203 lines
7.6 KiB
Markdown
203 lines
7.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Importing & Exporting Companies
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summary: Export companies to portable packages and import them from local paths or GitHub
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---
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Paperclip companies can be exported to portable markdown packages and imported from local directories or GitHub repositories. This lets you share company configurations, duplicate setups, and version-control your agent teams.
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## Package Format
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Exported packages follow the [Agent Companies specification](/companies/companies-spec) and use a markdown-first structure:
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```text
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my-company/
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├── COMPANY.md # Company metadata
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├── agents/
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│ ├── ceo/AGENT.md # Agent instructions + frontmatter
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│ └── cto/AGENT.md
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├── projects/
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│ └── main/PROJECT.md
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├── skills/
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│ └── review/SKILL.md
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├── tasks/
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│ └── onboarding/TASK.md
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└── .paperclip.yaml # Adapter config, env inputs, routines
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```
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- **COMPANY.md** defines company name, description, and metadata.
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- **AGENT.md** files contain agent identity, role, and instructions.
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- **SKILL.md** files are compatible with the Agent Skills ecosystem.
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- **.paperclip.yaml** holds Paperclip-specific config (adapter types, env inputs, budgets) as an optional sidecar.
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## Exporting a Company
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Export a company into a portable folder:
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```sh
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paperclipai company export <company-id> --out ./my-export
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```
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### Options
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| Option | Description | Default |
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|--------|-------------|---------|
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| `--out <path>` | Output directory (required) | — |
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| `--include <values>` | Comma-separated set: `company`, `agents`, `projects`, `issues`, `tasks`, `skills` | `company,agents` |
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| `--skills <values>` | Export only specific skill slugs | all |
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| `--projects <values>` | Export only specific project shortnames or IDs | all |
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| `--issues <values>` | Export specific issue identifiers or IDs | none |
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| `--project-issues <values>` | Export issues belonging to specific projects | none |
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| `--expand-referenced-skills` | Vendor skill file contents instead of keeping upstream references | `false` |
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### Examples
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```sh
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# Export company with agents and projects
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paperclipai company export abc123 --out ./backup --include company,agents,projects
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# Export everything including tasks and skills
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paperclipai company export abc123 --out ./full-export --include company,agents,projects,tasks,skills
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# Export only specific skills
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paperclipai company export abc123 --out ./skills-only --include skills --skills review,deploy
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```
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### What Gets Exported
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- Company name, description, and metadata
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- Agent names, roles, reporting structure, and instructions
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- Project definitions and workspace config
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- Task/issue descriptions (when included)
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- Skill packages (as references or vendored content)
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- Adapter type and env input declarations in `.paperclip.yaml`
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Secret values, machine-local paths, and database IDs are **never** exported.
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## Importing a Company
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Import from a local directory, GitHub URL, or GitHub shorthand:
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```sh
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# From a local folder
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paperclipai company import ./my-export
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# From a GitHub URL
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paperclipai company import https://github.com/org/repo
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# From a GitHub subfolder
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paperclipai company import https://github.com/org/repo/tree/main/companies/acme
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# From GitHub shorthand
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paperclipai company import org/repo
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paperclipai company import org/repo/companies/acme
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```
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### Options
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| Option | Description | Default |
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|--------|-------------|---------|
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| `--target <mode>` | `new` (create a new company) or `existing` (merge into existing) | inferred from context |
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| `--company-id <id>` | Target company ID for `--target existing` | current context |
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| `--new-company-name <name>` | Override company name for `--target new` | from package |
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| `--include <values>` | Comma-separated set: `company`, `agents`, `projects`, `issues`, `tasks`, `skills` | auto-detected |
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| `--agents <list>` | Comma-separated agent slugs to import, or `all` | `all` |
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| `--collision <mode>` | How to handle name conflicts: `rename`, `skip`, or `replace` | `rename` |
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| `--ref <value>` | Git ref for GitHub imports (branch, tag, or commit) | default branch |
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| `--dry-run` | Preview what would be imported without applying | `false` |
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| `--yes` | Skip the interactive confirmation prompt | `false` |
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| `--json` | Output result as JSON | `false` |
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### Target Modes
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- **`new`** — Creates a fresh company from the package. Good for duplicating a company template.
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- **`existing`** — Merges the package into an existing company. Use `--company-id` to specify the target.
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If `--target` is not specified, Paperclip infers it: if a `--company-id` is provided (or one exists in context), it defaults to `existing`; otherwise `new`.
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### Collision Strategies
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When importing into an existing company, agent or project names may conflict with existing ones:
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- **`rename`** (default) — Appends a suffix to avoid conflicts (e.g., `ceo` becomes `ceo-2`).
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- **`skip`** — Skips entities that already exist.
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- **`replace`** — Overwrites existing entities. Only available for non-safe imports (not available through the CEO API).
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### Interactive Selection
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When running interactively (no `--yes` or `--json` flags), the import command shows a selection picker before applying. You can choose exactly which agents, projects, skills, and tasks to import using a checkbox interface.
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### Preview Before Applying
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Always preview first with `--dry-run`:
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```sh
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paperclipai company import org/repo --target existing --company-id abc123 --dry-run
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```
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The preview shows:
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- **Package contents** — How many agents, projects, tasks, and skills are in the source
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- **Import plan** — What will be created, renamed, skipped, or replaced
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- **Env inputs** — Environment variables that may need values after import
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- **Warnings** — Potential issues like missing skills or unresolved references
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Imported agents always land with timer heartbeats disabled. Assignment/on-demand wake behavior from the package is preserved, but scheduled runs stay off until a board operator re-enables them.
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### Common Workflows
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**Clone a company template from GitHub:**
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```sh
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paperclipai company import org/company-templates/engineering-team \
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--target new \
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--new-company-name "My Engineering Team"
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```
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**Add agents from a package into your existing company:**
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```sh
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paperclipai company import ./shared-agents \
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--target existing \
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--company-id abc123 \
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--include agents \
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--collision rename
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```
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**Import a specific branch or tag:**
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```sh
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paperclipai company import org/repo --ref v2.0.0 --dry-run
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```
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**Non-interactive import (CI/scripts):**
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```sh
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paperclipai company import ./package \
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--target new \
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--yes \
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--json
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```
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## API Endpoints
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The CLI commands use these API endpoints under the hood:
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| Action | Endpoint |
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|--------|----------|
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| Export company | `POST /api/companies/{companyId}/export` |
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| Preview import (existing company) | `POST /api/companies/{companyId}/imports/preview` |
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| Apply import (existing company) | `POST /api/companies/{companyId}/imports/apply` |
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| Preview import (new company) | `POST /api/companies/import/preview` |
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| Apply import (new company) | `POST /api/companies/import` |
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CEO agents can also use the safe import routes (`/imports/preview` and `/imports/apply`) which enforce non-destructive rules: `replace` is rejected, collisions resolve with `rename` or `skip`, and issues are always created as new.
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## GitHub Sources
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Paperclip supports several GitHub URL formats:
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- Full URL: `https://github.com/org/repo`
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- Subfolder URL: `https://github.com/org/repo/tree/main/path/to/company`
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- Shorthand: `org/repo`
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- Shorthand with path: `org/repo/path/to/company`
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Use `--ref` to pin to a specific branch, tag, or commit hash when importing from GitHub.
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