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Pastea

Access and manage Mac clipboard history from AI apps through a local stdio MCP bridge.

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Install Pastea

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pastea": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pastea/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Install not yet sandbox-tested— we haven't run this command through our automated sandbox yet. Not a red flag; we're working through the catalog.

Overview

Pastea MCP server gives AI applications access to clipboard history stored by Pastea on macOS. It runs as a local stdio bridge, connects only to Pastea on 127.0.0.1, and requests permission before exposing clipboard tools. Use it when an assistant needs to search, inspect, organize, or recopy previously copied text, links, files, or screenshot text. It requires macOS 15 or later, Pastea 1.3+ with Pastea Pro, and enabled MCP access.

Use cases

  • Search copied text and links from an AI conversation
  • Retrieve text recognized from a copied screenshot
  • List clipboard collections and their item counts
  • Restore a previous clip to the system clipboard
  • Check whether Pastea is connected to an AI app

Key features

  • Searches clipboard history and custom lists
  • Reads complete clips and image thumbnails
  • Lists collections with counts
  • Copies selected clips back to the system clipboard
  • Reports local connection and permission status
  • Runs locally over stdio

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 3d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

7/7 checks healthy over the last 40d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 13d ago via OSV.dev · @pastea/mcp (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

npm downloads109Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit1mo agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Directory activity1 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Pastea works

What Pastea MCP server does

Pastea MCP server connects AI applications to clipboard history managed by Pastea on a Mac. It lets an assistant find earlier copies of text, links, file names, and text recognized inside screenshots. The assistant can retrieve a selected clip, view an image thumbnail, list available history collections, and place a clip back on the system clipboard.

The bridge does not send clipboard data to a third-party service. It communicates with Pastea on the local machine and passes data to the AI application that launched it after access is approved. Pastea-concealed items, such as clips hidden by password managers, are not exposed.

How it works

The package is a dependency-free bridge launched by an MCP client over stdio. Pastea itself provides the MCP endpoint on 127.0.0.1. On the first connection, Pastea displays an approval request for the specific AI application. Selecting Allow grants access; selecting Don't Allow leaves the connection without clipboard access and exposes status information explaining the problem.

Pastea MCP server stores the issued access token in ~/Library/Application Support/Pastea/MCP Bridge/tokens.json. The token is readable by the local user account, and revoking the connection in Pastea invalidates it. Connections can be reviewed or revoked under Pastea's MCP and AI Tools settings.

Setup and configuration

The supported requirements are macOS 15 or newer, Pastea 1.3 or newer with Pastea Pro, and MCP enabled in Pastea's Settings → MCP & AI Tools. Node.js 20 or newer is needed for installations using npx; Claude Desktop's packaged installation does not require a separate Node.js installation.

Claude Desktop can be connected from Pastea's settings, through Claude Desktop's extension browser, or with the release .mcpb package. Other stdio-capable applications can use:

Terminal
npx add-mcp @pastea/mcp

Individual configurations use npx -y @pastea/mcp. Claude Code and Codex have dedicated mcp add commands, while Cursor and VS Code provide installation links. If tools do not appear, fully restart the AI application so it relaunches the bridge. The optional PASTEA_MCP_URL setting can point a development run at a specific local Pastea endpoint.

Tools and capabilities

Pastea MCP server exposes these tools:

  • search_clips searches clipboard history and user-created lists.
  • get_clip reads a complete clip and can provide a picture thumbnail.
  • list_collections returns history and lists with item counts.
  • copy_clip restores a clip to the system clipboard; the user performs the final paste with Command-V.
  • pastea_status reports whether Pastea is reachable and connected and indicates how to resolve connection issues.

Limitations and notes

The assistant cannot delete clips or paste directly into another application. It cannot access concealed clips. Pastea MCP server only operates after the user approves the connection, and access may need to be granted again after a revocation or Pastea reset. Changing Pastea's port is supported because the bridge reads the port from Pastea preferences whenever it starts; the AI application must be restarted afterward.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

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Frequently Asked Questions about Pastea

Pastea is an MCP server that connects AI apps to Pastea on macOS, exposing tools to search clipboard history, read clips, list collections, copy clips back to the system clipboard, and check connection status. It runs locally through a stdio bridge and requires user approval before an app can access clipboard data.

Install it with `npx add-mcp @pastea/mcp`, or configure an MCP client to run `npx -y @pastea/mcp`. Claude Desktop also supports installation from Pastea's MCP settings, its extension browser, or a released `.mcpb` file.

Yes, Pastea works with Cursor through its MCP installation link or a manual stdio configuration. The first time Cursor connects, Pastea asks you to allow access to clipboard history.

It requires macOS 15 or later, Pastea 1.3 or newer with Pastea Pro, and Enable MCP turned on in Pastea's MCP and AI Tools settings. `npx` installations also require Node.js 20 or newer.

No, it cannot delete clips or paste directly into another application. It can copy a selected clip to the system clipboard, after which you paste it yourself with Command-V.

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