pipeboard

The programmable clipboard router for terminals.

One command across macOS, Linux, Windows, and WSL. Sync between machines via SSH, store in S3, or sync with mobile devices via hosted backend. Transform clipboard contents with user-defined pipelines. All with client-side encryption and zero telemetry.

Why pipeboard?

Terminal users copy and paste hundreds of times a day—config snippets, JSON payloads, API keys, log excerpts. Each time you reach for a GUI or email yourself a snippet, you break flow.

Workflow	Without pipeboard	With pipeboard
Cross-platform scripts	pbcopy on Mac, xclip on Linux, clip.exe on WSL	pipeboard copy everywhere
Send clipboard to another machine	SSH, scp, or paste into Slack	pipeboard send dev
Grab that config you saved yesterday	Scroll through chat history	pipeboard pull kube
Format JSON before pasting	Copy → browser → formatter → copy	pipeboard fx pretty-json
Recall what you copied an hour ago	Hope it's still there	pipeboard recall 1

Core Features

Feature	Description
Unified clipboard	One CLI across macOS, Linux, Windows, and WSL
Peer-to-peer sync	Direct SSH transfer between machines—no cloud required
Named slots	Persistent storage locally, in S3, or hosted backend for async workflows
Transforms	User-defined pipelines to process clipboard in-place
History & recall	Search and restore previous clipboard contents
Watch mode	Real-time bidirectional sync with a peer
Encryption	AES-256-GCM client-side encryption for stored content
Zero telemetry	No tracking, no logging of clipboard contents

Quick Start

# Install
brew install blackwell-systems/homebrew-tap/pipeboard
# or: go install github.com/blackwell-systems/pipeboard@latest

# Copy and paste (works everywhere)
echo "hello" | pipeboard        # implicit copy from stdin
pipeboard paste

# Transform clipboard in-place
pipeboard fx pretty-json        # format JSON
pipeboard fx strip-ansi         # chain multiple transforms

# Sync with another machine (via SSH)
pipeboard send dev              # push to peer
pipeboard recv mac              # pull from peer
pipeboard watch dev             # real-time bidirectional sync

# Store for later (local or S3)
pipeboard push myconfig         # save to named slot
pipeboard pull myconfig         # restore from slot
pipeboard slots                 # list all slots

# Clipboard history
pipeboard history --local       # view recent copies
pipeboard recall 1              # restore previous entry

See Getting Started for installation options.

Power Workflows

Async clipboard: push now, pull anywhere

Save something on your laptop, pull it on a server hours later:

# Laptop at coffee shop
pipeboard push deploy-script

# Server at home (hours later)
pipeboard pull deploy-script

Slots work across networks, time zones, and reboots. Local, S3-backed, or hosted for mobile sync.

Sync with mobile devices

Desktop to mobile, mobile to desktop—seamlessly:

# One-time setup
pipeboard signup                  # create account
pipeboard login                   # authenticate

# Desktop: copy and push
echo "https://example.com/docs" | pipeboard
pipeboard push mobile-link

# Mobile: pull from Pipeboard app
# [Use the Android app to pull "mobile-link" slot]

# Mobile: push from app, desktop: pull
pipeboard pull mobile-notes       # get what you saved on phone

Hosted backend keeps your clipboard encrypted and synced between CLI and mobile apps.

Find and restore anything you copied

Search your clipboard history and restore what you need:

pipeboard history --local --search "Bearer"    # find that API token
pipeboard recall 2                              # restore it

History is searchable, indexed, and persists across sessions.

Encrypted secrets with auto-expiry

Store sensitive data that self-destructs:

# ~/.config/pipeboard/config.yaml
sync:
  backend: hosted              # or "s3" or "local"
  hosted:
    url: https://your-backend.com
    email: your@email.com
  encryption: aes256
  passphrase: ${PIPEBOARD_PASSPHRASE}
  ttl_days: 1    # auto-delete after 24 hours

pipeboard push api-key     # encrypted, expires tomorrow
pipeboard pull api-key     # teammate decrypts, then it's gone

Track what you synced

Every push, pull, send, and receive is logged:

pipeboard history --slots                    # what did I push/pull?
pipeboard history --peer                     # what did I send/receive?
pipeboard history --json | jq 'select(.slot=="prod")'

Want to try first? Run the Test Drive - no installation required, just Docker:

git clone https://github.com/blackwell-systems/pipeboard && cd pipeboard && ./scripts/demo.sh

Platform Support

Platform	Clipboard	Image	Notes
macOS	✓ built-in	✓ requires pngpaste/impbcopy
Linux (Wayland)	✓ wl-clipboard	✓ native
Linux (X11)	✓ xclip or xsel	✓ xclip only
Windows	✓ clip.exe + PowerShell	✓ PowerShell
WSL	✓ clip.exe	paste only

Run pipeboard doctor to check your setup.

📚 Complete Documentation Site

• Test Drive — Try pipeboard without installing (Docker)
• Getting Started — Installation and first commands
• Commands — Full command reference
• Transforms — Build clipboard pipelines
• Configuration — Config file reference
• Sync & Remote — SSH peers and S3 slots
• Platforms — Platform-specific details
• Architecture — System design and component overview

Security

pipeboard handles potentially sensitive clipboard data. See SECURITY.md for details on data handling, transport security, and configuration recommendations.

Trademarks

pipeboard™ is a product of Blackwell Systems™. See BRAND.md for usage guidelines.

License

MIT