On machines without a desktop session, Clipshot runs in CLI mode.

Starting the daemon

Start the background sync daemon:

clipshot daemon --port 19231

Useful optional flags include:

• --hub-url
• --group-token
• --relay-url
• --password
• --http-port

Pairing via CLI

On an existing device, generate a pair code:

clipshot pair

On the new device, join with that code:

clipshot pair WORD-WORD-00

After joining, start the daemon or relaunch the GUI.

Account setup via CLI

Set up a new account without a pair code. This creates a session on the portal, opens your browser for login or registration (Google OAuth supported), and polls until you authorize the device. The group token is saved automatically.

clipshot setup

If you already have a group token, clipshot setup tells you so and exits. To switch groups, use clipshot pair CODE instead.

Useful commands

Generate a share link for this node:

clipshot share-uri
clipshot share-uri --port 19231 --ttl 3600 --name mybox

Add a peer from a Clipshot link:

clipshot add-uri 'clipshot://node/...'

Copy text back to your local terminal clipboard over SSH:

clipshot push "hello"

Show recent sync history:

clipshot history
clipshot history --filter images --limit 10

Filters: all, files, images, text. Default limit is 20.

Check for or install updates:

clipshot update
clipshot update --check

clipshot update checks clipshot.cc for a newer release matching your platform. With --check it only reports availability without installing.

Other useful CLI commands:

clipshot status
clipshot pause
clipshot resume
clipshot toggle
clipshot doctor
clipshot list-peers
clipshot add-peer alice 192.168.1.5:19231
clipshot remove-peer alice
clipshot retry-transfer /path/to/file

Settings management

View or change settings from the command line:

clipshot config show
clipshot config get listen_port
clipshot config set max_file_size_mb 100

Manage saved peers:

clipshot peers list
clipshot peers add bob 10.0.0.5:19231
clipshot peers remove 10.0.0.5:19231

Shell completions

Generate completion scripts for your shell:

clipshot completions bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/clipshot
clipshot completions zsh > ~/.zfunc/_clipshot
clipshot completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/clipshot.fish

systemd / launchd auto-start

Install Clipshot as a background service that starts on boot:

clipshot service install --port 19231 --http-port 18080

Manage it with:

clipshot service status
clipshot service logs
clipshot service uninstall

Notes:

• Linux uses a systemd user service (~/.config/systemd/user/clipshot.service) with Restart=always and loginctl enable-linger
• macOS uses a launchd agent (~/Library/LaunchAgents/cc.clipshot.daemon.plist) with RunAtLoad and KeepAlive
• the one-line installer sets this up automatically (skip with --no-autostart)
• a PID lock (~/.config/clipshot/daemon.lock) prevents duplicate daemon instances
• auto-start is enabled by default — toggle it in Settings or with clipshot service uninstall