--- title: "Deploy Paperclip" description: "Run a company of AI agents with org charts, goals & budgets" category: "AI/ML" url: https://railway.com/deploy/paperclip-8 --- # Deploy Paperclip Run a company of AI agents with org charts, goals & budgets **[Deploy Paperclip on Railway](https://railway.com/template/paperclip-8)** Machine-readable deploy manifest (JSON, validated by TemplateCI): https://railway.com/deploy/paperclip-8/manifest.json - **Creator:** onepush - **Category:** AI/ML ## Template content ### Postgres https://devicons.railway.app/i/postgresql.svg - **Image:** ghcr.io/railwayapp-templates/postgres-ssl:18 ### paperclip - **Image:** ghcr.io/paperclipai/paperclip:2026.1012.0@sha256:1661b3dd3fdf7a9b59542d1ced464c3faf9dc8309798b4d15a9923ed32795307 - **Start command:** `/bin/sh -c "printenv PAPERCLIP_RAILWAY_BOOTSTRAP_JS > /tmp/railway-bootstrap.mjs || true; chmod 644 /tmp/railway-bootstrap.mjs; exec /usr/bin/tini -s -- docker-entrypoint.sh /bin/sh -c 'cd /app; if [ -s /tmp/railway-bootstrap.mjs ] && [ ${PAPERCLIP_RAILWAY_BOOTSTRAP_INVITE:-true} = true ]; then (node /tmp/railway-bootstrap.mjs &); fi; exec node --import ./server/node_modules/tsx/dist/loader.mjs server/dist/index.js'"` - **Health check:** /api/health - **Public domain:** Yes ## Documentation # Deploy and Host self hosted Paperclip (Open-Source AI Agent Orchestration) on Railway This template runs official ghcr.io/paperclipai/paperclip:2026.1012.0 directly, digest-pinned, with Railway Postgres, /paperclip volume, and authenticated mode. No wrapper build, fork, or /setup page. First admin invite prints in deploy logs. ## About Hosting Paperclip open-source software on Railway (self hosted Paperclip template) This template uses the official release image as published. Start command calls tini and docker-entrypoint.sh because Railway replaces ENTRYPOINT when a start command is set. The entrypoint chowns the volume and drops to the node user, a small helper prints a one-time bootstrap invite, and then the normal server starts. Railway Postgres 18 replaces embedded database, which upstream says is local-only. /paperclip volume holds uploads, config, agent workspaces, local secrets key. ## Why Deploy Paperclip, the CrewAI alternative on Railway (Railway Free Trial) Paperclip treats agents like employees: org charts, goals, issues with atomic checkout, heartbeats, budgets with spend tracking, approval gates, rollback, multi-org. Railway $5 trial deploys Paperclip and Postgres, claims admin invite, runs small agent team before monthly infra. Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it. By deploying Paperclip on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway. ### Railway vs Other Hosting Providers and VPS for Paperclip self hosting | Provider | What you get | Paperclip-specific friction | Railway difference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | DigitalOcean | Droplet + optional Postgres | Reverse proxy, TLS, health, volume, logs | Public domain, health checks, Postgres, volume | | AWS | ECS, Fargate, EC2, RDS, ALB, IAM | Many moving parts; secrets, networking, task definitions | One service, domain, Postgres, secrets | | Hetzner | Cheap VPS or dedicated | Manual Docker, Postgres, backups, TLS, firewall | App and Postgres together, deploy logs, one replica | ## Common Use Cases for hosted Paperclip Run a small team of coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI under one admin. Create recurring routines that check issues and wake agents on heartbeats. Attach budgets to goals with automatic pauses and enforce approval gates for risky actions. Keep multiple organizations separate for clients or departments and export/import company templates with secrets scrubbed. ## Dependencies for Paperclip Docker hosted on Railway Two Railway services: paperclip app and Railway Postgres 18. Paperclip needs DATABASE_URL, three 64-hex secrets, persistent /paperclip volume. Official image bundles Node.js, tini, upstream entrypoint; no build. Optional LLM keys can start empty, but bundled adapters need at least one key. ### Deployment Dependencies for Managed Paperclip Service (Agent Orchestration) Paperclip listens on port 3100 with /api/health, one replica. /paperclip volume maps to PAPERCLIP_HOME. Railway Postgres 18 supplies DATABASE_URL; migrations run on boot. Generated secrets: BETTER_AUTH_SECRET, PAPERCLIP_AGENT_JWT_SECRET, PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_MASTER_KEY, each 64 hex. Fixed env: HOST=0.0.0.0, PAPERCLIP_BIND=lan, PORT=3100, SERVE_UI=true, PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=authenticated, PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_EXPOSURE=public. ### Implementation Details for Paperclip (Using Paperclip official docker image) Image digest-pinned to ghcr.io/paperclipai/paperclip:2026.1012.0, latest release Oct 12 2026. Start command runs tini and docker-entrypoint.sh, which chowns volume, drops to node user, runs bootstrap invite helper, then upstream server command. No wrapper build. Deploy logs show [railway-bootstrap] block with one-time /invite/pcp_bootstrap_ URL, valid 72h, reprinted on restart until claimed. Same invite can be created with paperclipai auth bootstrap-ceo. ## How does Paperclip compare against other AI agent orchestration platforms ### Paperclip vs CrewAI - **Orchestration:** Paperclip runs persistent agents as employees with goals, issues, heartbeats, schedules; CrewAI composes Python crews per run. - **State/UI:** Paperclip stores org, tasks, budgets, secrets in Postgres and has React UI, mobile-ready admin; CrewAI is Python-first, state mostly in code. - **Adapters:** Paperclip manages Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw, HTTP endpoints; CrewAI defines agents in Python. - **License/deploy:** Both have MIT open-source cores. Paperclip ships as one Docker image; this template adds Postgres and a volume around it. ### Paperclip vs LangGraph - **Graph vs org:** LangGraph models workflows as state graphs; Paperclip models a company with tasks, budgets, approval gates. - **Deployment:** LangGraph runs as Python service, often with LangGraph Platform; Paperclip is one Node.js image. - **UI/Persistence:** LangGraph Studio is a developer tool; Paperclip has a production admin UI, and its migrations set up Postgres automatically. - **Use case:** LangGraph for custom graph logic; Paperclip for managed multi-agent work with governance. ### Paperclip vs n8n - **Automation:** n8n is workflow automation with AI nodes; Paperclip is persistent agent company. - **Triggers:** n8n uses webhooks, schedules, events; Paperclip agents wake for assigned work or routines. - **Governance/License:** Paperclip has approval gates, budgets, rollback, spend tracking; n8n is fair-code, not MIT. ### Paperclip vs OpenClaw - **Relationship:** OpenClaw is a single personal agent; Paperclip can manage it as an employee. If OpenClaw is an employee, Paperclip is the company. - **Scope:** OpenClaw acts on your machine; Paperclip assigns tasks, tracks budgets, enforces gates across many agents. - **UI/Multi-agent:** OpenClaw has its own gateway and Control UI for one assistant; Paperclip's web admin is built for many agents and organizations. - **Complement:** Run OpenClaw alongside Paperclip and register it via HTTP or process adapter. ## How to use Paperclip (the OSS agent orchestration platform)? Deploy on Railway, wait for healthy. Copy /invite/pcp_bootstrap_ URL from deploy logs. Open public Paperclip URL, sign up, open invite in same browser to become admin. Set PAPERCLIP_AUTH_DISABLE_SIGN_UP=true. Invite teammates from UI. Add an LLM key, like OPENAI_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, or GEMINI_API_KEY, so bundled Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI adapters run. Create org, goals, issues, budgets, schedules. ## How to self host Paperclip on other VPS Services (Paperclip self hosting guide) Official repo github.com/paperclipai/paperclip. Need Node.js, pnpm, external Postgres for production. Docs at docs.paperclip.ing cover Docker and VPS guides. ### Clone the Repository Run git clone https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip.git and cd paperclip. The repo is a Node.js and pnpm workspace; follow its README for the current Node version. ### Install Dependencies Run pnpm install. For Docker, pull official image ghcr.io/paperclipai/paperclip:2026.1012.0 instead of building. ### Configure Environment Variables Create .env. Set DATABASE_URL to external Postgres, generate BETTER_AUTH_SECRET, PAPERCLIP_AGENT_JWT_SECRET, PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_MASTER_KEY as 64-hex, set HOST=0.0.0.0, PORT=3100, SERVE_UI=true, PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=authenticated, PAPERCLIP_PUBLIC_URL. Don't use embedded Postgres in production. ### Start the Paperclip Application Use the build and start scripts from the repo README, or run the Docker image with mounted /paperclip volume and same env. Use upstream docker-entrypoint.sh. After boot, run paperclipai auth bootstrap-ceo. ## Official Pricing of Paperclip (Paperclip pricing) Paperclip is MIT licensed and free to self-host. There is no license or per-seat fee for self-hosting. You pay model providers for tokens and hosting provider for compute, memory, disk, Postgres. ## Paperclip cloud vs self hosted comparison (Pricing, features, costs, and more) Check paperclip.ing for any hosted offering; this template is about self-hosting, which the project supports with an official image and deploy docs. Software features are the same on Railway, VPS, or your hardware. Costs are infrastructure plus model usage. ### Monthly cost of self hosting Paperclip on Railway At light use, one replica plus Railway Postgres 18 is about $10-20/month. Running coding CLIs like Claude Code or Codex in the same container can raise CPU/memory. Railway $5 trial covers short evaluation. Model API costs separate. ### System Requirements for Hosting Paperclip on a VPS As a rough guide, start around 2 vCPU and 2-4 GB RAM plus Postgres, and add more when several coding CLI agents run at once. Mount persistent volume for /paperclip. Use external Postgres. Server needs outbound HTTPS to model APIs and agent endpoints. ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ### Is Paperclip free to self-host? Yes, MIT licensed. You pay for hosting and model usage. ### Can I use the embedded Postgres on Railway? No, template uses Railway Postgres 18 because upstream says embedded is local-only. ### How do I claim the first admin account? Copy /invite/pcp_bootstrap_ URL from logs, sign up, open invite in same browser. Valid 72h, reprinted until claimed. ### What happens if I change PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_MASTER_KEY? Existing encrypted secrets become unreadable; keep stable or plan rotation and re-entry. ### Can Paperclip run agents without an LLM key? Server starts, but bundled Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI adapters need at least one. Custom process or HTTP agents may not. ### How do I invite teammates after signup? Claim bootstrap invite, set PAPERCLIP_AUTH_DISABLE_SIGN_UP=true, then use UI or CLI to create invites. ## Similar templates - [Chat Chat](https://railway.com/deploy/-WWW5r) — Chat Chat, your own unified chat and search to AI platform. - [stella](https://railway.com/deploy/stella) — Self-host stella with web, API, Postgres, Redis, and object storage. - [Hermes Agent | OpenClaw Alternative with Dashboard](https://railway.com/deploy/hermes-agent-or-openclaw-alternative-wit) — Self-Hosted Hermes AI Agent for Telegram, Discord & Slack Open this page in a browser: https://railway.com/deploy/paperclip-8