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What Is Paperclip AI? GitHub, Installation, License and Data Notes

In Paperclip you create goals and tasks; agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI take on the work, while you set budgets and require your approval for critical steps. It is an open-source panel (MIT) for organizing multiple agents like a company. It is free on your own computer and needs no account: Node.js 24.11 or later plus npx paperclipai@latest onboard --yes is enough. The model subscription or API fees the agents use are separate. Anonymous usage telemetry is on by default.

What it does
Organizes multiple AI agents like a company
Type
Open-source agent management panel
Account
Not needed, runs on your own machine
Telemetry
On by default, can be turned off
Version
v2026.1012.0 (October 12, 2026)
Turkish
Not stated in the official documentation
Cost
Software is free (MIT); model costs are separate

What is Paperclip for?

Can I use it without code? You use it from the panel (in the browser), but installation requires typing commands in a terminal and installing Node.js. For the hosted Paperclip Cloud, the official page only has a waitlist; there is no cloud version you can open with a click today.

If you use several AI agents at once, keeping track of which one does what gets hard. Paperclip pulls this together like a task manager: you give agents roles and decide who reports to whom (an org chart), create tasks and track spending. By the official definition, Paperclip is not the agents themselves; it is a Node.js server and React interface that organizes agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI and OpenCode.

Managing an agent team from a task boardWhat you get: Tasks, run logs, filesNeeds a separate setupSetting budget limits, requiring approvalWhat you get: Threshold alerts, pausingNeeds a separate setupScheduling recurring workWhat you get: A task and history for each runNeeds a separate setup

Who it helps: teams and solo businesses that regularly get work done with agents such as Claude Code or Codex. If you only occasionally work with a single agent, you may not need this extra layer.

How do you install Paperclip? (GitHub)

Required: Node.js 24.11 or later. For installing from source, also pnpm 9.15+. If you will use a Claude or Codex subscription login, the machine Paperclip runs on also needs Python 3 and that provider's command-line tool (the Docker image includes them). No separate database setup is needed: a local install creates an embedded PostgreSQL automatically. Operating system, RAM and disk requirements are not stated in the official documentation. The commands are taken verbatim from the README.

Install and start› npx paperclipai@latest onboard --yes

The command runs from the npm cache; your configuration and data stay on your machine. The default mode is "trusted local" mode, reachable only from your own machine.

Permanent install (for updates and rollback)› npx paperclipai install

If npx returns an E404 error, you may be using a private npm registry: the command npx --registry https://registry.npmjs.org paperclipai@latest onboard --yes forces the public registry (README recommendation).

How do you use Paperclip?

The official quick-start route after installation has three steps: create a company, hire the first agent (the CEO), approve the strategy the agent proposes and watch the tasks land on the board. The documentation says this takes about 5–11 minutes, not counting installation. If you will use Claude Code for the CEO, Claude Code must already be installed on the same machine.

  1. Create a company: Give it a name; you add the goal later.
  2. Hire the first agent: Choose an agent such as Claude Code or Codex. The documentation says an API key from the agent's provider is required.
  3. Set the budget: Set agent and company budgets before running the agents; the documentation says agents are paused automatically when they reach 100 percent.
  4. Approve the strategy: The agent puts the strategy in the approval queue; if you approve it, tasks land on the Issues page.
First company goal (example)"Goal: Over the next 30 days, feed our digital agency's blog with 2 drafts a week. Propose a strategy first, and don't open any tasks until I approve it."You write the goal in the company's goal field in Paperclip. This example is this page's suggestion; it is not an example from the official documentation.

For recurring work there are routines: they create a task on a set schedule or from a connection call (API or webhook), and each run is tied to a task and its history.

Is Paperclip free? License and real cost

The software itself is free: MIT license (copyright Paperclip Labs, Inc 2026), and no Paperclip account is needed. The MIT license is a common open-source license that allows commercial use; this is not legal advice, so read the license text yourself.

Allowed
  • Running the software for free on your own computer or server (README: open source, self-hosted, no account)
  • Using it in line with the MIT license terms
Not allowed
  • Hosted cloud version: the official page only has a waitlist, with no pricing or release information

The software is free; server costs and updates are on you. The model subscription or API fees the agents use are also separate. The official quick-start page says agent calls cost money and estimates about $5–20 to try it out and $20–100 a month for an active company (the documentation's own estimate, not an independent measurement). If you want to rent a server, the cost is not stated in the official documentation.

Current version: v2026.1012.0, October 12, 2026 (GitHub releases, checked October 15, 2026). On a managed install, updating takes a single command, and rollback is supported too (paperclipai update).

Where does my data go, and what should I watch out for?

Where your data lives

In a local install, a single Node.js process manages an embedded PostgreSQL and local file storage. If you want, you can connect your own PostgreSQL or S3-compatible storage.

Telemetry

README: anonymous usage telemetry is on by default. It states that personal information, task content, prompt text, file paths and secret keys are not collected. To turn it off, use PAPERCLIP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1, DO_NOT_TRACK=1 or telemetry.enabled: false in the configuration; it is off automatically in CI=true environments.

Model provider

Agents connect to their own providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.); which key you use and that provider's data policy are a separate matter. Paperclip does not offer a model of its own.

Secret keys

README: secret keys are stored encrypted and given to agents by reference. When you export a company package, secret values are stripped, but plain environment variables and local paths can remain in the package; review it before sharing.

The default "trusted local" mode has no login; it is designed only for the machine you use yourself. If someone else will connect or it will be reached over the network, choose the authenticated mode. Don't share the one-time ownership link (/board-claim/...) created when switching between these modes with anyone. When granting agents permissions and setting budget limits, start with minimal permissions.

The official README does not publish any security vulnerability notices. This is not a "safe" stamp.

Frequently asked questions

What is Paperclip AI?

It is an open-source panel that organizes multiple AI agents like a company. You give agents roles, tasks and budgets; agents such as Claude Code and Codex do the work. It is not a model or a chat assistant itself.

Is Paperclip free?

The software is free and MIT-licensed, and no account is needed. The model subscription or API fees the agents use and server costs are separate.

What is Paperclip's GitHub address and license?

The official repository is github.com/paperclipai/paperclip, and the license is MIT. The latest release is v2026.1012.0 (October 12, 2026).

Does Paperclip work with Claude Code and Codex?

Yes, the README lists them among the supported agents; Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Cursor and others are on the list too. If you will use Claude Code, it must be installed on the same machine.

How do you install Paperclip?

With Node.js 24.11 or later installed, run npx paperclipai@latest onboard --yes in a terminal. The interface opens locally at localhost:3100.

Does Paperclip collect my data, and how do I turn it off?

Anonymous usage telemetry is on by default, and it states that personal information, prompt text and secret keys are not collected. Turn it off with PAPERCLIP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 or DO_NOT_TRACK=1.

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Sources

Not clear in the official sources: Operating system, RAM and disk requirements · Turkish interface and agent replies · server rental cost · security vulnerability history. Each is noted in the relevant section.