Linux Clipboard Manager

A lightweight, local-only clipboard manager for Linux built with Python and PyQt6.

Features

• Background daemon to monitor clipboard history.
• Popup GUI to browse and search previous items.
• Auto-paste integration with xdotool (X11) or wtype (Wayland).

Prerequisites

• Python 3
• xdotool (for X11 users) or wtype (for Wayland users)

You can install wtype or xdotool on Ubuntu using:

sudo apt install xdotool wtype

Installation

You can install the Clipboard Manager easily via pip:

pip install linux-copycache

System Dependencies

The auto-pasting functionality requires xdotool and xclip to be installed on your system. The GUI requires libxcb-cursor0.

sudo apt install xdotool xclip libxcb-cursor0

Running the tool

Once installed, you can start the application from anywhere in your terminal:

linux-copycache

The application will launch, dock itself to your system tray, and quietly monitor your copied text!

Note on PATH: If you installed as a normal user, pip might place the executable in ~/.local/bin. If your terminal says command not found, add this directory to your PATH: echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc

Autostart on Boot (Ubuntu/Linux)

To make the clipboard manager start automatically when you log in, create a .desktop file in your autostart folder.

Run this command in your terminal:

mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart && cat << 'EOF' > ~/.config/autostart/linux-copycache.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Exec=linux-copycache
Hidden=false
NoDisplay=false
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
Name=Linux CopyCache
Comment=Linux Clipboard Manager
EOF

(If linux-copycache is not in your system PATH, replace Exec=linux-copycache with the full path, e.g., Exec=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/.local/bin/linux-copycache)

Setting up the Super+V (Win+V) Shortcut in Ubuntu

For the native Windows experience, set up a custom shortcut:

1. Open Settings -> Keyboard.
2. Scroll to the bottom and click View and Customize Shortcuts.
3. Select Custom Shortcuts and click the + or Add Shortcut button.
4. Name: Clipboard Manager
5. Command: linux-copycache
6. Shortcut: Press Super + V (Windows key + V).
7. Click Add.

Now, whenever you press Super + V, the history window will pop up!