External Adapters
External adapters let you ship a Paperclip adapter as its own npm package or local directory. Use them when you want independent versioning, separate distribution, or a runtime that should not live i…
External Adapters
External adapters let you ship a Paperclip adapter as its own npm package or local directory. Use them when you want independent versioning, separate distribution, or a runtime that should not live inside the Paperclip repo.
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When To Use
You want to distribute an adapter independently from Paperclip. You are building an internal adapter for your team or workspace. You need a local plugin that can be installed and reloaded without editing Paperclip source.
When Not To Use
The adapter should ship with Paperclip itself. Use a built-in adapter. You only need a one-off local command. Use Process (/docs/adapters/process). The runtime is already covered by the built-in local adapters.
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Built-In Vs External
| Area | Built-in | External | |---|---|---| | Source | Paperclip repo | Separate npm package or local directory | | Installation | Ships with Paperclip | Installed through the Adapter Manager or POST /api/adapters/install | | Updates | Requires a Paperclip release | Independent package versioning | | UI parser | Static import inside Paperclip | Optional ./ui-parser export | | Registration | Hardcoded in the host | Loaded at startup from the adapter plugin store |