clipcmd for VS Code

Copy a terminal command's output — or the command and its output together — with one click, right in VS Code's terminal.

clipcmd in 25 seconds: copying a failed build into an AI agent by hand, then one Ctrl+click on [COPY BOTH] and a complete paste

▶ Download the 25-second video with sound (MP4, 6.5 MB)

⚠️ clipcmd comes in two parts — install both

The clipcmd package from npm — the command, the background daemon and the shell hooks. It puts the buttons under every command, in every terminal: npm install -g clipcmd, then clipcmd init. This extension does nothing without it.

This extension — makes [COPY OUTPUT] and [COPY BOTH] work in VS Code's terminal (without it, VS Code only shows [COPY CMD] and [+]).

This extension is the VS Code half of clipcmd, the command-line tool that prints these buttons after every command in PowerShell, bash, zsh and fish.

Getting started

Part	What it does	Install
npm package `clipcmd`	The buttons, in every terminal	`npm install -g clipcmd`, then `clipcmd init`
VS Code extension `djain912.clipcmd` (this one)	`[COPY OUTPUT]` and `[COPY BOTH]` in VS Code's terminal	the Install button on this page, or `code --install-extension djain912.clipcmd`

Install Node.js 20 or newer, if you do not have it (node -v tells you).
Install the npm package. In a terminal (VS Code's is fine):
```
npm install -g clipcmd
```
Set it up for the shell you use in VS Code:
```
clipcmd init
```
Install this extension — the Install button on this page, or search clipcmd in VS Code's Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X, Cmd+Shift+X on macOS).
Open a new terminal (Terminal → New Terminal).
Run any command, then hold Ctrl (Cmd on macOS) and click a button under it. A small ✓ Copied confirmation appears; paste anywhere.

The clipcmd daemon starts by itself with your first terminal. clipcmd: Check Daemon (Command Palette) tells you if something is off and offers to start it; clipcmd doctor in a terminal checks the whole setup.

What the extension does

Makes [COPY OUTPUT] and [COPY BOTH] work in VS Code's terminal. A shell hook cannot see what a command printed, but VS Code's shell integration can. The extension reads each command's output — as plain text: colors removed, progress bars at their final state — and hands it to the clipcmd daemon, which attaches it to that command's buttons. Without the extension, VS Code terminals only show [COPY CMD] and [+] (unless you run clipcmd shell in the terminal yourself).

Makes clicks silent. The buttons are clipcmd:// links. The extension adds clipcmd to terminal.integrated.allowedLinkSchemes once, so VS Code does not ask before opening them.

Commands (Command Palette):

clipcmd: Check Daemon — shows whether the clipcmd background daemon is running. When it is not, the notification offers Start Daemon.
clipcmd: Start Daemon — runs clipcmd start. If the CLI is not installed, it tells you how to install it.

Situation	Notification
Daemon running	ℹ️ `clipcmd daemon is running on port 9666 (PID 1234).`
Not started, or stopped with `clipcmd stop`	⚠️ `clipcmd daemon is not running. …` [Start Daemon]
Crashed (stale port file)	⚠️ `clipcmd daemon is not running (PID 1234 from its port file has exited). …` [Start Daemon]
Hung / not answering within 2 s	⚠️ `clipcmd daemon health check timed out on port 9666.`
Another program took over the port	⚠️ `Port 9666 is answering, but not as a clipcmd daemon (HTTP 404). …`

Both commands also return their result, so other extensions can call vscode.commands.executeCommand('clipcmd.checkDaemon').

Tells you when the other half is missing. When VS Code starts, the extension checks for the clipcmd npm package. If it is not installed, a notification offers Install (runs npm install -g clipcmd and clipcmd init in a new terminal); if it is installed but not set up for your shell, it offers Set Up (runs clipcmd init). Don't Show Again turns the notice off. Otherwise the extension shows nothing on its own.

The extension activates after VS Code has finished starting, so it adds nothing to start-up time.

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
`clipcmd.cliPath`	`""`	Path to the `clipcmd` executable used by Start Daemon; empty uses `clipcmd` from `PATH`. Machine-scoped: a workspace cannot change it.

clipcmd's own settings — the port, how many commands it remembers, the ✓ Copied confirmation, and more — live in ~/.config/clipcmd/config.json; see Configuration.

Troubleshooting

No buttons — open a new terminal after clipcmd init, and check that the daemon runs (clipcmd: Check Daemon). clipcmd doctor finds the rest.
Clicking does nothing — hold Ctrl (Cmd on macOS) while you click.
Only [COPY CMD] and [+] — the extension is not active in this window (run Developer: Reload Window after installing it), or VS Code's shell integration is off: terminal.integrated.shellIntegration.enabled must be true (the default).
VS Code asks whether to open clipcmd links — choose Allow, or reload the window so the extension can allow them.

More in the CLI's troubleshooting guide.

Privacy

Everything stays on your machine. The extension talks only to the clipcmd daemon on 127.0.0.1: every minute it says a VS Code window can deliver output (GET /client?kind=vscode), and when a terminal command finishes it sends that command's output (POST /output). The daemon keeps commands in memory only. No telemetry.

Requirements

VS Code 1.93 or newer (terminal shell integration API), with shell integration enabled (the default).
The clipcmd CLI, set up with clipcmd init.

Contributing

Source, issues and development setup: github.com/Djain912/clipcmd — see CONTRIBUTING.md.

clipcmd — Copy Command Output

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