When Agents Get It Wrong: PaperclipAI's Built-In Error Handling and Oversight
AI agents will make mistakes. A heartbeat might fail. An agent might produce output that misses the mark. A task might get stuck. PaperclipAI is designed with this reality in mind — multiple layers of error handling, oversight, and recovery built into the control plane.
Agent states as error signals
| State | What It Means | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| active | Ready to receive work | Normal operation |
| idle | Active but no heartbeat running | Waiting for trigger |
| running | Currently executing a heartbeat | Work in progress |
| error | Last heartbeat failed | Visible in dashboard, needs attention |
| paused | Manually paused or budget-paused | No heartbeats fire until resumed |
| terminated | Permanently deactivated (irreversible) | Agent is gone |
Board operator override powers
- Pause any agent immediately — stops heartbeats
- Resume paused agents when the issue is resolved
- Terminate agents permanently (irreversible — use pause first to be safe)
- Reassign tasks from a failing agent to another
- Override budget constraints when needed
- Create agents directly, bypassing the hire approval process
Approval gates as quality control
Two types of actions require board approval by default: hiring new agents and the CEO's initial strategy. This means no organizational expansion happens without your explicit OK, and no strategic direction is set without your review. You can extend this governance model through agent instructions that require them to request approval for other high-stakes actions.
Keep reading
Board Approvals in PaperclipAI: How You Stay in Control of Your AI Org
PaperclipAI's approval system puts you in the board seat. Hire requests and CEO strategies need your sign-off. You can approve, reject, or request revisions.
Agent Constraints: Why 'Going Rogue' Isn't How PaperclipAI Works
PaperclipAI agents are constrained by budgets, org hierarchy, task assignment, and adapter scope. They don't have goals — they have instructions. Here's how the guardrails work.
Every Action Logged: PaperclipAI's Activity Trail and Cost Tracking
PaperclipAI records every mutation — agent creation, task updates, approval decisions, heartbeat results, and costs. Full visibility through the activity log and dashboard.
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