Show HN: A keyboard-centric clipboard history app for macOS

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reception

  • Many commenters find the UI clean and the concept useful, especially the keyboard-centric design and large, resizable preview area.
  • Some say they will stick with existing tools that already work well for them, mainly due to trust, open‑source preference, or missing features.

Comparison with existing clipboard managers

  • Frequently mentioned alternatives: Alfred, Raycast (including its clipboard extension), LaunchBar, Maccy, Flycut, CopyQ, Keyboard Maestro, BetterTouchTool, Paste, and Clipy.
  • Several argue Alfred/Raycast/LaunchBar already meet the listed requirements (keyboard control, search, previews, history).
  • A recurring differentiator for this app is the ability to resize the history window and see a much larger text preview; users say competing tools often limit preview size.
  • Some prefer single‑purpose clipboard tools over multi‑function launchers; others prefer consolidating into a launcher they already use.

Features, limitations, and requested additions

  • Currently text‑only; image and file support are explicitly “on the roadmap.”
  • No snippets by design; users are pointed to other tools for that.
  • Widely requested features:
    • Excluding passwords and specific applications from history.
    • Customizable keyboard shortcuts (including avoiding conflicts with “paste unformatted” and command palettes).
    • Better handling of very large entries (e.g., big Excel ranges) and optional auto‑purging rules.
    • “Quick edit” of a clipboard item before pasting.
    • Opening the window on the active screen (by cursor or focused window).
  • Some users report missed clipboard events; at least one reproduction is unclear to the developer.

Privacy, security, and trust

  • Strong concern that any clipboard manager approaches a keylogger; multiple commenters say they only trust open‑source or OS‑bundled tools.
  • The developer states:
    • No telemetry or network calls except update checks.
    • Local‑only operation is intended.
    • Plans to open‑source the app.
  • Discussion includes techniques like blocking outbound connections (e.g., via firewall) and relying on password‑manager clipboard flags or heuristics to exclude secrets.

Implementation and distribution

  • App is built as a hybrid: React UI + C++/Cocoa via a custom Electron‑like SDK, leading to large binaries (~245–600 MB).
  • Initial download issues due to a cloud storage billing problem were quickly fixed; a GitHub mirror is planned.