Clipboard History
Find a text copy without copying it again.
Availability
Partially implemented in stable. Read the limits below before relying on this workflow.
Reviewed against stable v0.5.1. Rust candidate additions are labeled separately. Release status.
The pain this solves
- Finding a piece of text copied earlier can interrupt a terminal workflow.
- A clipboard history can also retain sensitive text, so users need a clear account of what it captures.
What ships with it
- Polls the macOS system pasteboard for new non-empty text, including copies made outside Chau7.
- Supports local persistence, text-substring search, pinning, removal, and a configurable item cap.
- Does not implement the advertised password-prompt or regex secret exclusions; users should treat entries as sensitive data.
Questions this answers
- Does Chau7 keep clipboard history?
- Can I search and pin clipboard entries?
- Are passwords automatically excluded from clipboard history?
How it works
When enabled, Chau7 polls the macOS general pasteboard and records new non-empty text. This can include text copied outside Chau7; it is not limited to terminal selections.
Entries are persisted locally, deduplicated, searchable by text, and can be pinned, removed, or pasted from the history panel. The maximum item count is configurable.
Pasting an entry from the panel writes that text to the system pasteboard before inserting it. The stable app does not automatically exclude password-prompt text or apply user regex filters to clipboard history.
Why it matters
A local searchable list can save time when you need to reuse text you copied earlier. Because the history can include sensitive text from the system pasteboard, review and clear entries as needed.
Frequently asked questions
What text does clipboard history capture?
New non-empty text observed on the macOS system pasteboard while clipboard history is enabled.
Does Chau7 filter passwords or API keys automatically?
The v0.5.1 clipboard history code does not implement password-prompt or regex-based secret exclusion. Treat captured text as potentially sensitive.
Can I remove saved entries?
Yes. Individual entries can be removed, and clearing history removes unpinned entries.