Paperclip is an open-source orchestration platform for running AI-native teams. This Compose setup builds the upstream Docker image from source, persists the full Paperclip home directory, and exposes the web UI on port 3100.

Quick Start

Copy the example environment file:
```
cp .env.example .env
```
Optionally edit .env:
- Set PAPERCLIP_PUBLIC_URL if you are not using http://localhost:3100
- Add OPENAI_API_KEY and or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY for local adapters
- Set DATABASE_URL if you want to use an external PostgreSQL instance instead of the embedded database
Start the service:
```
docker compose up -d
```
Open the UI:
- http://localhost:3100
Follow the Paperclip onboarding flow in the browser.

Default Ports

Service	Port	Description
Paperclip	3100	Web UI and API

Important Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`PAPERCLIP_GIT_REF`	Git ref used for the source build	`main`
`PAPERCLIP_PORT_OVERRIDE`	Host port for Paperclip	`3100`
`PAPERCLIP_PUBLIC_URL`	Public URL for auth and invite flows	`http://localhost:3100`
`PAPERCLIP_ALLOWED_HOSTNAMES`	Extra allowed hostnames	`localhost`
`PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE`	Deployment mode	`authenticated`
`PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_EXPOSURE`	Exposure mode	`private`
`DATABASE_URL`	Optional external PostgreSQL URL	-
`OPENAI_API_KEY`	OpenAI key for bundled local adapters	-
`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`	Anthropic key for bundled local adapters	-
`TZ`	Container timezone	`UTC`

Volumes

paperclip_data: Stores embedded PostgreSQL data, uploaded files, secrets, and runtime state.

Notes

If DATABASE_URL is not provided, Paperclip automatically uses embedded PostgreSQL.
The upstream Docker image includes the UI and server in one container.
The first source build can take several minutes.

README.md

Paperclip

Quick Start

Default Ports

Important Environment Variables

Volumes

Notes

References