Create a new issue-thread interaction UI (Developer/maintainer skill)

Developer/maintainer skill. Do NOT install this on production Paperclip agents.

This skill walks a Paperclip contributor through introducing a new issue-thread interaction kind from shared contract to issue-detail wiring, helpers, and docs. It is intentionally a developer/maintainer skill: the audience is a human or coding agent making code changes inside paperclipai/paperclip, not the operational agents that run inside a deployed Paperclip company.

Do NOT install this on production Paperclip agents. This guide is for repository contributors changing Paperclip itself.

When to use

• A new interaction kind is being introduced (compact picker, structured rating, in-thread approval card, etc.).
• An existing interaction needs a parallel variant with a distinct payload shape, validation, or resolution outcome (and ask_user_questions is the wrong fit because option count, target binding, or result shape differs).
• A reviewer asks for "the same audit, staleness, supersede, and continuation semantics as the other interactions" on a new card.

When NOT to use

• Adding fields to an existing interaction kind that does not need a new payload schema. Patch the existing validators/UI in place instead.
• Changing how Paperclip agents call interactions. Update skills/paperclip or references/api-reference.md; that is agent guidance, not card work.
• Building a non-thread UI (issue detail sidebar, project board widget, etc.). Those have their own component conventions.

Mental model

Every issue-thread interaction has five moving parts:

Use the current ISSUE_THREAD_INTERACTION_KINDS as the inventory. Pick the closest existing kind and reuse its plumbing rather than inventing parallel mechanics:

• request_confirmation — single yes/no bound to a target with stale/supersede.
• request_checkbox_confirmation — bounded multi-select against an immutable option set.
• ask_user_questions — small typed form, no target binding.
• request_item_verdicts — requests individual decisions on a set of items.
• suggest_tasks — proposes tasks a permitted resolver can accept individually.
• connection_intent — requests authorized connection setup or access.

If your new card needs target binding and a yes/no-style resolution, model it after the two request_* kinds. If it is a structured form, model it after ask_user_questions. If it produces creatable child entities, model it after suggest_tasks.

The canonical worked example

The current best end-to-end reference is the checkbox confirmation rollout (merged in 4d5322c82, GitHub PR #7649). Read that diff before starting:

git show --stat 4d5322c82

The plan it implemented is preserved as an issue document on PAP-10415. Use it as the template for your own plan document if you are running this work through Paperclip itself.

Order of operations

Do the shared contract first. It is the smallest correct change you can land even before UI is final, and every later layer reads its types and validators.

1. Shared contract (smallest, lands first)

Touch:

• packages/shared/src/constants.ts — add the kind string to ISSUE_THREAD_INTERACTION_KINDS and any size constant (mirror REQUEST_CHECKBOX_CONFIRMATION_OPTION_LIMIT = 200).
• packages/shared/src/types/issue.ts — add Option, Payload, Result, and Interaction interfaces. Extend the IssueThreadInteraction and payload/result union types at the bottom of the file.
• packages/shared/src/types/index.ts — re-export the new types.
• packages/shared/src/validators/issue.ts — add Zod schemas for payload, result, and the create-input variant. Reuse the existing requestConfirmationTargetSchema when target binding applies.
• packages/shared/src/validators/index.ts — re-export the new schemas.
• packages/shared/src/index.ts — re-export at the package root.
• packages/shared/src/issue-thread-interactions.test.ts — extend the table tests for the new payload variant.

Validation invariants that have already been litigated and must hold:

• Option lists are bounded (the checkbox kind uses 200; pick a number the UX can render compactly).
• Option ids are unique within a payload and any default selection must reference known ids.
• Labels and descriptions are length-capped to match existing question options. Do not invent looser caps.
• Target binding uses the shared RequestConfirmationTarget schema so stale expiration runs through one code path.

2. Server service and routes

Touch:

• server/src/services/issue-thread-interactions.ts — add the kind to:
  • the supported-kinds list (SUPPORTED_KINDS near the top),
  • mapInteractionRow (the switch (row.kind) over payload/result parsers),
  • create-input validation (switch (data.kind)),
  • the accept/reject/respond/stale-expiration branches,
  • the activity-log payload and the continuation wake payload.
• server/src/routes/issues.ts — extend any kind-specific branches (notably the response-shape branch around line 6096 in the checkbox PR).
• server/src/__tests__/issue-thread-interactions-service.test.ts — cover create, accept-with-result, reject-with-reason, stale-target expiration, supersede-on-user-comment, idempotency conflict, and wake payload shape.
• server/src/__tests__/issue-thread-interaction-routes.test.ts — cover create + respond/accept/reject HTTP behavior, company scoping, and authorization.

Server invariants:

• Resolver authority. Use the current resolver policy, company cap, and named addressee checks in the shared service. Governed actions retain their required human approval; neither a new kind nor a channel callback widens authority.
• Company scoping. Reads, writes, expiration, and supersede must all filter by companyId. Never trust an issueId alone.
• Stale target. If target was specified at create time and a newer revision lands, the interaction expires with outcome: "stale_target". Do not write bespoke staleness — call the same helper the other request_* kinds use.
• Supersede on user comment. Preserve the payload schema's default and explicit choice; an ordinary comment must not silently answer a pending question.
• Idempotency. The deterministic idempotencyKey shape from the existing kinds (<kind>:<issueId>:<decisionKey>:<revisionId>) must be honored; duplicate POSTs must return the existing card, not stack.
• Continuation policy. Support none, wake_assignee, and wake_assignee_on_accept. Pick a default that matches whether the asker is blocked waiting for the answer (wake_assignee) or only cares about acceptance (wake_assignee_on_accept).

3. UI card and issue-thread wiring

Touch:

• ui/src/components/IssueThreadInteractionCard.tsx — add a card component (e.g. RequestCheckboxConfirmationCard) and a resolution component (e.g. RequestCheckboxConfirmationResolution). Branch the existing switch by interaction.kind. Reuse the card shell — do not introduce a parallel card frame.
• ui/src/lib/issue-thread-interactions.ts — add typed helpers like getCheckboxConfirmationSelectedLabels so the card stays declarative.
• ui/src/lib/issue-thread-interactions.test.ts — test the helpers.
• ui/src/components/IssueThreadInteractionCard.test.tsx — pending, resolved, stale, disabled/submitting, and validation-error states.
• ui/src/fixtures/issueThreadInteractionFixtures.ts — seed at least one pending and one resolved fixture for the new kind.
• ui/storybook/stories/questions-and-approvals/issue-thread-interactions.stories.tsx — Storybook entries for the key states.
• ui/src/pages/IssueDetail.tsx — extend the per-kind branches the card is rendered from (callback wiring, response submission).
• ui/src/components/IssueChatThread.tsx — if the kind affects thread-level rendering (badge, summary, count), update the per-kind switches here.
• ui/src/api/issues.ts — extend the typed accept/reject/respond bodies.

UI invariants:

• Compact rendering. The card must render comfortably with ~100 options (bounded scroll area, count-first resolved-state summaries — do not chip every selected option inline).
• Select all and clear selection live inside the card, not in a global menu.
• The accept payload uses kind-specific field names (e.g. selectedOptionIds, not the suggest-tasks selectedClientKeys). Do not reuse another kind's field name.
• Stale, superseded, and accepted states render distinct copy; reuse the existing resolution-component shell.

3a. Channel questions and review cards

Read the chat channel connector contract. Every new kind or changed form needs a usable path through each supported conversation channel: complete safe question/context plus native response controls or an explicit link to the authorized Paperclip surface. Include runtime/composer variants; do not assume that adding a board card makes it available in Slack.

Extend the existing presentation, publication, response, and settlement owners. Preserve authorization and the existing continuation/delivery receipts. Cover resolved, rejected, expired, superseded, and recovery paths so a settled request cannot remain actionable in the channel. Keep dismissal distinct from resolution.

Run local serialization and lifecycle tests first, then verify affected forms in the actual provider with an authorized test conversation. Capture rendering, answer persistence, the intended continuation, and final card/result delivery. State clearly when provider HTTP was simulated or live acceptance is outstanding.

4. CLI, MCP, plugin SDK helpers

External callers must be able to create the new interaction without hand-writing JSON. Touch:

• cli/src/commands/client/issue.ts — add a CLI sub-command or extend the generic interaction create path.
• cli/src/__tests__/issue-subresources.test.ts — cover the new flag set.
• packages/mcp-server/src/tools.ts — add an MCP tool that accepts the new payload shape; reuse the existing createIssueThreadInteraction codepath.
• packages/mcp-server/src/tools.test.ts — cover the tool's payload shape.
• packages/plugins/sdk/src/types.ts — add the typed CreateIssueThreadInteraction variant so plugin authors get autocomplete.
• packages/plugins/sdk/src/worker-rpc-host.ts — extend the kind switch in the create call.
• packages/plugins/sdk/src/testing.ts — extend the test harness so plugins can simulate the new kind end-to-end.
• packages/plugins/sdk/tests/testing-actions.test.ts — round-trip test for the new kind through the test harness.

5. Agent guidance

Touch:

• skills/paperclip/SKILL.md — add a row to the interaction-kinds table: when to use, when not to use, plus a copyable payload example.
• skills/paperclip/references/api-reference.md — full payload and result schemas, validation limits, create/respond bodies, error codes.

The skills text is read by the runtime agents. Keep it concise — differentiate clearly from sibling kinds in one or two sentences each.

Tests to run before requesting review

The checkbox PR ran exactly this focused set under NODE_ENV=test. Use the same shape for any new kind, swapping in your new test files:

NODE_ENV=test pnpm run preflight:workspace-links
NODE_ENV=test pnpm exec vitest run \
  packages/shared/src/issue-thread-interactions.test.ts \
  server/src/__tests__/issue-thread-interaction-routes.test.ts \
  server/src/__tests__/issue-thread-interactions-service.test.ts \
  ui/src/components/IssueThreadInteractionCard.test.tsx \
  ui/src/lib/issue-thread-interactions.test.ts \
  cli/src/__tests__/issue-subresources.test.ts \
  packages/mcp-server/src/tools.test.ts \
  packages/plugins/sdk/tests/testing-actions.test.ts

If UI vitest fails with act is not a function, the shell is running with NODE_ENV=production (it picks up React's prod build). Re-run with NODE_ENV=test explicitly.

Pre-merge checklist

• New kind appears in ISSUE_THREAD_INTERACTION_KINDS and is exported.
• Payload and result interfaces are versioned (start at version: 1).
• Zod validators enforce option/label/description limits and id uniqueness.
• Target binding (if any) uses the shared RequestConfirmationTarget path.
• Service handles create, accept, reject/respond, stale-target, supersede-on-user-comment, idempotency, activity log, and continuation wake.
• Routes and channel callbacks honor current resolver authority and company scoping.
• UI renders pending, resolved, stale, disabled/submitting, and validation-error states; resolved-state large selections summarize by count first.
• Fixtures and Storybook entries exist for the new kind.
• Every supported channel has a native response or explicit Paperclip handoff for the form, with settlement and continuation coverage. Local simulations and real-provider acceptance are reported separately.
• CLI, MCP, and plugin SDK helpers all accept the new payload shape and have test coverage.
• skills/paperclip/SKILL.md and references/api-reference.md updated.
• Focused test set above is green; CI gates pass.

Anti-patterns observed in review

These came out of the checkbox PR review thread and are worth avoiding next time:

• Reusing another kind's accept-payload field name (e.g. piggybacking on selectedClientKeys instead of introducing selectedOptionIds). Each kind owns its own field names.
• Writing parallel staleness or supersede logic instead of routing through the existing request_confirmation helpers. This silently drifts behavior.
• Rendering hundreds of selected-option chips in the resolved state. Resolved large selections must summarize by count first.
• Skipping plugin SDK / MCP / CLI coverage on the theory that "the API is generic enough." External callers do not pick up new kinds without typed helpers, and the absence shows up later as broken agent flows.
• Adding the kind to skills guidance before the server route accepts it. Agents will try the new kind and 400 in production.