# Clipboard MCP

Connects AI assistants directly to your system clipboard for reading and writing text without manual pasting. Handy for passing errors, rich text, or code straight to the agent.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed · ★ 10
- Author: mnardit
- License: MIT · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/mnardit/clipboard-mcp
- Updated: 2026-03-29
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/clipboard-mcp

## What it does

The server links AI assistants to the OS pasteboard via the Model Context Protocol, removing the need to copy-paste prompts or responses manually. Packaged as a standalone Rust binary, it avoids external runtimes like Python or Node.js. Integration relies on 1Password's arboard library rather than system shell utilities. Six tools handle clipboard operations: reading raw text, capturing HTML markup, overwriting contents, inspecting payload formats, clearing data, and tracking pasteboard modifications.

Communication occurs over standard input or local HTTP using the `--http` flag on port 3100. Read operations truncate content exceeding 100 KB, while write payloads cap out at 1 MB. The change listener tool accepts a timeout up to 300 seconds, defaulting to 30 seconds, with an upper limit of 5 concurrent listeners.

On bare Linux window managers like i3 or dwm, keeping clipboard text requires a helper daemon like `copyq`, because contents drop without an active manager. Wayland setups depend on `wl-data-control` protocol support, and macOS demands explicit terminal permissions inside Privacy & Security settings.

## Requirements
- Needs: a prebuilt binary from the repository releases

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Install**
- The MCP registry has no launch command for it: see the repository README

## When to use it
- transfer error logs directly to the model without switching windows
- convert copied CSV tables into JSON structures on the fly
- adjust text tone from the clipboard and send it back formatted
- monitor clipboard updates to trigger automatic text summaries
- read rich HTML markup copied from browser tabs

## Example prompts
- Check the code snippet currently on my clipboard for potential bugs.
- Monitor my clipboard for 60 seconds and summarize any new text I copy.
- Read the CSV data from my clipboard, transform it into JSON, and replace the clipboard content.

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