otak-clipboard

Copy files and their content directly to your clipboard from VS Code, seamlessly formatted in markdown—perfect for generative AI interaction.

Usage

For Explorer:

1. Right-click a file or folder in the VS Code Explorer.
2. Select one of the following commands from the context menu:
   • Copy File (for single files)
   • Copy Folder Contents (copies immediate folder contents, without probing subfolders)
   • Copy All Folder Contents (copies entire folder recursively, including all subdirectories)
3. The content and structure of the files/folders will be formatted as markdown text, ready on your clipboard.

For Tabs:

1. Right-click on the active editor tab or in the editor tab area.
2. Select from the following commands:
   • Copy Current Tab (copies currently displayed tab's content)
   • Copy All Opened Tabs (copies all open tabs' content, including non-active or non-visible tabs from all tab groups)
3. The tab contents will be converted to markdown format with syntax highlighting and copied to your clipboard.

Features

otak-clipboard simplifies copying file contents and file structures with intelligent markdown formatting, designed specifically for contexts where generative AI tools are used.

Key Features

• Context Menu Integration:

  • Editor context menu:
    • Copy current tab content
    • Copy content of all opened tabs (including tabs not actively visible)
  • Explorer context menu:
    • Copy single file content
    • Copy immediate folder contents (files directly under the selected folder only)
    • Copy folder contents recursively (including files and folders at all nested levels)

• Smart File Processing:

  • Markdown-enhanced output with syntax highlighting based on file types
  • File paths clearly included for context awareness

• Protection & Limits:

  • Maximum character limit per copy operation (default: 400,000 chars ≈100K tokens)
  • Maximum file limit per operation (default: 50 files)
  • Intelligent binary file detection:
    • Multi-level binary checks (magic numbers, null bytes, control character ratio)
    • File extension-based overrides configurable
    • Includes .gitignore integration to auto-exclude specified files (configurable)
  • Binary files will be listed clearly without including their content

• User-Friendly Notifications:

  • VSCode native progress API displays friendly status messages automatically dismissed after 5 seconds
  • Messages include clear workspace-relative file paths

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code ^1.90.0

Installation

1. Install from the VS Code Marketplace or VSIX package.
2. Right-click files, folders, or use editor tab context menus.
3. Instantly have markdown-formatted output on your clipboard.

Extension Settings

otak-clipboard provides highly configurable options:

• otakClipboard.maxCharacters: Maximum allowed characters to copy (default: 400000).
• otakClipboard.maxFiles: Maximum number of files allowed per operation (default: 50).
• otakClipboard.excludeDirectories: Directories always excluded (e.g., .git, node_modules, out).
• otakClipboard.knownTextExtensions: Extensions always treated as text.
• otakClipboard.knownBinaryExtensions: Extensions always treated as binary.
• otakClipboard.binaryDetectionRules: Configurable rules for binary detection, including:
  • nullByteCheck: Null bytes detection to identify binary files.
  • controlCharRatio: Maximum allowed control character ratio in text files.
  • controlCharCheck: Toggle control character check.

Commands

• otakClipboard.copyCurrentTab: Copy content of current active editor tab
• otakClipboard.copyAllOpenedTabs: Copy content of all open editor tabs (in all tab groups)
• otakClipboard.copyFile: Copy the selected file's content via explorer menu
• otakClipboard.copyFolder: Copy immediate folder contents from explorer (non-recursive)
• otakClipboard.copyFolderRecursive: Copy whole folder contents recursively via explorer menu

Clipboard Output Example

Notifications

Notifications clearly inform about actions performed:

1. Copy Operation:

   • Detailed paths of copied files/folders (workspace-relative)
   • Automatic dismiss after 5 seconds

2. Limit Exceeded:

   • Clear message when operation exceeds character/file limits
   • Helpful guidance about restrictions

Related Extensions

Check out our other VS Code extensions.

otak-monitor

Real-time system monitoring in VS Code. Track CPU, memory, and disk usage through the status bar with comprehensive tooltips and 1-minute averages.

otak-proxy

One-click proxy configuration for VS Code and Git. Perfect for environments where network settings change frequently.

otak-committer

Intelligent SCM operations with AI support. Features multilingual commit message generation (25 languages supported) and upcoming PR management capabilities.

otak-restart

Quick restart operations for Extension Host and VS Code window via status bar tooltip. Streamlines your development workflow.

otak-clock

Display date and time for two time zones from around the world in VS Code. Essential for working across different time zones.

otak-pomodoro

Enhance your productivity with this Pomodoro Timer extension. Helps balance focused work sessions with refreshing breaks using the Pomodoro Technique.

otak-zen

Experience a distraction-free workflow with otak-zen. This extension transforms your VS Code interface into a minimalist environment by hiding non-essential UI elements, allowing you to focus solely on coding. Customize which components to show or hide, and toggle zen mode quickly via commands or the status bar.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

For more information, visit the GitHub repository.

Part of the otak-series VS Code extensions.