip keeps company work visible and governed.
> - Sandbox agents run serial sync work across worker and host
boundaries.
> - The current span path hid real wall-clock time for that sync work.
> - The host needs safe timestamps if it wants true span width.
> - This pull request carries worker timestamps, validates them, and
records the real duration.
> - The benefit is clearer operator visibility for sandbox sync work.
## Linked Issues or Issue Description
**Subsystem affected**
Cross-cutting. This touches `packages/plugins`, `server`, and the
Daytona plugin test surface.
**Problem or motivation**
Sandbox sync spans opened and closed in one host call. The native width
stayed near zero, so the real time spent in serial round trips was hard
to see.
**Proposed solution**
Carry worker start and end times across the span record protocol.
Validate the pair at the host boundary. Record the host span with the
true duration when the pair is safe.
**Alternatives considered**
Keep the numeric duration only. That keeps the data, but it does not
widen the span and it does not show the real wall-clock time.
**Roadmap alignment**
This fits the `Cloud / Sandbox agents` and `Artifacts & Work Products`
areas in `ROADMAP.md`. I found no other roadmap item that covers this
span-width gap.
**Additional context**
The host allowlist stays narrow. Unknown names still map to
`sandbox.provider.other`. Invalid timestamp pairs still fall back to the
synchronous path.
Related public PRs: none found.
## What Changed
- Added optional `startTimeMs` and `endTimeMs` fields to the
`span.record` protocol.
- Captured start and end times in the worker tracer and sent them to the
host.
- Validated host timestamps with finite, ordered, bounded checks before
span reconstruction.
- Extended the host allowlist to the sandbox sync command names.
- Wrapped each inbound sync round trip in its own named span.
- Added tests for the worker path, host boundary, host recorder, and
Daytona sync flow.
## Verification
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/plugins-sdk test`
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/server test`
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/daytona-plugin test`
- `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/server tsc --noEmit` still shows
pre-existing `drizzle-orm` duplicate-declaration errors in this sandbox.
The changed files do not touch those lines.
- GitHub checks are green.
- Greptile review is 5/5.
- No open review threads remain.
## Risks
- A bad timestamp pair can fall back to the synchronous path.
- The host clock gate can reject spans if the pair is stale, reversed,
or too large.
- The new worker fields change the wire protocol, but the public plugin
tracer contract stays the same.
## Model Used
OpenAI GPT-5, tool-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 linked existing issues with `Fixes: #` / `Closes #`
/ `Refs #` or described the issue in-PR following the relevant issue
template
- [x] I have not referenced internal or instance-local Paperclip issues
or links
- [x] My branch name describes the change 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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