paperclipai/paperclip · error

Cannot reinstall built-in adapter.

Error message

Cannot reinstall built-in adapter.

What it means

Type guard on POST /api/adapters/:type/reinstall: the target is a builtin adapter type with no external override, and builtins cannot be reinstalled from npm, so the route returns 400 before running npm install.

Source

Thrown at server/src/routes/adapters.ts:654

      const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
      logger.error({ err, type }, "Failed to reload external adapter");
      res.status(500).json({ error: `Failed to reload adapter: ${message}` });
    }
  });

  // ── POST /api/adapters/:type/reinstall ──────────────────────────────────
  // Reinstall an npm-sourced external adapter (pulls latest from registry).
  // Local-path adapters cannot be reinstalled — use Reload instead.
  //
  // This is a convenience shortcut for remove + install with the same
  // package name, but without the risk of losing the store record.
  router.post("/adapters/:type/reinstall", async (req, res) => {
    assertInstanceAdmin(req);
    assertAdapterCodeInstallAllowed();
    assertAdapterManagementVisible();

    const type = req.params.type;

    if (BUILTIN_ADAPTER_TYPES.has(type) && !getAdapterPluginByType(type)) {
      res.status(400).json({ error: "Cannot reinstall built-in adapter." });
      return;
    }

    const record = getAdapterPluginByType(type);
    if (!record) {
      res.status(404).json({ error: `Adapter "${type}" is not an externally installed adapter.` });
      return;
    }

    if (record.localPath) {
      res.status(400).json({ error: "Local-path adapters cannot be reinstalled. Use Reload instead." });
      return;
    }

    try {
      const pluginsDir = getAdapterPluginsDir();

View on GitHub (pinned to 5716fe907e)

Solutions

1. Built-in adapters cannot be reinstalled; update the app version to update builtin adapters.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at server/src/routes/adapters.ts:596 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of paperclipai/paperclip@5716fe907e (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/187e80306f661c53. Report an issue: GitHub.