Step 8 of 8 in Zero to First Company All tips
Getting Startedbeginnercurrenttested against paperclip 0.9

Where to go after your first successful run

Once one agent works, grow the system by adding one new variable at a time.


Expand carefully

After the first successful run, the right move is not “add five more agents.”

Add one thing at a time:

  • one new task type
  • one new specialist agent
  • one new governance rule
  • one budget limit

Sequence that works

Use this order:

  1. repeat one successful task
  2. add a second task type
  3. add a second agent only if role separation is obvious
  4. add review or approval only after output volume creates risk

Why slow growth wins

Paperclip gets powerful fast. That also means you can hide a broken mental model under lots of moving parts. Slow growth keeps the failure surface small.