Documentation
Learn how to capture, understand, and reuse copied technical data with StackClip.
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Getting started
StackClip runs in your menu bar. Click the icon to open the clipboard history. You can paste clips, run actions, and manage snippets without leaving your app. See the feature pages for details on classification, actions, snippets, and secret masking.
Keyboard shortcuts
Global shortcuts work when StackClip is in the background. All shortcuts are configurable in Settings.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd+Shift+V | Paste last clip into focused app |
| Cmd+Shift+H | Open clipboard history |
| ⌘R | Refresh clips from anywhere |
| Cmd+Shift+1–9 | Paste clip 1–9 by position |
| Cmd+Shift+F | Paste last clip with format applied |
| Cmd+Shift+Alt+J, +S, +Y, … | Paste last clip by type (JSON, SQL, YAML, etc.) |
| Cmd+Shift+S | Paste first snippet |
| Cmd+Shift+0 | Copy last clip to clipboard |
Permissions (macOS)
For global shortcuts and paste-into-app to work, grant Input Monitoring and Accessibility in System Settings → Privacy & Security. StackClip will prompt you on first use.
Terminal workflows
StackClip includes a stackclip CLI for terminal-first workflows. Available in the direct download from stackclip.app — search clipboard history, fetch clips, and inspect snippets without leaving your shell.
stackclip search jwt — search copied technical data from the terminal
stackclip get 1 --format pretty — pretty-print copied JSON
stackclip get 1 --format minify — minify copied JSON for reuse
stackclip get 1 --format keys — print env keys without exposing values
stackclip snippets list and stackclip snippets get 1 — inspect reusable snippets from the terminal
Common workflows
Decoding JWTs
JWT decode workflow: copy a JWT (from a token response, auth header, or debug output), open StackClip with Cmd+Shift+H or click the menu bar icon, select the clip, and use Decode JWT. You'll see header, payload, and expiry in a readable format. No need to paste into an external decoder. See Contextual actions for the full JWT workflow and other format actions.
Clipboard history on Mac
StackClip captures your macOS clipboard history automatically. Every copy is stored locally up to your configurable retention limit. Your clipboard history stays on your Mac—no cloud, no sync. Pinned clips are never pruned. Sensitive clips (JWTs, env vars) can auto-expire. See Secret masking for how we protect sensitive clipboard history.
Saving reusable snippets
Save boilerplate—API calls, SQL, config blocks—for quick paste. Use placeholder variables like {{API_KEY}} or {{NAME}} for reusable templates. Dynamic placeholders {{DATE}}, {{UUID}}, {{TIMESTAMP}} expand at paste time. Name and search your snippets in the Snippets view. See Snippets for more.
Core features
Smart classification
StackClip automatically detects 36 content types. Detection runs in order (first match wins): JWT, JSON, Markdown, YAML, TOML, XML, GraphQL, Diff, curl, URL, env_line, ini, CSV, SQL, shell, code, plain_text, unknown, plus Base64, UUID, Git ref, Dockerfile, Stack trace, Regex, OpenAPI, JSONL, Properties, Semver, Log, Cron, IP address. Each clip shows a type badge; you can filter by type. See Smart classification for details.
Contextual actions
One-click actions: format JSON, minify, sort JSON keys, decode JWTs, run language-aware code formatting. Supported formats: JSON, SQL, YAML, XML, TOML, GraphQL, CSV, INI, Markdown, shell, Dockerfile. Plus: CSV to Markdown table. Code formatting supports JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Rust, Go, HTML, CSS, Markdown, Java, Kotlin, Ruby. Text utilities: case conversion (camel/snake/kebab/Pascal/SCREAMING_SNAKE), JSON/shell/regex escape & unescape, MD5/SHA-256 hash, URL encode/decode. Developer utilities: regex replace, CSV↔JSON, slugify, sort lines, dedupe, headers parser, URL params editor, package.json, Docker Compose, .env, timestamp (Unix↔ISO), OpenAPI path extraction, JSON merge, env diff, SQL explain. Env var injection lets you fill copied curl commands, URLs, and shell snippets from saved env clips before copying them back out. Build pipelines: chain transforms, save as quick actions. See Contextual actions, Transform pipelines, and Developer utilities.
Secret masking
JWTs, env vars, curl auth headers, and API keys are masked in the list view—reveal only when you need to. Time-limited reveal: content auto-masks after 5–10 seconds. Auto-expire sensitive clips after 5/15/30/60 minutes. Per-type retention lets you set different limits. See Secret masking for full details.
Data & settings
Local storage
All clipboard history and snippets are stored locally in SQLite on your Mac. No cloud sync, no account required. Retention is configurable; older clips are pruned automatically; pinned clips are never removed. See Privacy Policy for full details.
Export and import
Export clips and snippets to JSON. Import from JSON to restore or move your data between machines. Your data, your control.
Pin clips
Pinned clips are never pruned. Keep important clips indefinitely, even when retention limits remove older unpinned items.
Settings
Configure retention, per-type retention, auto-expire sensitive (Off, 5/15/30/60 min), sensitive filter (All / Hide sensitive / Only sensitive), remap keyboard shortcuts, and toggle "Paste JSON formatted when using shortcuts" for formatted paste via Cmd+Shift+V.