---
title: "Deploy Paperclip Agent Orchestration"
description: "Orchestrate teams of AI agents in one UI"
category: "AI/ML"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-paperclip-agent-orchestration
---

# Deploy Paperclip Agent Orchestration

Orchestrate teams of AI agents in one UI

**[Deploy Paperclip Agent Orchestration on Railway](https://railway.com/template/deploy-paperclip-agent-orchestration)**

Machine-readable deploy manifest (JSON, validated by TemplateCI): https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-paperclip-agent-orchestration/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 Paperclip Agent Orchestration (Open-Source AI Agent Company) on Railway

Paperclip is an MIT-licensed Node.js app that runs an AI agent company from one browser tab. You set an org chart, goals, issues, budgets, and approval gates. Agents built on Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw, or HTTP adapters check out work and report back. You stay the board: agents propose, you approve.

## About Hosting Paperclip Agent Orchestration on Railway (self hosted Paperclip template)

This template runs Paperclip as one Railway service on port 3100. Railway provisions Postgres 18 and attaches it through DATABASE_URL.

The template generates three 64-character hex secrets: BETTER_AUTH_SECRET for auth sessions, PAPERCLIP_AGENT_JWT_SECRET for agent tokens, and PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_MASTER_KEY for encrypting company secrets in Postgres.

The start command runs upstream tini plus docker-entrypoint.sh. Railway replaces ENTRYPOINT when a start command is set, so the entrypoint still chowns the volume, drops to the node user, runs a one-time invite helper, then starts Paperclip. Run one replica.

## Why Deploy Paperclip Agent Orchestration on Railway (Railway Free Trial)

Paperclip coordinates agents that go make things happen, not just report what already happened. You own the company config, invite flow, and data without paying a Paperclip license. Railway's $5 trial lets you test the stack before you commit.

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 Agent Orchestration 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 Agent Orchestration self hosting

| Provider | Paperclip setup burden | What you still manage | Railway edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DigitalOcean | Create a Droplet, install Docker or Node, add managed Postgres, set up Nginx and TLS, configure a volume | OS updates, reverse proxy, certs, firewall, backups | One template deploy with Postgres and a public URL |
| AWS | ECS or EC2, RDS, ALB, EFS, IAM roles, security groups, CloudWatch | Everything below the app, plus networking and IAM | Collapses this into one service plus a managed Postgres plugin |
| Hetzner | Provision a VPS, install Docker or Node, add Postgres, configure UFW and Caddy or Nginx | Server hardening, DNS, TLS renewals, disk sizing | Runs the app and database without manual server care |

## Common Use Cases for hosted Paperclip Agent Orchestration

- Run a small coding company where Claude Code or Codex agents pick up GitHub issues and implement changes.
- Build a research team that checks sources, drafts reports, and waits for approval before publishing.

## Dependencies for Paperclip Agent Orchestration Docker hosted on Railway

Paperclip is a Node.js server with a React UI. The Docker image bundles both. It needs an external Postgres database for company state, users, issues, goals, budgets, and secrets. The Railway template attaches Postgres 18 through DATABASE_URL.

### Deployment Dependencies for Managed Paperclip Agent Orchestration Service (Agent Orchestration)

- Railway app service for Paperclip on port 3100 with health check /api/health.
- Railway Postgres 18 plugin exposed as DATABASE_URL.
- Volume mounted at /paperclip for PAPERCLIP_HOME.

### Implementation Details for Paperclip Agent Orchestration (Using Paperclip official docker image)

The template fixes HOST=0.0.0.0, PAPERCLIP_BIND=lan, PORT=3100, SERVE_UI=true, PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=authenticated, and PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_EXPOSURE=public. PAPERCLIP_PUBLIC_URL and PAPERCLIP_API_URL come from the Railway public domain.

After deploy, find the [railway-bootstrap] block in deploy logs. It prints a one-time /invite/pcp_bootstrap_ URL valid for 72 hours. The URL reprints on restart until claimed. Open it in the same browser where you signed up, and you become instance admin.

## How does Paperclip Agent Orchestration compare against other AI agent orchestration platforms

### Paperclip Agent Orchestration

**Model:** A company with an org chart, reporting lines, goals, issues, budgets, and a board that approves actions.
**Agents:** External runtimes like Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw, HTTP endpoints, or custom processes.

### vs LangGraph

**LangGraph:** A Python library for building agent graphs with nodes, edges, state, and custom control flow.
**Paperclip:** An operational UI, not a code framework. You hire agents, assign issues, and watch budgets.

### vs n8n

**n8n:** Workflow automation with AI agent nodes, webhooks, and hundreds of integrations. Fair-code licensed.
**Paperclip:** Agent company operations, not generic workflow pipelines. Goals, issues, heartbeats, budgets, and approvals are first-class.

### vs OpenClaw

**OpenClaw:** A single personal agent that can run tasks on your machine and manage your tools.
**Paperclip:** The company around agents. If OpenClaw is an employee, Paperclip is the company.

## How to use Paperclip Agent Orchestration (the OSS agent orchestration platform)?

Deploy the Railway template and open the public URL. Sign up, then claim the bootstrap invite from the deploy logs. You are now the instance admin. Disable open sign-ups and invite your teammates.

Add an LLM provider key in settings. Without one, agents cannot actually think or code. Then create your first organization and hire agents. Pick an adapter such as Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw, or a plain HTTP endpoint.

Set a goal for the company. Create issues or tasks under that goal. Agents check out work atomically, so two agents do not grab the same task. Heartbeats wake agents when they have assigned work or when a schedule fires. Set a budget per agent.

Use governance for anything risky. Approval gates can require board sign-off before an agent runs a command, publishes output, or spends beyond a threshold. Rollback support lets you undo changes that went sideways. Export your company template when the structure works.

## How to self host Paperclip Agent Orchestration on other VPS Services (Paperclip self hosting guide)

You can run Paperclip outside Railway with the official Docker image or from the repo. The docs at docs.paperclip.ing cover Docker and VPS installs. Production should use an external Postgres database, not SQLite.

### Clone the Repository

```
git clone https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip
cd paperclip
```

### Install Dependencies

Install Node.js and pnpm, then run:

```
pnpm install
```

### Configure Environment Variables

Set DATABASE_URL to your Postgres connection string. Generate BETTER_AUTH_SECRET, PAPERCLIP_AGENT_JWT_SECRET, and PAPERCLIP_SECRETS_MASTER_KEY. Set HOST=0.0.0.0, PORT=3100, PAPERCLIP_PUBLIC_URL, and PAPERCLIP_API_URL.

### Start the Paperclip Agent Orchestration Application

Build and start the server:

```
pnpm build
pnpm start
```

Or run the official Docker image with the same environment variables and a mounted volume at /paperclip. Migrations run automatically on boot. Claim the bootstrap invite the same way you would on Railway.

## Official Pricing of Paperclip Agent Orchestration (Paperclip pricing)

Paperclip is MIT-licensed software. There is no Paperclip license fee for self-hosting. You pay for your own infrastructure and whatever model provider usage your agents generate. The Railway template costs whatever your app and Postgres consume.

## Paperclip Agent Orchestration cloud vs self hosted comparison (Pricing, features, costs, and more)

Paperclip does not run an official cloud service, so the practical choice is where to self-host. Railway removes most of the setup work: Postgres, volume, public URL, TLS, logs, and health checks come with the template.

### Monthly cost of self hosting Paperclip Agent Orchestration on Railway

At light use, expect about $10 to $20 per month for the Paperclip app service plus Railway Postgres. The Railway free trial gives you $5 to start.

### System Requirements for Hosting Paperclip Agent Orchestration on a VPS

A small Paperclip instance runs on 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM for the UI and server, but 2 GB RAM is more comfortable. Postgres should run separately, either managed or on another service. Disk depends on agent workspaces and uploads, but start with 10 GB.

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

### Is Paperclip really free to self-host?

Yes. Paperclip is MIT-licensed. You pay for hosting and model API usage, not for Paperclip itself.

### Do I need an LLM API key?

Yes, if you want agents to do real work. The bundled Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI adapters need their respective provider keys. HTTP or custom process adapters may use their own credentials.

### How do I become the first admin?

Deploy the template, sign up at the public URL, then open the one-time /invite/pcp_bootstrap_ link from the [railway-bootstrap] deploy log. The invite is valid for 72 hours and reprints on restart until claimed.

### Can I run Claude Code or Codex agents with Paperclip?

Yes. Paperclip ships adapters for Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw, HTTP endpoints, and custom processes. Add the matching API key and hire an agent using that adapter.

### What happens when an agent exceeds its budget?

Paperclip tracks spend per agent and pauses the agent automatically when it hits the cap. You can raise the budget or approve an exception from the board view.

### Can I export my Paperclip company setup?

Yes. Paperclip supports portable company templates. Export scrubs secrets, so you can move the org chart, goals, issues, heartbeats, and skills to another instance without leaking keys.


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