mclip - Lightweight, local-first clipboard history

Keep copy history close without adding noise

The page mirrors the product flow: open the tray window, search, preview, copy, then get back to the task you were doing.

Tray-first

Click the menu bar or system tray icon, or press CommandOrControl+Shift+V. The window appears when needed and gets out of the way after.

Text, images, and files

mclip keeps the everyday things you copy: text snippets, screenshots, and files from Finder or File Explorer. Selecting file history restores a system file list, not just path text.

Compact, independent previews

The latest 10 items stay compact by default and older history is grouped by 10. Archive windows size to rendered content, hover details stay independent, and long file names preserve extensions while details show the full absolute path.

Search and keyboard flow

Type to filter, use arrow keys to move, press Enter to copy, and hit Escape to hide the window.

Local-first privacy

Clipboard history, settings, and image assets stay on your computer. mclip does not upload clipboard contents.

Themes, languages, and platforms

mclip supports macOS and Windows, follows system appearance and language, and lets you tune main/archive counts, row numbers, and main-window branding.

For developers and AI agents

AI Agent and CLI

mclip-cli gives Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, and Cline a local terminal entry into clipboard history. Agent Mode bundles recent history, available commands, and safety boundaries so agents do not need you to paste the same snippet again.

Agent Mode in one command

mclip-cli agent --last 5 --json emits recent history, command capabilities, and safety boundaries for Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, and Cline.

Controlled actions, no desktop noise

agent/list/get/search/context are read-only. add writes history without replacing the system clipboard; copy writes one selected item back to the clipboard.

Built for errors, code, and prompts

Agent Mode defaults to Markdown and supports JSON. Regular commands support text, JSON, raw, and Markdown for copied errors, code snippets, and recent context.

Install mclip-cli

curl -fsSL https://www.mclip.cn/install.sh | sh

Common commands

mclip-cli agent --last 5 --json

mclip-cli list --limit 5 --json

mclip-cli context --last 3 --format markdown

mclip-cli add "note from agent"

mclip-cli copy --index 1

The installer downloads the prebuilt mclip-cli and SHA-256 companion from the same GitHub Release, verifies it before replacing an older CLI, and accepts MCLIP_VERSION for pinned installs. It falls back to a source build only when the binary asset is missing. Windows CLI users should run it from Git Bash or another POSIX-compatible shell.

Start with GitHub Releases

Downloads stay direct, and the current macOS notarization and Windows signing limitations are visible before install.

macOS

Download the DMG from GitHub Releases and drag mclip.app into Applications. The current build is not notarized, so macOS may quarantine it after browser download.

Windows

Download the MSI or EXE installer and follow the setup wizard. The current installer is unsigned, so Windows SmartScreen may show an unknown-publisher warning.

Developers

The source code is open on GitHub. The app uses Tauri 2, React 19, TypeScript, and Rust, and runs locally with npm run tauri:dev.

Common questions before installing

Signing, notarization, WebView2, and the local data boundary are visible before anyone downloads the app.

Does mclip upload my clipboard contents?

No. History, settings, and generated image assets stay on your computer in the local app configuration directory. The Windows installer may only access the network to install WebView2 when it is missing.

What if macOS says the app is damaged?

The current macOS build uses ad-hoc signing and is not notarized with an Apple Developer ID. After dragging mclip.app into Applications, you can run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/mclip.app if you trust the release.

Is the Windows SmartScreen warning expected?

Yes for now. The Windows package is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may warn about an unknown publisher. Install only GitHub Releases you trust.

How many items can mclip keep?

You can adjust the maximum history count, main window item count, archive group item count, and whether mclip saves text, images, files, or only some of them.