ClipPath

Paste screenshots as file paths in your terminal.

Built for developers who use Claude Code, OpenAI Codex CLI, OpenCode, and other AI coding agents in Windows and WSL terminals.

Download latest release — single .exe, no install needed.

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Why ClipPath Exists

If you use Claude Code, Codex CLI, or any AI coding agent in a terminal, you've hit this wall:

You need to share a screenshot with the AI, but the terminal only accepts file paths.

You screenshot the error, the UI, the diagram — and then you're stuck. Save the image somewhere, navigate to it, copy the full path, paste it. Every. Single. Time.

ClipPath eliminates that entire workflow.

flowchart LR
A(Screenshot\nWin+Shift+S) -->|copied to\nclipboard| B(Press\nCtrl+Shift+V) -->|path typed\nautomatically| C(Done.)
style A fill:#2d2d2d,stroke:#555,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style B fill:#2563eb,stroke:#1d4ed8,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style C fill:#16a34a,stroke:#15803d,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px

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The image is saved instantly and the path is typed character-by-character into your active window — whether that's a WSL terminal running Claude Code, a Windows PowerShell with Codex CLI, or any other app.

Works where you need it

Tool	Terminal	Path format
Claude Code	WSL (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.)	/mnt/c/Users/.../image.bmp
Claude Code	Windows Terminal / PowerShell	C:\Users\...\image.bmp
Codex CLI	Any terminal	Auto-detected
OpenCode	Any terminal	Auto-detected
Any app	File dialogs, chat, IDEs	Auto-detected

ClipPath auto-detects whether your active terminal is WSL or Windows and outputs the correct path format. No configuration needed.

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Quick Start

Download (recommended)

1. Go to Releases
2. Download clippath.exe
3. Run it — ClipPath appears in your system tray

That's it. Single portable .exe, no installation, no dependencies.

Build from source

# Requires Bun v1.3.9+ and Windows 10/11
git clone https://github.com/BiteCraft/ClipPath.git
cd clippath
bun install
bun run build # → builds/clippath.exe

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How It Works

flowchart TD
A(Clipboard\nimage detected) --> B(Save as BMP\nin temp folder) --> C(Hotkey\npressed)
C --> D{Active window\nis WSL?}
D -->|Yes| E(/mnt/c/Users/.../image.bmp)
D -->|No| F("C:\Users\...\image.bmp")
E --> G(Type path via\nSendInput)
F --> G
style A fill:#2d2d2d,stroke:#555,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style B fill:#2d2d2d,stroke:#555,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style C fill:#2563eb,stroke:#1d4ed8,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style D fill:#7c3aed,stroke:#6d28d9,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style E fill:#0891b2,stroke:#0e7490,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style F fill:#0891b2,stroke:#0e7490,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style G fill:#16a34a,stroke:#15803d,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px

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1. Monitors the clipboard for images via Win32 AddClipboardFormatListener
2. Saves the image as a timestamped BMP in %TEMP%\clippath\
3. On hotkey press, detects if the active window is WSL (via window title heuristics)
4. Types the file path character-by-character via SendInput — works everywhere, no paste conflicts

All Win32 API calls go through Bun's FFI. No native modules, no C++ addons, no Electron.

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Features

Core Clipboard monitoring — detects images instantly Global hotkey — Ctrl+Shift+V (customizable) Auto-typing — types path via SendInput, no paste conflicts Smart caching — press again to re-type the same path Path Modes Auto-detect — reads window title to pick format WSL — always outputs /mnt/c/... paths Windows — always outputs C:\... paths

Settings Window Dark-themed native-looking UI (Edge --app) Change hotkey with live key capture Configure path mode, cleanup schedule, autostart Clean temp files and open folder Quality of Life Auto-cleanup — off, 30min, 1h, 6h, or daily Start with Windows — registry-based autostart No console window — runs silently in the tray Balloon notifications — know when it's ready

WSL Auto-Detection

When Auto-detect is enabled, ClipPath checks the foreground window title for:

Pattern	Example	Result
Linux distro names	Ubuntu, Debian, Kali	WSL path
Shell indicators	bash, zsh, user@host:	WSL path
Unix paths	/home/, /mnt/c/, ~/	WSL path
Everything else	PowerShell, cmd, VS Code	Windows path

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Configuration

Config file: %APPDATA%\clippath\config.json

{
"shortcut": "Ctrl+Shift+V",
"wslMode": null,
"cleanupSchedule": "1h",
"dailyHour": 3
}

Field	Values	Default
shortcut	Any Modifier+Key combo	Ctrl+Shift+V
wslMode	null (auto), true (WSL), false (Windows)	null
cleanupSchedule	off, 30m, 1h, 6h, daily	1h
dailyHour	0-23 (hour for daily cleanup)	3

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Architecture

src/
├── main.ts Entry point
├── config.ts JSON config persistence
├── hotkey.ts Global hotkey via RegisterHotKey
├── wsl.ts Path conversion & mode management
├── wsl-detection.ts Window title heuristics
├── autostart.ts Registry-based startup
│
├── app/
│ ├── lifecycle.ts Startup sequence & shutdown
│ ├── hotkey-handler.ts Image extract → save → paste pipeline
│ └── cleanup-scheduler.ts Timed auto-cleanup
│
├── clipboard/
│ ├── monitor.ts WM_CLIPBOARDUPDATE listener
│ └── extract.ts DIB data extraction
│
├── image/
│ ├── bmp.ts DIB → BMP format conversion
│ └── temp-files.ts File save, count, cleanup
│
├── input/
│ ├── keyboard.ts SendInput text typing
│ ├── key-events.ts INPUT struct building
│ ├── key-state.ts Keyboard layout detection
│ ├── shortcut.ts Shortcut parse/format
│ └── clipboard-paste.ts High-level paste API
│
├── window/
│ ├── message-window.ts Hidden Win32 HWND
│ ├── message-loop.ts Non-blocking message pump
│ └── message-bus.ts Message → handler dispatch
│
├── tray/
│ ├── icon.ts System tray icon management
│ ├── handler.ts Click & menu message routing
│ ├── menu-builder.ts Context menu construction
│ ├── menu-commands.ts Menu action handlers
│ └── shortcut-capture.ts Tray-initiated key capture
│
├── settings/
│ ├── server.ts HTTP server + Edge --app launcher
│ ├── page.ts Embedded HTML/CSS/JS dark UI
│ ├── api.ts REST API handlers
│ └── shortcut-capture-api.ts Browser-driven capture state machine
│
└── win32/
├── constants.ts Win32 constants
├── structs.ts Struct builders (WNDCLASS, MSG, INPUT, etc.)
├── user32.ts user32.dll FFI bindings
├── kernel32.ts kernel32.dll FFI bindings
├── gdi32.ts gdi32.dll FFI bindings
├── shell32.ts shell32.dll FFI bindings
└── uxtheme.ts Dark mode support

Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Runtime	Bun — compile, bundle, test, serve
Language	TypeScript (strict mode, ESNext)
Win32 API	bun:ffi — direct FFI to 5 system DLLs
Settings UI	Embedded HTML/CSS/JS + Edge --app mode
Linting	Biome
CI/CD	GitHub Actions — test, build, release
Dependencies	Zero runtime dependencies

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Tests

bun test

173 pass
0 fail
230 expect() calls
Ran 173 tests across 18 files. [254ms]

Full test coverage breakdown

Module	Test File	What's Covered
Config	config.test.ts	Load, save, merge, defaults, validation
Clipboard	monitor.test.ts	State tracking, callbacks
Cleanup	cleanup-scheduler.test.ts	All schedule modes, timer management
Autostart	autostart.test.ts	Registry enable/disable/status
Hotkey	hotkey.test.ts	Registration, dispatch
Keyboard	keyboard.test.ts	Layout detection, input events
Key Events	key-events.test.ts	INPUT struct building
Key State	key-state.test.ts	Async key state
Shortcuts	shortcut.test.ts	Parse, format, validation
BMP	bmp.test.ts	DIB → BMP header conversion
Temp Files	temp-files.test.ts	Save, count, cleanup, paths
Win32 Structs	structs.test.ts	NOTIFYICONDATA, wide strings
Message Bus	message-bus.test.ts	Handler registration, dispatch
Message Loop	message-loop.test.ts	Pump start/stop
Message Window	message-window.test.ts	HWND creation
WSL	wsl.test.ts	Path conversion
WSL Detection	wsl-detection.test.ts	Terminal heuristics
Menu Commands	menu-commands.test.ts	All tray menu actions

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Development

bun start # Run in dev mode
bun test# Run tests
bun run typecheck # Type checking
bun run lint # Lint with Biome
bun run format # Format with Biome
bun run build # Build standalone exe

Releasing

Bump the version in package.json and push to main. The CI pipeline automatically detects the version change and only runs when the version is higher than the previous one:

# Edit package.json → "version": "1.1.0"
git add package.json
git commit -m "Bump version to 1.1.0"
git push origin main

flowchart LR
A(Push to main) --> B{Version\nbumped?}
B -->|No| C(Skip)
B -->|Yes| D(Test) --> E("Build .exe") --> F(Create tag\n+ Release)
style A fill:#2d2d2d,stroke:#555,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style B fill:#7c3aed,stroke:#6d28d9,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style C fill:#6b7280,stroke:#4b5563,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style D fill:#2563eb,stroke:#1d4ed8,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style E fill:#2563eb,stroke:#1d4ed8,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
style F fill:#16a34a,stroke:#15803d,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px

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Pushes without a version bump are ignored — no unnecessary builds.

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License

MIT