clipboard-mcp

Cross-platform Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI assistants direct read/write access to your system clipboard. Website

Copy an error → ask Claude to fix it → the fix lands in your clipboard. No manual paste into chat, no manual copy from response.

cargo install clipboard-mcp

Why clipboard-mcp?

• Single binary — no Python, no Node.js, no runtime to install
• Native clipboard — uses arboard by 1Password, not shell commands like pbcopy/xclip
• Watch mode — watch_clipboard lets agents react to what you copy in real-time
• HTML + format detection — read HTML content, probe available clipboard formats
• Cross-platform — Windows, macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon), Linux (X11 + Wayland)
• HTTP transport — run as a local HTTP server for remote agent access

Tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | get_clipboard | Read current text from the clipboard. Content over 100 KB is truncated. | | get_clipboard_html | Read HTML content from the clipboard (e.g., rich text from browsers). | | set_clipboard | Write text to the clipboard (max 1 MB). | | watch_clipboard | Wait for clipboard text to change (default 30s, max 300s). Max 5 concurrent. | | list_clipboard_formats | Probe which formats are available (text, HTML, image, files). | | clear_clipboard | Clear all clipboard content. |

watch_clipboard parameters

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description | |-----------|------|---------|-------------| | timeout_secs | integer (optional) | 30 | Seconds to wait for a change (max 300) |

Installation

cargo install clipboard-mcp

Or download a binary from GitHub Releases.

Configuration

Claude Desktop (stdio, default)

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "clipboard": {
      "command": "clipboard-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Code (stdio)

# Add for current project
claude mcp add clipboard clipboard-mcp

# Or add globally
claude mcp add --scope user clipboard clipboard-mcp

HTTP Transport

Run as an HTTP server for remote or programmatic access:

clipboard-mcp --http                          # 127.0.0.1:3100
clipboard-mcp --http --port 8080              # custom port
clipboard-mcp --http --host 0.0.0.0           # expose to network (see Security)

MCP endpoint: http://HOST:PORT/mcp

Usage Examples

Read and transform:

"Take whatever is on my clipboard and rewrite it in a more formal tone, then put the result back."

Watch for changes:

"Watch my clipboard for 60 seconds. When I copy something, summarize it in one sentence."

Round-trip:

"Get my clipboard, translate it to German, and set the translation back."

Data transform:

Copy a CSV table → "Convert what's on my clipboard to JSON" → paste formatted JSON into your editor.

Code from clipboard:

Copy a code snippet from a browser → "Review the code on my clipboard for bugs" → Claude reads it directly, no pasting into chat.

Step-by-step agent output via clipboard history:

Run a multi-step task and set_clipboard after each step. With any clipboard manager (Paste, CopyQ, Klipper), you get a chronological log of every result — browse, search, and review the agent's work without switching windows.

Platform Support

• Windows (x86_64) — clipboard persists via OS pasteboard
• macOS (x86_64, aarch64) — clipboard persists via OS pasteboard
• Linux (x86_64, aarch64) — X11 and Wayland (via wl-data-control protocol)

Linux note: On Linux, clipboard content set by the server is kept alive by a background thread. If no clipboard manager is running (bare WMs like i3/dwm), install clipman, parcellite, or copyq.

How It Works

Single binary. Uses arboard (by 1Password) for native clipboard access. Communicates via MCP protocol over stdio (default) or HTTP (--http flag, Streamable HTTP transport). No runtime dependencies on Windows and macOS; Linux requires X11 libs or a Wayland compositor with wl-data-control support.

Troubleshooting

Linux: clipboard content disappears Ensure a clipboard manager is running. On bare window managers (i3, dwm), install clipman, parcellite, or copyq.

Wayland: "clipboard is empty or contains non-text content" Your compositor must support the wl-data-control protocol. Sway, Hyprland, GNOME, and KDE all do. Older compositors may not.

macOS: clipboard access denied Ensure the terminal running the MCP server has clipboard permissions in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

Security

This server gives connected MCP clients full read/write access to your system clipboard:

• get_clipboard / get_clipboard_html — return clipboard content verbatim
• set_clipboard — silently overwrites clipboard contents (max 1 MB)
• watch_clipboard — returns the next thing you copy, verbatim
• clear_clipboard — wipes clipboard without confirmation

Only connect this server to AI sessions you trust. Do not use it in environments where sensitive data (passwords, tokens) may be on the clipboard.

HTTP mode: Default bind is 127.0.0.1 (localhost only). Binding to 0.0.0.0 with --host exposes clipboard to all reachable network interfaces. Browser-initiated requests (with Origin header) are rejected with 403. There is no authentication — non-browser HTTP clients are not restricted. For remote access, prefer SSH tunneling over exposing to the network.

Contributing

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first.

License

MIT