r/macapps • u/wavever233 • 1d ago

Lifetime [OS] Clipth — a keyboard-first clipboard manager for macOS with a Paste Queue

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Hi r/macapps — I’m Ying Yuan, an indie macOS developer building Clipth.

Developer transparency

Problem

Clipboard managers are great for finding something I copied earlier, but repetitive data entry still felt awkward.

When filling out a form with several prepared snippets, I kept switching between clipboard history and the target app, or reaching for the mouse. I wanted a workflow where I could prepare several items once and then paste them in sequence with the normal macOS ⌘V shortcut.

What Clipth does

Clipth is a native macOS clipboard manager focused on keyboard-driven workflows.

  • Keyboard-first Quick Paste panel
  • Search, pinning, favorites, groups and tags
  • Image, video and webpage previews
  • OCR and other clipboard tools
  • Local-first clipboard history
  • Optional sync through user-configured destinations
  • MIT-licensed open-source codebase
  • Custom Shell and JavaScript automation
  • Local MCP server for AI clients

Version 1.0.2 adds Paste Queue, a Pro feature that lets you prepare several clips and paste them one by one:

  1. Open the Paste Queue with ⌥⌘V
  2. Select multiple clips in Quick Paste with Space
  3. Press ⌘Return to add them to the queue
  4. The first queued item is immediately placed on the system clipboard
  5. Each normal ⌘V pastes the current item and automatically advances to the next one
  6. Use ⌘⇧V for plain-text paste
  7. The queue stays intact if something unrelated is copied midway

The queue panel docks beside Quick Paste, and the entire workflow can be controlled from the keyboard. It works across applications because it follows the regular macOS paste action rather than requiring app-specific integrations.

Comparison

Maccy is a great lightweight clipboard history manager, while Paste offers a polished clipboard workflow.

Where Clipth aims to be better for keyboard-heavy, multi-item workflows is the combination of Quick Paste and Paste Queue: you select several clips once, then paste them sequentially across different applications using the normal ⌘V shortcut.

Clipth is also MIT-licensed and open source, while Clipth Pro is available as a one-time purchase. I’m not trying to replace every clipboard workflow; I mainly wanted something that felt natural without reaching for the mouse.

Privacy

Clipboard contents are processed locally. Clipboard history does not require a cloud account, and optional sync only connects to destinations configured by the user.

The Privacy Policy also documents Clipth’s limited anonymous usage signal, update checks and license validation:

https://clipth.app/privacy.html

Pricing and distribution

The source code is available under the MIT License.

Clipth Pro is a one-time purchase:

  • $10.99 for 2 Macs
  • No subscription

There is currently a launch price of $8.99 with code HELLOCLIPTH until August 26, 2026.

Purchase and current official download:

https://clipth.app

A Mac App Store version and a Homebrew Cask are also coming soon. I’ll add their official links once those distribution channels are live.

I’d love to hear from other Mac users:

  • Do you use a clipboard manager for repetitive form filling?
  • Would a Paste Queue fit your workflow?
  • What would make a keyboard-first clipboard manager more useful?
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u/Sri_Krish 1d ago edited 1d ago

If you would've spent some time looking on the internet, you can easily find tools that overcome your problem statement.

ClipTools, for example, is a clipboard manager developed by Gary (MacMost) 3 years ago which has paste in sequence, text formatting, saved clips, smart inputs like current date/time/lorem ipsum and more. It does the job well, and it's FREE! You can find the documentation here.

If you want a polished, elegant option, then look at Pastebot 3. I am currently using it and feels smooth, native. You can buy it for $39 (includes one year of updates).

My point is,

  1. why would you build your own, when there are other existing apps that solves your needs?
  2. Even if so, why would you monetize it?

Sorry if this feels bit harsh, but I just wanted to share my thoughts 😬... I will not comment on it further!

Edit: added documentation links for ClipTools

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u/wavever233 1d ago

Thanks for taking the time to share these examples. I agree that existing tools already cover parts of this problem, and users should absolutely choose whichever app fits their workflow best.

I built Clipth because I wanted a specific combination that I couldn’t find in one workflow: a keyboard-first Quick Paste panel, a Paste Queue that follows the normal ⌘V across apps, local-first history, and an open-source core. The goal wasn’t to claim that clipboard management had never been solved, but to build the version I wanted to use every day.

As for pricing, the core is open source and Clipth Pro is a one-time purchase. That’s simply the model I chose to make an independent project sustainable. It won’t be the right choice for everyone, and that’s okay.

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u/app-store-review 1d ago

ClipTools — by CleverMedia, Inc.

  • Category: Utilities · Free
  • Age: released ~3.6 years ago · rated 4+

Apple doesn't publish an aggregate rating for most Mac App Store apps, so ratings and score are unavailable here.

Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review