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Publishing to npm

Low-level reference for how Paperclip packages are prepared and published to npm.

For the maintainer workflow, use doc/RELEASING.md. This document focuses on packaging internals.

Current Release Entry Points

Use these scripts:

Paperclip no longer uses release branches or Changesets for publishing.

Why the CLI needs special packaging

The CLI package, @paperclipai/cli, imports code from workspace packages such as:

  • @paperclipai/server
  • @paperclipai/db
  • @paperclipai/shared
  • adapter packages under packages/adapters/

Those workspace references are valid in development but not in a publishable npm package. The release flow rewrites versions temporarily, then builds a publishable CLI bundle.

build-npm.sh

Run:

./scripts/build-npm.sh

This script:

  1. runs the forbidden token check unless --skip-checks is supplied
  2. runs pnpm -r typecheck
  3. bundles the CLI entrypoint with esbuild into cli/dist/index.js
  4. verifies the bundled entrypoint with node --check
  5. rewrites cli/package.json into a publishable npm manifest and stores the dev copy as cli/package.dev.json
  6. copies the repo README.md into cli/README.md for npm metadata

After the release script exits, the dev manifest and temporary files are restored automatically.

Package discovery and versioning

Public packages are discovered from:

  • packages/
  • server/
  • ui/
  • cli/

The version rewrite step now uses scripts/release-package-map.mjs, which:

  • finds all public packages
  • sorts them topologically by internal dependencies
  • rewrites each package version to the target release version
  • rewrites internal workspace:* dependency references to the exact target version
  • updates the CLI's displayed version string

Those rewrites are temporary. The working tree is restored after publish or dry-run.

@paperclipai/ui packaging

The UI package publishes prebuilt static assets, not the source workspace.

The ui package uses scripts/generate-ui-package-json.mjs during prepack to swap in a lean publish manifest that:

  • keeps the release-managed name and version
  • publishes only dist/
  • omits the source-only dependency graph from downstream installs

After packing or publishing, postpack restores the development manifest automatically.

Manual first publish for @paperclipai/ui

If you need to publish only the UI package once by hand, use the real package name:

  • @paperclipai/ui

Recommended flow from the repo root:

# optional sanity check: this 404s until the first publish exists
npm view @paperclipai/ui version

# make sure the dist payload is fresh
pnpm --filter @paperclipai/ui build

# confirm your local npm auth before the real publish
npm whoami

# safe preview of the exact publish payload
cd ui
pnpm publish --dry-run --no-git-checks --access public

# real publish
pnpm publish --no-git-checks --access public

Notes:

  • Publish from ui/, not the repo root.
  • prepack automatically rewrites ui/package.json to the lean publish manifest, and postpack restores the dev manifest after the command finishes.
  • If npm view @paperclipai/ui version already returns the same version that is in ui/package.json, do not republish. Bump the version or use the normal repo-wide release flow in scripts/release.sh.

If the first real publish returns npm E404, check npm-side prerequisites before retrying:

  • npm whoami must succeed first. An expired or missing npm login will block the publish.
  • For an organization-scoped package like @paperclipai/ui, the paperclipai npm organization must exist and the publisher must be a member with permission to publish to that scope.
  • The initial publish must include --access public for a public scoped package.
  • npm also requires either account 2FA for publishing or a granular token that is allowed to bypass 2FA.

Version formats

Paperclip uses calendar versions:

  • stable: YYYY.MDD.P
  • canary: YYYY.MDD.P-canary.N

Examples:

  • stable: 2026.318.0
  • canary: 2026.318.1-canary.2

Publish model

Canary

Canaries publish under the npm dist-tag canary.

Example:

  • @paperclipai/cli@2026.318.1-canary.2

Install:

npx @paperclipai/cli@canary onboard

Stable

Stable publishes use the npm dist-tag latest.

Example:

  • @paperclipai/cli@2026.318.0

Stable publishes do not create a release commit. Instead:

  • package versions are rewritten temporarily
  • packages are published from the chosen source commit
  • git tag vYYYY.MDD.P points at that original commit

CI npm authentication

Today: GitHub Environments npm-canary and npm-stable store secret NPM_TOKEN (npm automation token). .github/workflows/release.yml sets NODE_AUTH_TOKEN and runs npm whoami before publish.

Future: OIDC trusted publishing (no long-lived token) is documented in doc/RELEASE-AUTOMATION-SETUP.md once every package on npmjs.com is wired to Viraforge/paperclip + release.yml.

Rollback model

Rollback does not unpublish anything.

It repoints the latest dist-tag to a prior stable version:

./scripts/rollback-latest.sh 2026.318.0

This is the fastest way to restore the default install path if a stable release is bad.

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