clipboard

Read and write macOS clipboard contents using pbpaste and pbcopy.

369|29|Updated Feb 3, 2026

Search Tags:#automation #macOS #text #copy-paste #pbcopy #pbpaste #clipboard

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/mikeyobrien/rho --skill clipboard

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: clipboard
Source: https://github.com/mikeyobrien/rho/tree/main/platforms/macos/skills/clipboard
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/mikeyobrien/rho --skill clipboard

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Read and write the macOS clipboard programmatically to streamline copy-paste tasks between apps, reducing manual dragging and typing.

Core Features & Use Cases

Read clipboard contents using pbpaste.
Write content to the clipboard using pbcopy.
Copy file contents to the clipboard with pbcopy < file.txt.
Copy the output of a command to the clipboard with a pipe to pbcopy, e.g., ls -la | pbcopy.
Use Case: Quickly capture terminal output or selected text for sharing in chats, emails, or documents.

Quick Start

Read from clipboard with: pbpaste Write to clipboard with: echo "text to copy" | pbcopy Copy a file's contents to the clipboard: pbcopy < file.txt Copy command output to the clipboard: ls -la | pbcopy

Frequently Asked Questions about clipboard

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

How do I read and write to the macOS clipboard from the terminal?▼

Read clipboard contents with pbpaste and write to it with pbcopy. Use pbpaste to retrieve text, and pipe commands to pbcopy to send output to the clipboard, such as ls -la | pbcopy.

Can I copy a file's contents directly to the clipboard on macOS?▼

Yes, use pbcopy < file.txt to copy a file's contents to the clipboard without displaying it on screen. This works with any text file in your terminal workflow.

How do I automate copying command output to the clipboard?▼

Pipe your command directly to pbcopy, such as ls -la | pbcopy or grep pattern file.txt | pbcopy. The output goes to the clipboard instead of printing to the terminal.

Do I need to install additional software to use clipboard automation on macOS?▼

No, pbcopy and pbpaste are built into macOS and require only a standard shell environment. No external dependencies or installations are needed.

What's the fastest way to share terminal output without manual copy-paste?▼

Pipe your command to pbcopy to capture output directly to the clipboard in one step, eliminating manual selection and copying between terminal and applications.