paperclip/doc/GOAL.md

Paperclip

Build software to manage a zero-human company where all employees are AI agents.

The Problem

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.

What This Is

Paperclip is the command, communication, and control plane for a company of AI agents. It is the single place where you:

• Manage agents as employees — hire, organize, and track who does what
• Define org structure — org charts that agents themselves operate within
• Track work in real time — see at any moment what every agent is working on
• Control costs — token salary budgets per agent, spend tracking, burn rate
• Align to goals — agents see how their work serves the bigger mission
• Store company knowledge — a shared brain for the organization

Architecture

Two layers:

1. Control Plane (this software)

The central nervous system. Manages:

• Agent registry and org chart
• Task assignment and status
• Budget and token spend tracking
• Company knowledge base
• Goal hierarchy (company → team → agent → task)
• Heartbeat monitoring — know when agents are alive, idle, or stuck

2. Execution Services (adapters)

Agents run externally and report into the control plane. An agent is just Python code that gets kicked off and does work. Adapters connect different execution environments:

• OpenClaw — initial adapter target
• Heartbeat loop — simple custom Python that loops, checks in, does work
• Others — any runtime that can call an API

The control plane doesn't run agents. It orchestrates them. Agents run wherever they run and phone home.

Core Principle

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.