cliphist is a clipboard history manager for Wayland that records previously copied content and makes it available for later retrieval.
The application is designed around a command-line workflow rather than providing its own selection interface. It works with existing menu applications, allowing clipboard history to be searched and retrieved using tools such as dmenu, rofi, wofi, and fzf.
cliphist separates the storage of clipboard content from its representation in selection menus. Entries are assigned identifiers so that their original contents can be restored without modification, even when their previews contain shortened text or formatted whitespace.
Its command-line interface makes it suitable for integration into window-manager shortcuts, desktop scripts, and automated workflows. Users can also manage the size and lifetime of their clipboard history without relying on a graphical configuration application.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Record clipboard changes in a local history database.
- Store text, images, and other supported clipboard content.
- Preserve copied data byte-for-byte, including whitespace and special characters.
- List clipboard entries with identifiers and readable previews.
- Retrieve entries through dmenu, rofi, wofi, fzf, and other selection applications.
- Decode selected entries to restore their original clipboard content.
- Display entry metadata, including MIME type, format, and timestamps.
- Choose which metadata fields appear in command output.
- Delete individual entries or remove matching entries using search queries.
- Clear the entire clipboard history using the wipe command.
- Remove entries older than a specified retention period.
- Compact the history database.
- Configure the maximum number of stored entries.
- Control duplicate detection through the maximum deduplication search setting.
- Use custom configuration files and environment variables for global settings.
- Integrate clipboard history into shell scripts and keyboard shortcuts.
Website: github.com/sentriz/cliphist
Support:
Developer: Senan Kelly
License: GNU General Public License v3.0
cliphist is written in Go. Learn Go with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| CLI Clipboard Managers | |
|---|---|
| clipmenu | Simple clipboard manager using dmenu (or rofi) and xsel |
| cliphist | Clipboard history manager for Wayland |
| Clipcat | Uses a client-server architecture |
| Greenclip | Recycle your clipboard selections |
| Ringboard | Clipboard manager built around a client-server architecture |
| Clipvault | Clipboard history manager for Wayland |
| Clipster | Simple clipboard manager which aims to be lightweight |
| nocb | Nearly optimal clipboard manager |
| clipsim | Simple and fast X clipboard manager |
| cclip | Cipboard manager for Wayland |
| Clapboard | Clipboard manager for Wayland written in Rust |
| Qlipmon | Clipboard history saver with native rofi plugin and DBUS interface |
| clipbox | Clipboard manager for Wayland |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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