Your clipboard, one shortcut away.
A tiny native macOS utility for the text and screenshots you just copied.
Get Clio · Screenshots · Report an issue · Learn to build apps
Copy something. Press ⌃⌘H. Pick an item and press Return to paste it into the app you were using.
Clio lives in your menu bar, stays out of your Dock, and keeps your recent clipboard history on your Mac. Built for developers and anyone who would rather keep their hands on the keyboard.
- Text and screenshots. Search recent copies, with duplicates moved to the top.
- Two useful views. A compact, one-line list for quick access, or a larger view with a full text and image preview.
- Keyboard first. A customizable global shortcut, arrow-key navigation, Return to paste, and Escape to dismiss.
- Keeps your app in focus. A native nonactivating panel opens over your work, ready to paste back into it.
- Native by design. SwiftUI, AppKit, Liquid Glass, and automatic light and dark mode.
- Clear first-run setup. Guided permissions for clipboard history and instant paste, with a copy-only option.
- Small conveniences. Pause history, adjust its limit, undo a deletion, and optionally launch at login.
- Local history. No account, analytics, cloud sync, or network requests from the clipboard engine.
Browse your history on the left. Read the text or inspect the screenshot on the right.
Switch to compact mode for a small list that gets you back to work.
Screenshots use sample data from Clio's isolated preview app.
Clio is free and open source. Version 1.0 (3) was submitted to the App Store on September 16, 2026 and is Waiting for Review. There is no public download or TestFlight invitation link yet. You can build the current version from source.
Requires macOS 26 or later and Xcode 26 or later with the macOS SDK. Development builds are currently checked with Xcode 27.
git clone https://github.com/Code-with-Beto/clio.git
cd clio
open clio.xcodeprojIn Xcode, select the clio scheme, choose your development team under Signing & Capabilities, and run. For regular use, move your built Clio app to Applications before granting permissions or enabling launch at login.
See the development guide for command-line builds, tests, and a preview that uses sample clipboard data.
- Enable clipboard history. Follow the setup window to allow clipboard access if macOS requests it.
- Choose how to paste. Enable Accessibility for instant paste, or select Use copy-only mode. In copy-only mode, choose an item, press Esc to close history, then use ⌘V in your app.
- Try the shortcut. Copy some text, press ⌃⌘H, use ↑ / ↓ to choose an item, then press Return.
Clio explains each permission before requesting it. Revisit the setup through Settings → Review setup at any time.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌃⌘H | Open or close history; customizable in Settings |
| ↑ / ↓ | Select an item |
| Return | Paste the selected item, or copy it in copy-only mode |
| Esc | Dismiss history |
| ⌘⇧V | Switch between compact and detailed views |
| ⌘, | Open Settings while Clio has keyboard focus |
Start typing to search by text, image name, or source app.
Your history is stored locally in Clio's Application Support folder. Clio saves up to 200 items by default, configurable in Settings, with a 100 MB total limit and 25 MB per item. There is no account, telemetry, or cloud sync.
Clio skips clipboard entries that their source app marks as concealed, transient, or automatically generated. Other copied content can be saved, including sensitive text, so pause history when needed. History is not separately encrypted.
You can delete individual items or clear history from the menu bar, with a one-step Undo. Clearing history does not change your current system clipboard. Clipboard access lets Clio save copies; Accessibility is used only for the optional paste keystroke.
The current source provides Privacy Policy directly in Clio's menu bar menu, linking to codewithbeto.dev/privacy.
Need help? See Clio support for troubleshooting and contact details, or report an issue.
Clio is intentionally small. Bug reports, thoughtful refinements, and contributions that keep it fast and simple are welcome.
Missing a feature? In the current source, Settings → About → Missing a feature? and the menu bar's Missing a feature? submenu offer Copy prompt for AI agent. Paste the prompt into your chosen coding agent. It asks what you want to build, uses this repository, implements and tests the change on a feature branch, then opens a pull request from your fork. Clio copies the instructions; it does not run an AI service or upload your history.
Settings also keeps the newsletter, YouTube, X, and website links together in a compact row.
- Report a bug or suggest an improvement.
- Read the development guide before making changes.
- If Clio is useful to you, give the repo a star.
MIT. Free to use, modify, and share.
Built with ❤️ by codewithbeto.dev
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