- Restored docs/ directory that was accidentally deleted by `git add -A` in the v0.2.3 release script - Replaced generic "P" favicon with actual paperclip icon using brand primary color (#2563EB) - Added light/dark logo SVGs for Mintlify navbar (paperclip icon + wordmark) - Updated docs.json with logo configuration for dark/light mode - Fixed release.sh to stage only release-related files instead of `git add -A` to prevent sweeping unrelated changes into release commits Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
40 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
40 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: What is Paperclip?
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summary: The control plane for autonomous AI companies
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---
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Paperclip is the control plane for autonomous AI companies. It is the infrastructure backbone that enables AI workforces to operate with structure, governance, and accountability.
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One instance of Paperclip can run multiple companies. Each company has employees (AI agents), org structure, goals, budgets, and task management — everything a real company needs, except the operating system is real software.
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## The Problem
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Task management software doesn't go far enough. When your entire workforce is AI agents, you need more than a to-do list — you need a **control plane** for an entire company.
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## What Paperclip Does
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Paperclip is the command, communication, and control plane for a company of AI agents. It is the single place where you:
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- **Manage agents as employees** — hire, organize, and track who does what
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- **Define org structure** — org charts that agents themselves operate within
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- **Track work in real time** — see at any moment what every agent is working on
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- **Control costs** — token salary budgets per agent, spend tracking, burn rate
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- **Align to goals** — agents see how their work serves the bigger mission
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- **Govern autonomy** — board approval gates, activity audit trails, budget enforcement
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## Two Layers
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### 1. Control Plane (Paperclip)
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The central nervous system. Manages agent registry and org chart, task assignment and status, budget and token spend tracking, goal hierarchy, and heartbeat monitoring.
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### 2. Execution Services (Adapters)
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Agents run externally and report into the control plane. Adapters connect different execution environments — Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, shell processes, HTTP webhooks, or any runtime that can call an API.
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The control plane doesn't run agents. It orchestrates them. Agents run wherever they run and phone home.
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## Core Principle
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You should be able to look at Paperclip and understand your entire company at a glance — who's doing what, how much it costs, and whether it's working.
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