pcopy-tool 1.0.0

Cross-platform CLI tool to merge text files and copy to clipboard for LLM context

pcopy - Project Copy Tool

A cross-platform command-line tool that reads all text-based files in a specified folder, merges them into a single file called PROMPT.txt, and copies its entire content to the clipboard.

Perfect for preparing code context for AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude!

📥 Quick Install

Option 1: Standalone Executable (Windows - Recommended)

No Python required!

1. Download the latest release: pcopy-windows-x64.zip
2. Extract and run: pcopy.exe tree
3. Done! ✅

Option 2: Python Script (All Platforms)

Installation

1. Install Python dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

2. (Optional) Add to PATH for global access:

Windows

# Add the script directory to PATH (replace with your actual path)
$env:Path += ";X:\Pcopy"
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", $env:Path, [System.EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User)

Linux/WSL/Mac

# Create a symbolic link
sudo ln -s /path/to/pcopy/pcopy.py /usr/local/bin/pcopy
chmod +x /path/to/pcopy/pcopy.py

# Or add to .bashrc/.zshrc
echo 'alias pcopy="python3 /path/to/pcopy/pcopy.py"' >> ~/.bashrc

Usage

pcopy [tree] [path]

Arguments

• path - (Optional) Path to the target directory. If omitted, uses the current working directory.
• tree - (Optional keyword) If included, generates and prepends a file tree structure in the output.

Examples

# Use current directory, no file tree
pcopy

# Use specific directory
pcopy /home/user/project

# Add file tree for current directory
pcopy tree

# Add file tree for given path
pcopy tree "C:\Projects\App"

# On Windows with Python
python pcopy.py tree .

Features

📁 File Tree Generation

When the tree argument is used, pcopy generates an ASCII tree structure showing the hierarchy of all included files.

📄 Text File Detection

Automatically identifies text files based on:

• Extension whitelist (.py, .js, .md, .json, etc.)
• Binary content detection
• File size limits (5 MB max)

🚫 .pcopyignore Support

Create a .pcopyignore file in your project root using .gitignore syntax:

# Ignore build artifacts
build/
dist/
*.log

# Ignore secrets
.env
secrets.json

# Keep configs even if in ignored dirs
!config.yaml

📋 Clipboard Integration

Automatically copies the merged content to your system clipboard (requires pyperclip).

🔍 Smart Filtering

Automatically ignores:

• Binary files (.exe, .dll, .zip, .jpg, etc.)
• Hidden files and folders
• Common directories (.git, node_modules, __pycache__, etc.)
• Files larger than 5 MB

Output Format

The generated PROMPT.txt includes:

==================================================================
📁 FILE TREE
==================================================================

project/
├── main.py
├── config.yaml
└── utils/
    ├── helper.py
    └── logger.py

==================================================================
📄 FILE CONTENTS
==================================================================

Filename: main.py
Content:
{
print("Hello world!")
}

------------------------------------------------------------------

Dependencies

• pyperclip - Cross-platform clipboard support
• pathspec - .gitignore-style pattern matching

Use Cases

1. Prepare Context for AI Assistants

cd my-project
pcopy tree
# Paste clipboard into ChatGPT/Claude with your question!

2. Code Reviews

pcopy tree feature-branch/
# Share PROMPT.txt with reviewers

3. Project Documentation

pcopy tree
# Quick overview of entire codebase

4. Project Snapshots

# Generate complete code listing
pcopy tree > project-snapshot.txt

🚀 Building Standalone Executable

Want to create your own standalone executable?

# Install PyInstaller
pip install pyinstaller

# Build executable
python -m PyInstaller --onefile --console --name pcopy pcopy.py

# Output: dist/pcopy.exe (Windows) or dist/pcopy (Linux/Mac)

See CONTRIBUTING.md for more details.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to:

• Report bugs
• Suggest features
• Submit pull requests
• Improve documentation

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

📝 Changelog

See Releases for version history.

🐛 Troubleshooting

"No text files found"

• Check your .pcopyignore patterns
• Verify you're in the correct directory

Clipboard not working on Linux

sudo apt-get install xclip

Permission errors

• Run with appropriate permissions
• Check file/folder access rights

⭐ Star this project

If you find pcopy useful, please give it a star on GitHub!

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with Python 3.10
• pyperclip for clipboard operations
• pathspec for pattern matching
• PyInstaller for executable creation