Clipboard

The Clipboard Project cannot continue development unless I receive help from someone who knows C++.

If you are this person, please email me at [email protected]

The Clipboard Project is a fast and lightweight, feature packed, and user friendly tool that lets you do more on the computer in style. Seriously.

Say hello to one of the most cutting-edge clipboard managers ever. Save time and effort easier and more powerfully than ever before.

Don’t just take my word for it!

• Copy and paste text, files, directories, binary data, your goat, anything
• Infinite numbers of clipboards with unlimited capacity and history each,
• Seriously kickASS performance 🥾🤯 because I’m sick of slow software,
• Seamless integration with your existing clipboard systems,
• Support for your favorite languages like español, português, Türkçe, and Français,
• A superbly scriptable API to automate your workflows in a cinch,
• Gorgeous and ear candy for your viewing and listening pleasure,
• Documentation you’ll actually want to read _{(all in this readme)}
• And oodles more!

I believe Clipboard is the best tool for clipboard interaction. As a matter of fact, as of today you have 2713 stars on github, kudos! Keep up the good work.

- pidario on GitHub.com

Thanks for your work! This is by-far one of my favourite projects on GitHub!

- MaddyGuthridge on GitHub.com

…I’ve just discovered CB & it’s suiting my needs very well!

- all64bits on Discord.com

I started using this because I just wanted an easy “cb copy && cb paste” VS trying to remember the correct input AND output flags when Im using xclip with different file types. I write a lot of shell scripts that copy certain stuff like images and text and this makes it a lot easier.

- SweetBabyAlaska on Reddit.com

As a sysadmin and hourly terminal user, I found it so useful. Making stuffs some easier.

- Simpleboy_ir on Reddit.com

Thank you for this app, so simple yet effective! Hats off 🎩 👌

- GlassGruber on GitHub.com

BTW, really LOVE this project. Its [sic] so unbelievable it isn’t already in Linux.

- AtomicRobotMan0101 on GitHub.com

…Thank you again for this great application!

- kohane27 on GitHub.com

curl -sSL https://github.com/Slackadays/Clipboard/raw/main/install.sh | sh

(Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing https://github.com/Slackadays/Clipboard/raw/main/install.ps1).Content | powershell

Alpine Linux (you’ll need to enable the Community packages first)

apk add clipboard

AUR (Use your favorite AUR helper such as yay. You can also get clipboard-bin and clipboard-git)

yay -S clipboard

yay -S clipboard-bin

yay -S clipboard-git

Conda-forge (Use any Conda package manager such as conda, mamba, or pixi)

conda install -c conda-forge cb-clipboard

mamba install -c conda-forge cb-clipboard

micromamba install -c conda-forge cb-clipboard

pixi global install cb-clipboard

Flatpak Flathub (You can also get our nightly Flatpak builds under GitHub Downloads)

flatpak install app.getclipboard.Clipboard
# After installing, do "alias cb='flatpak run app.getclipboard.Clipboard'" to use CB easily.
# Then, add that command to your terminal profile (like .bashrc) to make it work every time.

Gentoo GURU and LiGurOS (For Gentoo, enable the GURU repo first)

emerge -av app-misc/clipboard

Homebrew

brew install clipboard

Nix

nix-env -iA nixpkgs.clipboard-jh

Pacstall

pacstall -I clipboard-bin

Scoop

scoop install clipboard

Snap (You can also get our nightly Snap builds under GitHub Downloads)

sudo snap install clipboard
# After installing, do "alias cb='snap run clipboard'" to use CB easily.
# Then, add that command to your terminal profile (like .bashrc) to make it work every time.

Void Linux

sudo xbps-install -S Clipboard

Winget

winget install -e --id Slackadays.Clipboard

GitHub Downloads

First, get the latest revision of the Clipboard Project from GitHub Actions or the latest release from GitHub Releases.

Then, unpack what you just downloaded to a nice place anywhere on your system.

If you downloaded the Flatpak, now do flatpak install what-you-downloaded.flatpak. Or if you downloaded the Snap, now do sudo snap install --dangerous what_you_downloaded.snap.

Finally, add CB to your PATH (so that you can run it anywhere) by doing one of the following:

# For all platforms except Windows, Flatpak, and Snap
$ export PATH=$PATH:/where/you/unpacked/cb
# Add this to your terminal startup file like .bashrc or the equivalent so that it works every time.
# To get the current path (in case you don't know it), do the "pwd" command.

# For Flatpak
$ alias cb='flatpak run app.getclipboard.Clipboard'
# Add this to your terminal startup file like .bashrc or the equivalent so that it works every time.

# For Snap
$ alias cb='snap run clipboard'
# Add this to your terminal startup file like .bashrc or the equivalent so that it works every time.

# For Windows PowerShell
> $Env:PATH += ";C:\where\you\unpacked\cb"
# Add this to your PowerShell profile (which is located in $profile) so that this works every time.
# To get the current path (in case you don't know it), do the "Get-Location" command.

You’ll need CMake, C++20 support, and OpenSSL, and if you want X11 or Wayland support, you’ll also need libx11 or libwayland plus Wayland Protocols respectively. If you’re on Linux, you’ll need ALSA.

Get the latest release instead of the latest commit by adding --branch 0.9.1 right after git clone....

Change the system installation prefix by adding -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/custom/prefix to cmake .., or the library install location by adding -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=/custom/dir.

# First, let's download the code and go a nice place to build everything.
$ git clone https://github.com/Slackadays/Clipboard 
$ cd Clipboard/build

# Now let's set up CMake and build CB.
$ cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
$ cmake --build . -j 12

# Finally, let's install it onto our system.
$ cmake --install .

Remove everything listed in install_manifest.txt. If you’re not using Windows, you can also do xargs rm < install_manifest.txt.

# Let's start by copying a file.
$ cb copy NuclearLaunchCodes.pdf

# Now, let's paste this file.
$ cb paste

# Not bad, right?

# Let's make a note for this clipboard.
$ cb note "Keep this a secret"

# What if you wanted to pipe the note in?
$ echo "Keep this a secret OR ELSE" | cb note

# Now let's cut a directory to a different clipboard.
$ cb cut69 MyDirectory

# We put the 69 right after "cut" to tell CB to put MyDirectory in clipboard 69.

# Let's add a file to this same clipboard.
$ cb add69 SomeFile

# To remove a file, enter its name to remove just that file.
$ cb remove69 SomeFile

# Alternatively, you can put in a regex pattern instead to generalize the removal.
$ cb remove69 "So.*le"

# Finally, let's paste what we have in clipboard 69.
$ cb paste69

# You can copy multiple files at the same time. 
# Let's try the "_420" persistent clipboard for this one.
$ cb copy_420 foo.bar NotAVirus.bar.mp3.exe

# Like before, we can remove anything with a regex patttern.
$ cb remove_420 "*.mp3\.exe"

# Notes work exactly the same way for every clipboard.
$ cb note_420 "Some kosher content here"

# Let's look at everything we've stored in clipboard _420.
$ cb show_420

# Now let's see our original note and then clear that clipboard. 
$ cb note
$ cb clear

# This is the same as "cb note" but for clipboard "_420" again.
$ cb note_420

# Let's shake things up. Say you have some kind of content you want to ignore.
# This content could be anything from a password to raw binary data.
# To ignore certain kinds of content, use a regex pattern of your choice.

# Let's try this with a classic example.
$ cb ignore "H.*2"

# This pattern will ignore anything starting with "H" and ending with "2."

# Now, this next command will fail because CB will ignore the content in it through the pattern.
$ cb copy "Hunter2"

# Let's get some more detailed information about our clipboards.
$ cb info
$ cb info69
$ cb info_420

# To wrap things up, let's get a bird's eye view of everything so far.
$ cb
# Doing "cb" is the exact same as "cb status."
$ cb status

# These are just a handful of examples. 
# Check the documentation below for tons more examples of all the commands!

Add a number to the end of your action to choose which temporary clipboard you want to use (the default is 0). Or, add _ to use a persistent clipboard instead.

Copy   cb [--](copy|cp)[(num)|_(id)] (file) [files] or (something) | cb [[--](copy|cp)][(num)|_(id)]

Copy a file.

$ cb copy FooFile
$ cb --copy FooFile
$ cb cp FooFile 
$ cb --cp FooFile
# These are the same!

Copy a file and a directory.

$ cb copy FooFile BarDir
# These are also the same!

Copy piped in data.

$ echo "Foobar" | cb
$ echo "Foobar" | cb copy 
# The "copy" action is optional here since the only possible action here in the first place is "copy"

Copy text directly.

$ cb copy "Aventura was the best bachata band"

Note: This happens instead of copying a file/directory if there is only one item present and that item doesn’t exist as a file/directory.

Copy a file to the clipboard named “4”

$ cb copy4 FooFile

Copy piped in data to the persistent clipboard named “hello”

$ echo "Foobar" | cb copy_hello

Copy text to the clipboard named “hey”

$ cb --clipboard hey copy "Aventura was the best bachata band"
$ cb -c hey copy "Aventura was the best bachata band" 
# These are the same!

Copy a file with spaces and many directories to clipboard “50” using the abbreviated action name.

$ cb cp50 "Aventura/God's Project/04 Un Chi Chi.flac" BarDir BazDir

Cut   cb [--](cut|ct)[(num)|_(id)] (file) [files] or (something) | cb [[--](cut|ct)][(num)|_(id)]

Cut a file.

$ cb cut FooFile
$ cb --cut FooFile
$ cb ct FooFile 
$ cb --ct FooFile
# These are the same!

Cut a file and a directory.

$ cb cut FooFile BarDir
# These are also the same!

Cut piped in data.

$ echo "Foobar" | cb cut

Note: Cutting piped in data is the same as copying, except that CB will delete all content after you paste it somewhere.

Cut text directly.

$ cb cut "Hunter2"

Note: This happens instead of cutting a file/directory if there is only one item present and that item doesn’t exist as a file/directory.

Cut a file to the clipboard named “4”

$ cb cut4 FooFile

Cut piped in data to the persistent clipboard named “hello”

$ echo "Foobar" | cb cut_hello

Cut text to the clipboard named “hey”

$ cb --clipboard hey cut "Aventura was the best bachata band"
$ cb -c hey cut "Aventura was the best bachata band"
# These are the same!

Cut a file with spaces and many directories to clipboard “50” using the abbreviated action name.

$ cb ct50 "Aventura/God's Project/04 Un Chi Chi.flac" BarDir BazDir

Paste   cb [--](paste|p)[(num)|_(id)] [regex] [regexes] or cb [[--](paste|p][(num)|_(id)] | (something) or cb [[--](paste|p)][(num)|_(id)] > (some file)

Start by copying or cutting something.

$ cb copy FooFile WhyAventuraIsTheBest.pdf

Paste in the current working directory.

$ cb paste
$ cb --paste
$ cb p
$ cb --p
# These are the same!

Note: If you paste after cutting, then CB will delete the original files that you cut.

Paste anything containing “Aventura.”

$ cb p ".*Aventura.*"

Now, let’s copy some raw data.

$ echo "Bananas!" | cb

Paste the raw data file in the current working directory.

$ cb paste
# Also the same

Pipe everything out to some file.

$ cb paste > SomeFile

Pipe everything from clipboard “42” out to some file.

$ cb paste42 > SomeFile
$ cb p42 > SomeFile
$ cb -c 42 > SomeFile 
# These three versions all work great!

Pipe everything out to some program.

$ cb | cat
# These three versions also all work great.
$ cb | Write-Output 
# The version for PowerShell

Pipe everything from persistent clipboard “2” out to some program.

$ cb paste_2 | cat
$ cb p_2 | cat
$ cb -c _2 | cat 
# These three versions also all work great.
$ cb -c _2 | Write-Output 
# The version for PowerShell

Note: If you paste after cutting, then CB will delete the raw data afterwards, effectively only letting you paste once.

Add Contents   cb [--](add|ad)[(num)|_(id)] (file|text) [files] or (something) | cb [[--](add|ad)][(num)|_(id)]

Start by copying something.

$ cb copy FooFile

Add a file.

$ cb add SomeOtherFile
$ cb --add SomeOtherFile
$ cb ad SomeOtherFile 
$ cb --ad SomeOtherFile
# CB now holds FooFile and SomeOtherFile

Add a directory.

$ cb add "We Broke The Rules"

Now let’s copy some raw data.

$ cb copy "'Let me find that'"

Add raw data to the end of what’s stored.

$ cb add " is one of Romeo Santos' catchphrases."
# The content is now: 'Let me find that' is one of Romeo Santos' catchphrases.

Add raw data by piping it in.

$ echo " What's yours?" | cb add 
# The content is now: 'Let me find that' is one of Romeo Santos' catchphrases. What's yours?

Remove Contents   cb [--](remove|rm)[(num)|_(id)] (regex) [regexes] or (some regex) | cb [[--](remove|rm)][(num)|_(id)]

Start by copying something.

$ cb copy FooFile BarDir BazDir

Remove everything starting with “B”

$ cb remove "B.*"
$ cb --remove "B.*"
$ cb rm "B.*"
$ cb --rm "B.*"
# CB will match this against "BarDir" and "BazDir" and remove them

Remove everything matching a specific name

$ cb remove "BarDir"
# CB will match this against "BarDir" only and remove it

Now let’s copy some raw data.

$ cb copy "A bachatero is someone who makes bachata music."

Remove anything with a space beforehand and that ends with “-ero”

$ cb remove "(?<= ).*ero"
# The content is now: A  is someone who makes bachata music.

Remove anything matching “music” by piping the pattern in.

$ echo "music" | cb remove
# The content is now: A  is someone who makes bachata .

Show Contents   cb [--](show|sh)[(num)|_(id)] [regex] [regexes] or cb [--](show|sh)[(num)|_(id)] [regex] [regexes] | (something)

Start by copying something.

$ cb copy FooFile BarDir BazDir

List all the items in the clipboard.

$ cb show
$ cb --show
$ cb sh 
$ cb --sh
# These all work great!

Now let’s copy some raw data.

$ cb copy "Those who are tired of bachata are tired of life"

Show the contents of the clipboard.

$ cb show

Show the raw filepaths of everything in the clipboard.

$ cb sh | cat

Show raw filepaths to a program.

$ cb copy "02 I Believe.flac"
$ eval vlc $(cb sh)
# Use the eval command here to process the raw filepath (which in this case looks like "/tmp/Clipboard/0/02 I Believe.flac") as if it were entered in a shell
# Otherwise, you'll likely get errors complaining about being unable to process quote characters.

Clear Clipboard   cb [--](clear|clr)[(num)|_(id)]

Start by copying something.

$ cb copy FooFile BarDir BazDir

Clear the clipboard of all data.

$ cb clear
$ cb --clear
$ cb clr 
$ cb --clr
# These all work great!

Clear a certain range of history entries.

$ cb clear 69-420
# Clears entries 69 through 420 inclusive
$ cb clr 0-100
# Clears entries 0 through 100 inclusive
# Note: Entry 0 is always the most recent one

Just clear everything.

$ cb clear -a
# Note: This will really clear everything in all clipboards!

Edit Clipboard Content   cb [--](edit|ed)[(num)|_(id)] [editor]

Start by copying some text.

$ cb copy "Hello Clipboard! This is just some example content."

Edit the clipboard content.

$ cb edit
$ cb --edit
$ cb ed
$ cb --ed
# These all work great!

Use a custom editor to edit with.

cb edit nano
cb ed vim
cb ed code

Add Script to Clipboard   cb [--](script|sc)[(num)|_(id)] [script path|content]

Start simple.

$ cb script pwd # Note: The exact output of "pwd" will vary depending on your system.
$ cb
/run/user/1000/Clipboard/0/data/0
# The output of CB will be here
/run/user/1000/Clipboard/0/data/0

Use a script file instead.

$ cat myscript.sh
echo "Hello Clipboard!"
echo "Here's what's in the directory:"
ls
$ cb script myscript.sh
$ cb
Hello Clipboard!
Here's what's in the directory:
rawdata.clipboard
# The output of CB will be here
Hello Clipboard!
Here's what's in the directory:
rawdata.clipboard

Customize during what action the script runs.

$ cb script ls --actions search,history
$ cb
$ cb history
rawdata.clipboard
# The output of CB will be here
rawdata.clipboard
$ cb search
rawdata.clipboard
# The output of CB will be here
rawdata.clipboard
$ cb copy
$

Customize if the script runs before, after, or both.

$ cb script ls --timings before
$ cb
rawdata.clipboard
# The output of CB will be here
$ cb script ls --timings after
$ cb
# The output of CB will be here
rawdata.clipboard
$ cb script ls --timings before,after
rawdata.clipboard
# The output of CB will be here
rawdata.clipboard

Customize both during what action the script runs and if the script runs before, after, or both.

$ cb script ls --actions copy --timings before
$ cb
$ cb copy
rawdata.clipboard
# The output of CB will be here

View the current script.

$ cb script
# Script content shows here

Load Contents   cb [--](load|ld)[(num)|_(id)] [clipboard] [clipboards]

Start by copying something.

$ cb copy "Yo dawg! I heard you liked bachata music."

Load the contents of the clipboard into other clipboards.

$ cb load 1 2 3 _foo
$ cb --load 1 2 3 _foo
$ cb ld 1 2 3 _foo
$ cb --ld 1 2 3 _foo
# All work great!

Note: If you don’t provide a destination clipboard, then the Load action will load the contents into the default clipboard.

Load the contents of some clipboard into the default.

$ cb load_foo

Note: This is useful if you want to load content into GUI clipboard systems, as they only connect to the default clipboard.

Swap Contents   cb [--](swap|sw)[(num)|_(id)] [clipboard]

Start by copying something to two clipboards.

$ cb copy "After breaking up from Aventura, Romeo Santos' music just wasn't up to snuff."
$ cb copy2 "I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux."

Swap the contents of two clipboards.

$ cb swap 2
$ cb --swap 2
$ cb sw 2
$ cb --sw 2
# All work great!

$ cb swap2
$ cb --swap2
$ cb sw2
$ cb --sw2
# Since swapping is commutative, the target can be freely swapped with the destination.

Note: If you don’t provide a destination clipboard, then the Swap action will swap the contents into the default clipboard.

Import Clipboards   cb [--](import|imp) [source folder]

Start by exporting a clipboard.

$ cb copy "The reason Aventura was so popular was because the music was so well-written as well as the luscious guitar chorus effect."
$ cb export

Import all clipboards from a folder.

$ cb import
$ cb --import
$ cb imp
$ cb --imp
# These all work great!

Note: Currently, CB imports from a folder called Exported_Clipboards.

Choose what folder to import from.

$ cb import MySavedClipboards

Export Clipboards   cb [--](export|ex) [clipboard] [clipboards]

Start by copying something.

$ cb copy "Aventura's music is some of the most erotic you'll find anywhere."

Export all clipboards to a folder.

$ cb export
$ cb --export
$ cb ex
$ cb --ex
# These all work great!

Note: Currently, CB exports to a folder called Exported_Clipboards.

Choose what clipboards to export.

$ cb export 1 2 3

Queue Clipboard History   cb [--](history|hs)[(num)|_(id)]

Start by copying several things.

$ cb copy "There are at least two \"Anthony Santos\" who are known for bachata music: the \"regular\" Anthony Santos and Anthony \"Romeo\" Santos."
$ cb copy "blah blah blah"
$ cb copy "Clipboard Project is the best clipboard manager around"

Show the history.

$ cb history
$ cb --history
$ cb hs
$ cb --hs
# These all work great!

Get Older Clipboard Entries   cb [--](history|hs)[(num)|_(id)] (clipboard) [clipboards]

Start by copying several things.

$ cb copy "There are at least two \"Anthony Santos\" who are known for bachata music: the \"regular\" Anthony Santos and Anthony \"Romeo\" Santos."
$ cb copy "blah blah blah"
$ cb copy "Clipboard Project is the best clipboard manager around"

Bring an older entry (or entries) to the front.

$ cb history 1
$ cb --history 2
$ cb hs 1
$ cb --hs 1 2
# These all work great!

Set Note   cb [--](note|nt)[(num)|_(id)] (text) or (something) | cb [[--](note|nt)][(num)|_(id)]

Add a personal note to a clipboard.

$ cb note "For my Aventura music collection"
$ cb --note "For my Aventura music collection"
$ cb nt "For my Aventura music collection"
$ cb --nt "For my Aventura music collection"
# All work great!

Add a personal note to a clipboard by piping it in.

$ echo "For my Aventura music collection" | cb note

Remove a note from a clipboard.

$ cb note ""

Show Note   cb [--](note|nt)[(num)|_(id)]

Start by adding a note to a clipboard.

$ cb note "For my Aventura music collection"

Show the note you added.

$ cb note
$ cb --note
$ cb nt
$ cb --nt

Set Ignore Rules   cb [--](ignore|ig)[(num)|_(id)] (regex) [regexes] or (regex) | cb [[--](ignore|ig)][(num)|_(id)]

Set some kinds of content to always ignore.

$ cb ignore "(?<![A-Za-z0-9/+=])[A-Za-z0-9/+=]{40}(?![A-Za-z0-9/+=])"
$ cb --ignore "(?<![A-Za-z0-9/+=])[A-Za-z0-9/+=]{40}(?![A-Za-z0-9/+=])"
$ cb ig "(?<![A-Za-z0-9/+=])[A-Za-z0-9/+=]{40}(?![A-Za-z0-9/+=])"
$ cb --ig "(?<![A-Za-z0-9/+=])[A-Za-z0-9/+=]{40}(?![A-Za-z0-9/+=])"
# All work great!
# "(?<![A-Za-z0-9/+=])[A-Za-z0-9/+=]{40}(?![A-Za-z0-9/+=])" is the regex for an AWS SK secret.

Set an ignore regex rule by piping it in.

$ echo "[abc]{10}" | cb ignore

Remove all ignore regex rules from a clipboard.

$ cb ignore ""

Show Ignore Rules   cb [--](ignore|ig)[(num)|_(id)]

Start by adding some ignore regex rules to a clipboard.

$ cb ignore "Foo" "Bar" "Baz"

Show the rules you just added.

$ cb ignore
$ cb --ignore
$ cb ig
$ cb --ig

Show Detailed Info   cb [--](info|in)[(num)|_(id)] or cb [--](info|in)[(num)|_(id)] | (something)

Show helpful details for a clipboard.

$ cb info
$ cb --info
$ cb in
$ cb --in
# All are the same!

Output these helpful details in JSON format.

$ cb info | cat
$ cb info | jq

Search Clipboard Contents   cb [--](search|sr)[(num)|_(id)] (query) [queries]

Start by copying several things.

$ cb copy Foo Bar Baz
$ cb copy "Some example content"
$ cb copy2 "Blah bleh bluh bloh"

Search a clipboard’s contents.

$ cb search Foo
$ cb --search Blah
$ cb sr Bar
$ cb --sr Baz
# All are the same!

Show Help Message   cb (-h|[--]help)

Show the help message.

$ cb help
$ cb --help
$ cb -h 
# These three versions all work great!

Check All Clipboards' Status   cb [[--]status|st] or cb [--](status|st) | (something)

Check the status of all clipboards that have content.

$ cb status
$ cb --status
$ cb st
$ cb --st
$ cb 
# These all work great!

Get the status of all clipboards in JSON format.

$ cb status | cat

Check Your Configuration   cb [[--]config|cfg]

Check your configuration of CB.

$ cb config
$ cb --config
$ cb cfg
$ cb --cfg
# These all work great!

Need to paste a funky symbol somewhere a lot? Copy it to a persistent clipboard.

$ cb cp_theta θ
$ cb -c amog cp ඞ

Paste whatever’s in the clipboard straight into your favorite text editor.

# Vim
:r !cb
# Nano
[Ctrl-T] cb
# VSCode
cb | code -

Copy a password securely by deleting it once you’ve pasted it.

$ cb cut "AVeryStrongPassword!"
$ cb | some-program
# Now gone

On a slow system? Cache certain things so you don’t have to do them again.

$ neofetch | cb cp_neo
$ cb | cat

Yank anything sitting in your terminal without ever touching the mouse.

$ env | yank -d = -- cb

Instantly copy to the main clipboard using your favorite dmenu tool.

$ cb cp "$(cb st | jq -r '.[] | if type=="array" then .[].path else if type=="object" then .path else . end end' | dmenu)"
# For copying the latest entry from any of your clipboards
$ cb cp "$(cb hs | jq -r '.[].content | if type=="array" then .[].path else if type=="object" then .path else . end end' | dmenu)"
# For copying any entry from a specific clipboard

Need to share or pore over log files? Copy them in one step!

$ journalctl | cb
# For systemd
$ sudo dmesg | cb
# For Linux; note that you're not running "sudo cb" here
$ cb copy logs/latest.log
# For Minecraft servers

Want CB to look different? Change up the color scheme.

# This one looks like The Matrix
$ export CLIPBOARD_THEME=green
$ cb
# This one is for light backgrounds
$ export CLIPBOARD_THEME=light
$ cb
# Check out the other themes too!

Here’s what some of these themes might look like.

Make your own scripts that can fully automate your workflows.

#!/bin/sh
# This script does nothing except serve as an example of automating CB.
link="https://SomeWebsiteWithLotsOfContent"
wget link
cb copy *.jpg *.png
cb remove "AZ.*\.png"
cb | tar -cf foobar.tar
cb -c footar < foobar.tar
cb note "Latest files from website ABCXYZ"

--all, -a   Add this when clearing to clear all clipboards at once, or when searching to search all clipboards.

Start from a blank slate.

$ cb --all clear

WARNING! This will get rid of everything you’ve stored with CB, so be very careful when clearing with this option.

--clipboard (clipboard), -c (clipboard)   Add this to choose which clipboard you want to use.

Choose a non-default clipboard.

$ cb -c 5 copy Foobar
$ cb --clipboard 10 copy BarBaz

Copy to a temporary clipboard that doesn’t start with a number.

$ cb -c SomeCB copy "A really really long sentence, and I mean really really super DUPER long!"

Note: Although copying to a temporary clipboard that doesn’t start with a number is impossible using the conventional method of adding it to the end of the action, this alternative method is completely supported and works great.

Choose a persistent clipboard.

$ cb -c _ copy "Generation Next"/*

--entry (entry), -e (entry)   Add this to choose which history entry you want to use.

Choose a non-default history entry.

$ cb -e 5 copy Foobar
$ cb --entry 10 copy BarBaz

Note: To copy to a non-default entry, that entry must exist already.

--fast-copy, -fc   Add this to use links when copying, cutting, pasting, or loading. If you modify the items that you used with this flag, then the items you paste will have the same changes.

Copy a lot of files in much less time than before.

$ cb --fast-copy copy /usr/bin/*

--mime, -m   Add this to request a specific content MIME type from GUI clipboard systems.

Save GUI clipboard content of a specific MIME type to the main clipboard.

$ cb --mime text/html | cb

--no-confirmation, -nc   Add this to disable confirmation messages from CB.

Reduce distractions after showing some text content.

$ cb -nc sh | cat

--no-progress, -np   Add this to disable progress messages from CB.

Reduce distractions while doing a search that takes a while.

$ fzf | cb -np

--secret   Add this when ignoring content to ignore a secret (or secrets) instead.

Ignore a password.

$ cb ignore --secret MyVerySecurePassword
$ cb ignore --secret # This will show the SHA512 hash of MyVerySecurePassword
$ cb ignore --secret MyVerySecurePassword2 "someOTHER secret1 banana"
$ cb ignore --secret # Now it will show the SHA512 hashes of MyVerySecurePassword2 and someOTHER secret1 banana

Clear all your passwords.

$ cb ignore --secret ""
# WARNING: Once you clear all secrets, there is no going back.

--bachata   Add this for something special!

Make your life less boring.

$ cb --bachata

CI   Set this to "true" or "1" to make CB overwrite existing items without a user prompt when pasting. This variable is intended for Continuous Integration scripts where a live human is not present to make decisions.

Use CB in a CI script.

...
cb cp Temp/*
...
cb p
...

CLIPBOARD_ACTION   CB will set this to the current action when running a script.

Start with a script.

$ cb script ls
$ cb history
# Now, whatever script CB runs will have access to the CLIPBOARD_ACTION environment variable, here with value "history"

CLIPBOARD_EDITOR   Set this to the editor you want to use for the Edit action.

Set a custom editor to use.

$ export CLIPBOARD_EDITOR=nano

Note: The environment variables EDITOR and VISUAL by default take precedence if CLIPBOARD_EDITOR isn’t set.

CLIPBOARD_HISTORY   Set this to the maximum history size you want to keep, like 10000 or 50gb.

CLIPBOARD_HISTORY supports up to 2^32 - 1 as a value. So, go ahead. Crank that b*tch up to a billion.

$ export CLIPBOARD_HISTORY=1000000000
$ cb copy "Oh yeah!"

Only keep a certain amount of data.

$ export CLIPBOARD_HISTORY=100tb
$ cb copy Yo_Mama.tar.gz

Note: You can choose between tb, gb, mb, kb, and b to specify amounts for terabytes, gigabytes, megabytes, kilobytes, and bytes respectively.

Only keep a certain time length.

$ export CLIPBOARD_HISTORY=52w

Note: You can choose between y, m, w, d, and h to specify amounts for years, months, weeks, days, and hours respectively.

CLIPBOARD_LOCALE   Set this to the locale that only CB will use for its commands and output, like en_US.UTF-8 or es_DO.UTF-8.

Change the locale to match what you’re more comfortable with.

$ export CLIPBOARD_LOCALE=es_DO.UTF-8
$ cb cp "Amo a Aventura"

> $Env:CLIPBOARD_LOCALE=es_DO.UTF-8
# Powershell version

Override the locale case-by-case.

$ export CLIPBOARD_LOCALE=fr_CA.UTF-8
...
$ CLIPBOARD_LOCALE="" cb cp Foobar

CLIPBOARD_SCRIPT_TIMING   CB will set this to the timing of the script that it runs.

Start with a script.

$ cb script ls
$ cb history
# Now, whatever script CB runs will have access to the CLIPBOARD_SCRIPT_TIMING environment variable, here with value "before"
# (output of "cb history")
# Now, CLIPBOARD_SCRIPT_TIMING will have value "after"

CLIPBOARD_TMPDIR   Set this to the directory that only CB will use to hold the items you cut or copy into a temporary directory.

Choose a special place to put your temporary clipboards this one time.

$ CLIPBOARD_TMPDIR=/home/jackson/SomeDirectory cb copy *

Choose a special place to put your temporary clipboards every time.

$ export CLIPBOARD_TMPDIR=/home/jackson/SomeDirectory
$ cb copy *
> $Env:CLIPBOARD_TMPDIR = /home/jackson/SomeDirectory
# Powershell

Note: By default, CB uses the C++ filesystem library function fs::temp_directory_path() to generate the temporary directory, prioritizing CLIPBOARD_TMPDIR and then XDG_RUNTIME_DIR respectively first if CB can get a value from them.

CLIPBOARD_PERSISTDIR   Set this to the directory that only CB will use to hold the items you cut or copy into a persistent directory.

Choose a special place to put your persistent clipboards this one time.

$ CLIPBOARD_PERSISTDIR=/home/jackson/SomeDirectory cb copy *

Choose a special place to put your persistent clipboards every time.

$ export CLIPBOARD_PERSISTDIR=/home/jackson/SomeDirectory
$ cb copy *
> $Env:CLIPBOARD_PERSISTDIR = /home/jackson/SomeDirectory
# Powershell

Note: By default, CB uses the user’s home directory to generate the persistent directory, prioritizing CLIPBOARD_PERSISTDIR and then XDG_STATE_HOME first respectively if CB can get a value from them.

CLIPBOARD_CUSTOMPERSIST   Set this to the clipboards you want to make persistent, using regex.

Make everything you copy persistent.

$ export CLIPBOARD_CUSTOMPERSIST=".*"
$ cb copy Foo Bar Baz
# This puts everything in the persistent directory but still with the clipboard name "0"

Make some clipboards persistent.

$ export CLIPBOARD_CUSTOMPERSIST=5
$ cb copy5 Foo Bar Baz

CLIPBOARD_NOAUDIO   Set this to "true" or "1" to disable audio coming from CB.

Turn off those sound effects.

$ export CLIPBOARD_NOAUDIO=1
$ cb ffksdjfdj 
# No more error sounds after doing a nonexistent command

CLIPBOARD_NOGUI   Set this to "true" or "1" to disable integration with GUI clipboards.

Debug a flaky GUI system by disabling its integration with CB.

$ CLIPBOARD_NOGUI=1 cb show
$ export CLIPBOARD_NOGUI=1
$ cb show

CLIPBOARD_NOPROGRESS   Set this to "true" or "1" to disable only progress messages from CB.

Reduce distractions while doing a search that takes a while.

$ fzf | CLIPBOARD_NOPROGRESS=1 cb

Disable progress messages from CB entirely.

$ export CLIPBOARD_NOPROGRESS=1
$ fzf | cb

CLIPBOARD_NOREMOTE   Set this to "true" or "1" to disable remote clipboard sharing.

Disable all clipboard content transfers through the terminal.

$ export CLIPBOARD_NOREMOTE=1

CLIPBOARD_SILENT   Set this to "true" or "1" to disable progress and confirmation messages from CB.

Rest in peace by seeing nothing that isn’t an error.

$ export CLIPBOARD_SILENT=1
$ cb cp "I'm running out of Aventura references"

CLIPBOARD_THEME   Set this to the color theme that CB will use. Choose between light, darkhighcontrast, lighthighcontrast, amber, green, and ansi (the default is dark).

Remind yourself of the terminals of the past.

$ export CLIPBOARD_THEME=green
$ cb cp "I'm in the Matrix now"
$ export CLIPBOARD_THEME=amber
$ cb cp "Yellow terminals feel just like sitting in front of a nice campfire"

Make CB more accessible.

$ export CLIPBOARD_THEME=darkhighcontrast
$ cb show

Fully customize your style.

$ export CLIPBOARD_THEME=help=r;g;b,info=r;g;b,error=r;g;b,success=r;g;b,progress=r;g;b
# Note: You must put in a number within range 0-255 for each r, g, and b

FORCE_COLOR   Set this to "true" or "1" to make CB always show color regardless of what you set NO_COLOR to.

Override somebody else’s choice to disable colors.

$ export NO_COLOR=1
...
$ FORCE_COLOR=1 cb copy "There are almost no bachateros where I live right now"

Note: CB also supports CLICOLOR_FORCE.

Override somebody else’s choice to disable colors, but in a different way.

$ export CLICOLOR=0
...
$ CLICOLOR_FORCE=1 cb copy "There are almost no bachateros where I live right now"

NO_COLOR   Set this to anything to make CB not show any colors.

Make CB look boring.

$ export NO_COLOR=1
$ cb cp "From the 1960s until the 1990s, bachata was perceived as boring music for poor Dominicans."

Note: CB also supports CLICOLOR.

Make CB look boring, but in a different way.

$ export CLICOLOR=0
$ cb cp "In the 1990s, though, several innovative musicians reinvigorated bachata by using electric guitars with fancy effects."

We’re here for you! Check out the Clipboard Project Wiki for even more information, ask all your burning questions in GitHub Discussions, or join the awesome Discord group!

Say thank you to all our beautiful contributors who have helped make the Clipboard Project incredible. Want to join the club? We’re always accepting new contributions too.

Special thanks to MacStadium for sponsoring the Clipboard Project by providing a Mac Mini for macOS development!

And if you’re feeling generous, feel free to give us a :star:! We appreciate every single one - including yours.

_{cb copy haters && cb > /dev/null}