Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Create Paperclip Case agent skill (create-case)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The create-case skill is a set of instructions that tells an AI agent how to open a new case in Paperclip, an agent-orchestration tool, from a plain user request. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for it in natural language, and what it needs to work. By the end you will know whether it fits a Paperclip setup you already run.
Create Paperclip Casepaperclipai/paperclip · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Get a Paperclip checkout or access. Make sure you have the Paperclip repository or can read skills/paperclip/references/cases.md, and that you have a Paperclip instance with create_case or REST API access.
- 2Download and unzip the skill. Download the create-case ZIP from the directory page and unzip it.
- 3Place the folder. Put the create-case folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder. Alternatively, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 4Make the case guide reachable. If the skill is outside the checkout, the agent must be able to find the Paperclip repository and read its cases.md guide.
- 5Make a request. Ask in plain language to open and start a Paperclip case, mentioning what the case is for.
- 6Review the output. Check the case link, primary task link, accepted kickoff state, and the Mermaid diagram against your process.
What the create-case skill makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file that gives an AI agent task-specific instructions. This one covers creating and starting a Paperclip case from a user's request.
The skill tells the agent to read the Paperclip case guide first, then create and kick off the case using Paperclip's native create_case action or its documented REST equivalent. It also asks the agent to write a Mermaid stateDiagram-v2 map with prose explaining the workflow transitions, and to report back the case and primary task links plus the accepted kickoff state.
Install the create-case skill
Download the ZIP for the skill from the directory page and unzip it. You can place the folder in one of two locations: ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or a project's .claude/skills/ folder to share it with one codebase.
If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
The skill folder contains only SKILL.md. The case guide it refers to is not included, so the install must also give the agent access to the Paperclip repository (see the next section).
- Personal: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project: .claude/skills/ inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills (upload)
What you need before it works
The skill depends on the Paperclip case guide at skills/paperclip/references/cases.md. If the skill is installed outside the Paperclip checkout, the agent is told to locate the Paperclip repository and read that file there. Without the guide, the skill cannot be followed.
You also need a Paperclip instance that offers the native create_case action or REST API access. The skill does not provide Paperclip itself.
- A Paperclip repository checkout, or access to skills/paperclip/references/cases.md
- A Paperclip instance with native create_case or REST API access
Trigger the skill with a natural request
You do not need a special command. Describe the case you want opened in plain language, and mention Paperclip so the agent picks the right skill. The agent matches the request against the skill's description, which is to create and kick off a Paperclip case from a user request.
Ask for the diagram too if you want it. The skill asks for a Mermaid state diagram by default, so you only need to say so if you want it emphasised or changed.
- "Open a Paperclip case for onboarding the new client, and start it."
- "Create a Paperclip case for the Q3 vendor review and tell me the case and task links."
- "Kick off a Paperclip case for the bug triage workflow and include a state diagram of the steps."
Check what the agent reports back
When the run finishes, the skill expects the agent to return the case link, the primary task link, and the kickoff state that Paperclip accepted. Check these against your Paperclip instance before relying on the case.
The workflow document should contain the Mermaid stateDiagram-v2 and the prose explaining its transitions. Review the transitions against your real process, because the agent builds them from the case guide and your request.
- Case link
- Primary task link
- Accepted kickoff state
- Mermaid stateDiagram-v2 and transition explanation
Safety notes: scripts and network
This skill does not run scripts. It does use the network, because creating a case means calling Paperclip, either through its native action or its REST API. Make sure the agent is connected only to the Paperclip instance you intend to use, and that its credentials are scoped to what you want it to do.
Review any case the agent opens, since it will act on your Paperclip instance under the access you have given it.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: yes (Paperclip create_case or REST API)
What people use it for
- Opening a client onboarding case from a chat request and getting the task link back
- Starting a bug triage case and receiving a Mermaid state diagram of its transitions for the team wiki
- Documenting an existing approval workflow as a diagram while the case is created
Frequently asked questions
What is the create-case skill?
It is an agent skill, a folder containing a SKILL.md file, that instructs an AI agent to create and kick off a Paperclip case from a user request. It also asks for a Mermaid state diagram and a report of the case and task links.
Do I need Paperclip to use it?
Yes. The skill depends on Paperclip's case guide and on a Paperclip instance with native create_case or REST API access. It will not work on its own outside that setup.
How do I install the create-case skill?
Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Is the create-case skill free and what is its licence?
The source lists the licence as MIT. The source does not state pricing, so check the Paperclip project for any costs of running the platform itself.
Why does the agent say it cannot find cases.md?
The skill refers to skills/paperclip/references/cases.md, which is not included in the skill folder. If the skill is installed outside the Paperclip checkout, point the agent to a Paperclip repository that contains that file.
Does the skill run scripts or access the network?
It runs no scripts. It does use the network to call Paperclip's create_case action or REST API, so limit the agent's connection and credentials to the instance you intend to use.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you already run Paperclip and want agents to open cases from chat requests, with a workflow diagram generated alongside. Pick something else if you do not use Paperclip, or if you need a skill that works without access to the Paperclip repository and API.
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