Clipboard history as cards
Captures text, links, images and file references. Each card shows a type-aware preview, the source app's icon and a relative timestamp.
Open source · macOS 14+ · Universal binary · Clipboard
Your clipboard,
one shelf away.
A strip of clipboard cards slides up from the bottom of your screen. Press ⇧⌘C, pick a card with the arrow keys, and hit Return to paste it into the app you were using.
Free & MIT licensed · Apple Silicon & Intel · Latest release
Features
Everything you copied, in view.
A native, keyboard-first clipboard history that stays on your Mac.
Keyboard-first control
Use the arrow keys to browse, Return to paste, Space for a Quick Look popover, and just start typing to filter. The global hotkey is rebindable in Settings.
Pinboards for saved clips
Create named pinboards as tabs, drag cards onto them, or press ⌘1 to ⌘9 to pin the selected card. Deleting a pinboard moves its cards back to History.
Opens on your current screen
The translucent shelf appears at the bottom of the display your mouse is on. It switches to a solid background when Reduce Transparency is enabled.
Private and local only
Skips items marked concealed or transient and ignores apps like Keychain Access and 1Password by default. You can also pause capture from the menu bar. No network requests are made.
Settings that fit your setup
Choose a history length of 100, 500 or 1000, set the shelf height and card width, turn off image capture, and enable Launch at login.
Screenshots
See it in action.
Install
Up and running in a minute.
ClipRibbonShelf is open source and not notarized with a paid Apple Developer ID, so macOS needs one extra step the first time.
- Download ClipRibbonShelf-macOS.zip and unzip it.
- Move ClipRibbonShelf.app to your Applications folder.
- Clear the quarantine flag once, then right-click the app and choose Open:
xattr -cr /Applications/ClipRibbonShelf.app
- Optionally grant Accessibility access in System Settings → Privacy Security → Accessibility so ClipRibbonShelf can paste directly with ⌘V without it, cards are copied and you press ⌘V yourself.
Download
Get ClipRibbonShelf for macOS
Free, forever. Built for macOS 14 Sonoma or newer, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Not notarized: on first launch right-click ClipRibbonShelf.app → Open.
- macOS 14 Sonoma+
- Universal (Apple Silicon + Intel)
- MIT licensed · open source
- No ads, no accounts, no telemetry
- Built with Claude Code · how and why
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is ClipRibbonShelf really free and open source?
Yes. It is released under the MIT license, with no account, subscription or paid tier. If it is useful to you, there is an optional Support button that links to Ko-fi.
What permissions does it need?
Only Accessibility, and only so it can send ⌘V to the app you were using. You can decline it and still use everything else, since cards are copied and you press ⌘V yourself. It does not ask for Screen Recording, Microphone, Camera or network access.
Where is my clipboard data stored?
Only on your Mac, in ~/Library/Application Support/ClipRibbonShelf. History and pinboards are saved as JSON, with image files alongside. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Why isn't the app notarized?
Notarization requires a paid Apple Developer account, and this is a free project. Right-click the app and choose Open once to get past Gatekeeper, or build it yourself from source with Xcode.
Was this written by AI?
Yes. ClipRibbonShelf was generated by Claude Code from a written spec as a clean-room reimplementation, with no code or assets from any commercial app. The full source is on GitHub under MIT, so you can read every line before you run it. It has had less human review than a hand-written app, so bug reports are welcome.
Support ❤️
Built by one person, given away for free.
ClipRibbonShelf is a free, open-source alternative to paid utilities. If it earns a spot on your Mac, a coffee keeps the updates coming.
☕ Support Or on Ko-fi