clipcmd

[!IMPORTANT] clipcmd comes in two parts — install both:

1. The clipcmd package from npm — the command, the background daemon and the shell hooks. It puts the buttons under every command, in every terminal: npm install -g clipcmd, then clipcmd init.
2. The clipcmd extension for VS Code — makes [COPY OUTPUT] and [COPY BOTH] work in VS Code's terminal (without it, VS Code only shows [COPY CMD] and [+]): install from the Marketplace, or search clipcmd in the Extensions view.

Every developer has copied a command and its output into an issue, a chat or a doc by dragging the mouse over the terminal. clipcmd puts clickable buttons under every command instead:

• [COPY CMD] — the command line
• [COPY OUTPUT] — what it printed, as clean plain text (no colors, progress bars at their final state, wrapped lines joined)
• [COPY BOTH] — $ command and its output, ready to paste
• [+] — collect several commands and their output into one clipboard entry

Works in PowerShell (5.1 and 7), bash (including Git Bash), zsh and fish on Windows, macOS and Linux — in Windows Terminal, VS Code, iTerm2, GNOME Terminal, WezTerm, kitty and any other terminal with clickable links.

Quick start

You need Node.js 20 or newer (node -v tells you which one you have).

Part	What it does	Install
npm package clipcmd	The buttons, in every terminal	npm install -g clipcmd, then clipcmd init
VS Code extension djain912.clipcmd	[COPY OUTPUT] and [COPY BOTH] in VS Code's terminal	Marketplace, or code --install-extension djain912.clipcmd

1. Install the npm package:

   npm install -g clipcmd
   

2. Set it up for your shell (run this in the shell you use; once per shell):

   clipcmd init
   

3. Install the VS Code extension — any one of:

   • open the clipcmd page on the Marketplace and click Install;

   • in VS Code, open the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X, Cmd+Shift+X on macOS), search clipcmd, and click Install;

   • or run:

     code --install-extension djain912.clipcmd
     

4. Open a new terminal window or tab.

5. Run any command, for example git status. The buttons appear under its output.

6. Hold Ctrl (Cmd on macOS) and click a button. A small ✓ Copied confirmation appears; paste anywhere.

Something not working? Run clipcmd doctor: it checks everything and says how to fix it.

Learn more

• The clipcmd website — a live demo you can click, the video, and the FAQ
• How to use it — the buttons, collecting several commands, where output can be copied
• Configuration — ~/.config/clipcmd/config.json and environment variables
• Troubleshooting
• Updating and uninstalling
• The VS Code extension

How it works

A small background program (the daemon) listens on 127.0.0.1. A hook in your shell's startup file tells it about each command and prints the buttons when the command finishes. The buttons are links: a Ctrl+click opens a tiny handler registered for your user account, which asks the daemon to copy — no browser, no window — and a "✓ Copied" confirmation appears (a tag next to the pointer on Windows). To know what a command printed, interactive terminals run inside a recorder (clipcmd shell, automatic); in VS Code, the extension reads the output from VS Code's shell integration instead. Nothing leaves your machine.

Details: cli/README.md.

This repository

Directory	What	Published as
cli/	The clipcmd command, background daemon and shell hooks — full documentation	clipcmd on npm
vscode-extension/	Output capture and daemon controls for VS Code's terminal	djain912.clipcmd on the VS Code Marketplace
docs/	The website, the launch video and the images in the READMEs	djain912.github.io/clipcmd (GitHub Pages)

Contributing

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md. Security issues: SECURITY.md. Releases: RELEASING.md.

License

MIT © Djain912