paperclipai/paperclip · error · ToolActionSigningSecretMissingError

PAPERCLIP_TOOL_ACTION_SIGNING_SECRET is not configured; sign

Error message

PAPERCLIP_TOOL_ACTION_SIGNING_SECRET is not configured; signed tool action approvals cannot be issued. Set PAPERCLIP_TOOL_ACTION_SIGNING_SECRET in this instance's environment (worktrees inherit it from .paperclip/.env).

What it means

Error "PAPERCLIP_TOOL_ACTION_SIGNING_SECRET is not configured; signed tool action approvals cannot be issued. Set PAPERCLIP_TOOL_ACTION_SIGNING_SECRET in this instance's environment (worktrees inherit it from .paperclip/.env)." thrown in paperclipai/paperclip.

Source

Thrown at server/src/services/tool-content-guards.ts:60

  return PROMPT_INJECTION_PATTERNS
    .filter((pattern) => pattern.re.test(text))
    .map((pattern) => pattern.code);
}

export class ToolActionSigningSecretMissingError extends Error {
  constructor() {
    super(
      "PAPERCLIP_TOOL_ACTION_SIGNING_SECRET is not configured; signed tool action approvals cannot be issued. " +
        "Set PAPERCLIP_TOOL_ACTION_SIGNING_SECRET in this instance's environment (worktrees inherit it from .paperclip/.env).",
    );
    this.name = "ToolActionSigningSecretMissingError";
  }
}

// Creating an approval is a two-step insert/sign operation. Readers must allow
// a short window for the creator to attach the signature before treating a null
// signature as an abandoned, unapprovable request.
export const TOOL_ACTION_REQUEST_SIGNING_GRACE_MS = 2 * 60 * 1000;

export function resolveToolActionSigningSecret(env: ToolActionSigningSecretEnv = process.env as ToolActionSigningSecretEnv) {
  const secret = env.PAPERCLIP_TOOL_ACTION_SIGNING_SECRET?.trim();
  if (!secret) {
    throw new ToolActionSigningSecretMissingError();
  }
  return secret;
}

function signingSecret(explicitSecret?: string) {
  const secret = explicitSecret?.trim();
  return secret || resolveToolActionSigningSecret();
}

export function canonicalToolArguments(value: unknown) {
  return stableSerialize(value ?? {});
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 01ad858492)

Solutions

1. Set PAPERCLIP_TOOL_ACTION_SIGNING_SECRET in the server environment (worktrees inherit from .paperclip/.env) and restart the instance.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at server/src/services/tool-content-guards.ts:60 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of paperclipai/paperclip@01ad858492 (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4c188ae0876c011e. Report an issue: GitHub.