Repo2Clip: Repository Structure and File Content to Clipboard for LLMs

Repo2Clip is a Visual Studio Code extension that helps developers share codebase context with Large Language Models (LLMs) by providing formatted directory structures and file contents.

Features

1. Copy Repository Structure Only

Copies a clean directory tree structure to your clipboard - perfect for giving LLMs context about your project organization without overwhelming them with implementation details.

2. Copy Complete Workspace

Captures both the directory structure and the contents of all files in your workspace. Useful for in-depth code reviews or when you need to share comprehensive context.

3. Copy Workspace with Selected Content

Provides the full directory structure of your workspace but only includes file contents from the selected folder and all its subfolders. This means:

• You get the complete tree view of your entire workspace for context
• File contents are included only for:
  • Files in the selected folder
  • Files in all subfolders of the selected folder
  • Files matching your alwaysIncluded patterns

Installation

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.80.0 or higher
• Node.js 16.x or higher
• npm 7.x or higher

Installation Steps

1. Open VS Code
2. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P)
3. Type "Extensions: Install from VSIX..."
4. Select the repo2clip.vsix file

Or install from the VS Code Marketplace [coming soon]

Usage

Via Command Palette

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Type "Repo2Clip" to see available commands:
   • Repo2Clip: Copy Repository Structure Only
   • Repo2Clip: Copy Complete Workspace
   • Repo2Clip: Copy Workspace (Selected Folder Contents)

Via Context Menu

Right-click on any folder in the Explorer to access Repo2Clip commands.

Configuration

Basic Configuration

{
  // Files to always include (using .gitignore pattern syntax)
  "repo2clip.alwaysIncluded": [
    "readme.md",
    "**/*.config.{js,json}",
    "src/**/*.{ts,tsx}"
  ],

  // Files to always exclude
  "repo2clip.alwaysExcluded": [
    "**/node_modules/**",
    "**/*.test.{ts,js}",
    "**/dist/**"
  ],

  // Maximum file size in bytes
  "repo2clip.maxFileSize": 1000000
}

Pattern Matching

Repo2Clip uses .gitignore pattern syntax for both inclusion and exclusion rules. Patterns are matched against file paths relative to the workspace root.

Pattern Syntax

• * matches any characters except /
• ** matches any characters including /
• ? matches a single character except /
• ! negates a pattern
• / matches directory separators
• Lines starting with # are comments

Pattern Examples

{
  "repo2clip.alwaysIncluded": [
    // Documentation
    "**/*.md", // All markdown files
    "docs/**/*.{md,txt}", // All docs in markdown or text

    // Configuration
    "**/config.*", // Any config file
    "**/*.config.{js,json,ts}", // All config files with specific extensions

    // Source code
    "src/**/*.{ts,tsx}", // All TypeScript files under src
    "!src/**/*.test.ts", // Exclude test files

    // API definitions
    "api/**/*.{yaml,json}", // All API specs

    // Important project files
    "package.json",
    "**/tsconfig.json"
  ]
}

Priority and Conflict Resolution

1. Include/Exclude Priority:

   • alwaysIncluded patterns take highest precedence
   • .gitignore and alwaysExcluded patterns are combined
   • When conflicts occur, inclusion wins and a warning is shown

2. File Order:

   • README.md files always appear first
   • Other included files appear in the order of matching patterns
   • Regular files appear after the directory structure

Default Patterns

Default Included Files

[
  "readme.md",
  "package.json",
  "requirements.txt",
  "pyproject.toml",
  "cargo.toml",
  "go.mod",
  "gemfile",
  "composer.json",
  "build.gradle",
  "pom.xml"
]

Default Excluded Patterns

[
  // Build artifacts
  "**/*.pyc",
  "**/*.exe",
  "**/*.dll",
  "**/*.so",

  // System files
  "**/.DS_Store",
  "**/Thumbs.db",

  // Dependencies
  "**/node_modules/**",
  "**/venv/**",

  // Build outputs
  "**/dist/**",
  "**/build/**"

  // Full list in package.json
]

Best Practices

1. Pattern Organization

   • Group patterns by purpose (docs, config, source, etc.)
   • Use comments to explain complex patterns
   • Start with more specific patterns before general ones

2. Performance

   • Be specific with include patterns to avoid processing unnecessary files
   • Use maxFileSize to prevent large file processing
   • Consider using Copy Workspace (Selected Folder Contents) for large repos

3. Security

   • Review copied content before sharing with LLMs
   • Add sensitive file patterns to alwaysExcluded
   • Use .gitignore in conjunction with extension patterns

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Files Not Being Included

   • Check pattern syntax
   • Verify file isn't matched by exclude patterns
   • Check file size against maxFileSize

   // Make pattern more specific
   "repo2clip.alwaysIncluded": ["src/specific/path/**/*.ts"]
   

2. Performance Issues

   • Reduce scope of include patterns
   • Increase exclude patterns
   • Use selected folder copy instead of complete workspace

   // Optimize patterns
   "repo2clip.alwaysExcluded": ["**/node_modules/**", "**/dist/**"]
   

3. Pattern Conflicts

   • Review warning messages
   • Make patterns more specific
   • Check pattern order in arrays

   // Fix conflicts
   "repo2clip.alwaysIncluded": ["src/**/*.ts", "!src/**/*.test.ts"]
   

Use with LLMs

Example Prompt

Here's my project structure and relevant files:

[Paste clipboard content here]

Can you help me understand...

The extension formats output to be easily readable by both humans and LLMs, with clear separation between directory structure and file contents.

License

MIT License

Release Notes

0.0.1

• Initial release
• Pattern-based file inclusion/exclusion
• Gitignore integration
• Priority file handling
• Conflict detection and warning system
• Directory structure visualization
• Selected folder content support