write-custom-command

name	write-custom-command
description	Author a CopyQ Custom Command — automatic clipboard transformations, menu actions, or global-shortcut handlers. Produces a valid `.ini` snippet that can be imported via Preferences → Commands → Load, or via `copyq loadCommands`. Use when the user wants CopyQ to react automatically to clipboard events (e.g. strip formatting, route URLs to a tab, redact secrets).

Write a CopyQ Custom Command

A Custom Command is a named bundle of: a trigger (automatic, menu, global shortcut), optional matchers (MIME types, regex, window title), and a body (CopyQ scripting language or external shell command).

When to reach for which trigger type

Trigger	When
Automatic	Run on every clipboard/selection change. For transformation, filtering, ignoring, or routing.
In menu	User-initiated from the right-click menu or copyq menu. For ad-hoc operations on a selected item.
Global shortcut	Bound to a system-wide keybinding. For "do X to whatever is in the clipboard right now".
Display	Decorate items at display time (icons, colours). Doesn't mutate data.

Refer to copyq-cli-reference for the scripting API. Always read that skill first if you're authoring command bodies — the API surface is non-obvious.

File format

CopyQ commands are stored as INI sections. A single command looks like this:

[Commands]
1\Name=Strip formatting on copy
1\Match=
1\Command="
    copyq:
    var t = str(data(mimeText));
    if (t.length === 0) return;
    setData(mimeText, t);
    removeData(mimeHtml);
    removeData('text/rtf');
"
1\Icon=\\xf0c5
1\Automatic=true
1\Input=text/plain
size=1

Key fields:

Key	Meaning
Name	Display name.
Command	Body. Prefix copyq: means use the embedded scripting interpreter; otherwise it runs as a shell command with item data on stdin.
Automatic	true to run on every clipboard change.
InMenu	true to show in right-click menu.
GlobalShortcut	Key sequence (e.g. ctrl+alt+v).
Shortcut	In-app shortcut (only when window is focused).
Input	MIME type required for the command to be eligible (e.g. text/plain, text/uri-list).
Output	MIME type the command produces (only relevant for shell-style commands).
Match	Regex on item text — command only runs if it matches.
Wait	true makes the command block clipboard storage until it completes.
Icon	Font-awesome glyph escape, e.g. \xf0c5.

The size=N line at the bottom of [Commands] must equal the highest index used.

Authoring workflow

1. Decide trigger type. Ask the user if it's not obvious.
2. Decide matcher. Restrict by Input=text/plain, Match=^https?://, or application/x-copyq-owner-window-title regex if scope matters.
3. Write body in the scripting language (preferred — portable, no shell quoting hell). Use the API from copyq-cli-reference.
4. Set Automatic=true if it should run unattended; otherwise InMenu=true.
5. Test before committing.

Testing a command body without importing

copyq eval runs a script body in the live server context — fastest way to validate logic:

copyq eval -- 'var t = str(clipboard()); print(t.toUpperCase());'

For Automatic commands, the data() function is only populated during a real clipboard event. Simulate by setting clipboard then re-reading:

copyq copy "test value"
copyq eval -- 'print(str(data(mimeText)));'   # won't work — data() is event-scoped
copyq eval -- 'print(str(clipboard()));'      # works

Importing the finished command

Two options:

# Option A: GUI — Preferences → Commands → Load Commands → pick the .ini

# Option B: CLI — pipe the .ini contents into copyq
copyq loadCommands "$(cat my-command.ini)"

loadCommands appends to existing commands; it does not replace.

Example: route URLs to a "Links" tab automatically

[Commands]
1\Name=Auto-route URLs to Links tab
1\Automatic=true
1\Input=text/plain
1\Match=^https?://
1\Command="
    copyq:
    var url = str(data(mimeText));
    var dest = 'Links';
    if (tabs().indexOf(dest) === -1) addTab(dest);
    tab(dest);
    add(url);
"
size=1

Example: redact secrets before storing

[Commands]
1\Name=Redact bearer tokens
1\Automatic=true
1\Input=text/plain
1\Match=Bearer\\s+[A-Za-z0-9._-]+
1\Wait=true
1\Command="
    copyq:
    var t = str(data(mimeText));
    setData(mimeText, t.replace(/Bearer\\s+[A-Za-z0-9._-]+/g, 'Bearer <redacted>'));
"
size=1

The Wait=true is important here — without it, the unredacted value can race into the history before the command finishes.

Common pitfalls

• Backslashes in regex must be doubled inside the INI string (\\s, \\d).
• copyq: prefix is required for scripting bodies. Without it, the body runs as a shell command and data arrives on stdin.
• Automatic commands run in declaration order. If two commands both transform text, the second sees the first's output.
• abort() and ignore() are not the same. abort() stops the current command; ignore() tells CopyQ not to store the item at all.