Terminal Setup

Note: This guide is for developers comfortable with a terminal. If you're not a developer, use the Desktop App installation guide instead — it covers the full setup without any of this.

Paperclip runs as a Node.js server. The onboarding command handles the full setup in one step.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20 or later (nodejs.org — download the LTS version)
• pnpm (package manager)

node --version   # Should print v20.x.x or higher

Step 1 — Install pnpm

npm install -g corepack
corepack enable
corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate

Step 2 — Run the onboarding command

npx paperclipai onboard --yes

This single command handles everything: downloads Paperclip, creates a configuration directory at ~/.paperclip/, initialises the embedded database, and starts the server at http://localhost:3100. The --yes flag accepts all defaults.

✓ Created config at ~/.paperclip/instances/default/config.json
✓ Initialised database
✓ Server running at http://localhost:3100
→ Opening Paperclip in your browser...

Run without --yes to go through the interactive setup and choose your deployment mode, database, and storage configuration.

Step 3 — Open Paperclip

Paperclip opens in your browser automatically. If it doesn't, navigate to http://localhost:3100.

To start Paperclip again after restarting your machine:

npx paperclipai run

Deployment modes

The default mode (local_trusted) runs on localhost with no authentication — suitable for single-operator local use. For team access or public hosting:

Change the mode:

npx paperclipai configure --section server

Advanced configuration

For persistent background runs, Docker deployment, external databases, and cloud hosting options, see the deployment overview.

You're set

Paperclip is running. You'll land in onboarding or at the start screen, where the next step is Create Your First Company.