## Thinking Path
> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work
> - Agent permissions control which agents can create or hire other
agents (`canCreateAgents`)
> - Today only CEO-role agents get this permission by default; every
other agent starts without it
> - Teams that want agents to delegate and build out their own teams
must flip the toggle on each hire, and most operators want delegation to
work out of the box
> - This pull request makes `canCreateAgents` default to enabled for new
standard-trust agents, while low-trust agents keep a disabled default
> - The benefit is that agent teams can grow without per-agent
permission toggling, while low-trust containment and checkout protection
stay intact
## Linked Issues or Issue Description
Related (not fixed by this PR): #8064 also decouples an authority from
`agents:create`.
**Subsystem affected**
Server agent permissions (`server/src/services/agent-permissions.ts`),
authorization (`server/src/services/authorization.ts`), the shared
`agentPermissionsSchema` validator, and the UI trust-preset helper.
**Problem or motivation**
New agents cannot hire other agents unless an operator enables
`canCreateAgents` on each one. Only CEO-role agents get the permission
by default. This blocks delegation-by-default workflows. Operators must
toggle the permission for every hire.
**Proposed solution**
Default `canCreateAgents` to `true` for newly created agents. Apply and
persist the default at creation only. Stored rows without an explicit
value stay fail-closed at read and enforcement time. Keep the default at
`false` when the agent's permissions record marks it low-trust (the
`low_trust_review` preset or a trust boundary). Explicit values always
win. Decouple `tasks:manage_active_checkouts` from `canCreateAgents` so
the default-on flag does not let a peer agent write over another agent's
checked-out issue.
**Alternatives considered**
Granting the default only at the route layer would leave stored rows and
enforcement out of sync. Keeping the checkout authority coupled to
`canCreateAgents` would void the active-checkout write protection once
the flag is default-on. A per-company setting adds configuration surface
without a clear need; explicit per-agent overrides already exist.
**Roadmap alignment**
Governance and trust-preset work already separates standard-trust from
low-trust agents. This change follows that line: capability by default
for standard trust, containment by default for low trust.
## What Changed
- `normalizeAgentPermissions` now takes a `create`/`stored` context.
Creation writes get the new default: enabled unless
`permissionsImplyLowTrust()` detects the low-trust review preset or a
trust boundary. Stored rows without an explicit value normalize to
disabled (fail-closed). The role parameter is gone.
- `agentPermissionsSchema` no longer injects `canCreateAgents: false`
when the field is omitted. The server-side default applies instead.
- `authorization.ts` normalizes raw agent rows for `agents:create`, so
enforcement matches what the API reports for legacy rows.
- `tasks:manage_active_checkouts` no longer rides on `canCreateAgents`.
CEO role, explicit grants, and the manager chain remain the paths.
- `agents:create` is denied outright inside any resolved low-trust
execution context (agent, project, issue, or run policy). The default-on
flag can never reach the legacy creator allow there.
- The UI trust-preset helper sets `canCreateAgents: false` when an agent
is switched to the low-trust preset, instead of carrying the old value
forward.
- `doc/CLI.md` describes the new default for `teams install`.
- Tests pin the default matrix (standard, low-trust, explicit overrides)
on the server and in the UI helper.
## Verification
- `cd server && npx vitest run
src/__tests__/agent-permissions-service.test.ts
src/__tests__/agent-permissions-routes.test.ts
src/__tests__/low-trust-red-team-routes.test.ts
src/__tests__/authorization-service.test.ts` — 143 tests pass.
- Broader sweep: 18 suites that touch `canCreateAgents` (hire,
pending-approval, teams catalog, portability, built-in agents,
plugin-managed agents) pass locally.
- `cd ui && npx vitest run src/lib/trust-policy-ui.test.ts
src/components/TrustPresetSection.test.tsx src/pages/NewAgent.test.tsx
src/pages/Agents.test.tsx` — passes.
- Typecheck is clean for the changed files in `packages/shared`,
`server`, and `ui`.
## Risks
- Behavioral shift: agents created after this change persist
`canCreateAgents: true` unless low-trust. Pre-existing agents keep their
stored value. Legacy or malformed permission records without an explicit
value stay fail-closed at read and enforcement time; they never gain the
authority retroactively.
- Low-trust runs can no longer create agents at all, even when the agent
carries an explicit `canCreateAgents: true`. Before this change, that
combination could hire. The red-team suite and a new authorization test
pin the denial.
- Narrowing: a non-CEO agent with `canCreateAgents: true` loses implicit
`tasks:manage_active_checkouts`. The manager chain and explicit grants
still provide it. This narrowing is deliberate; without it, the
default-on flag would let any peer bypass active-checkout write
protection.
- No migrations. No API shape changes. Low-trust defaults are covered by
the red-team regression suite.
## Model Used
- Claude Fable 5 (`claude-fable-5`), Anthropic — via Claude Code CLI
with extended thinking and tool use (code search, editing, local test
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 (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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