clipdir

clipdir is a powerful Node.js tool to pack all nested files from a specified directory and copy the combined content to the clipboard. Perfect for sharing project structure and code with AI assistants.

Installation

Install clipdir globally with npm:

npm install -g clipdir

Basic Usage

To use clipdir, navigate to the directory containing your target folder and run:

clipdir /path/to/your/folder

AI-ready Usage (Default)

Copy a paste-ready Markdown bundle (tree + files in fenced blocks):

clipdir .

Write to a Markdown file instead of clipboard:

clipdir --out dump.md .

Protect large contexts:

# truncate individual huge files at 200 KB
clipdir --max-file-bytes 200000 --out dump.md .

# split the final bundle into ~30k-token chunks
clipdir --chunk-tokens 30000 --out dump.md .

Advanced Options

Output Control

• -a, --ai - AI-friendly formatting (code fences, headers)
• --out <file> - Write output to a file instead of clipboard
• --no-clipboard - Print to stdout instead of clipboard

Content Protection

• --max-file-bytes <n> - Truncate any single file beyond n bytes
• --max-tokens <n> - Rough cap on total output size
• --chunk-tokens <n> - Split large outputs into multiple files

Content Selection

• -t, --tree-only - Only generate directory tree
• -f, --files-only - Only pack file contents
• -q, --quiet - Suppress extra messages
• -m, --message <text> - Add custom message before the code

Examples

# Quick copy to clipboard (AI-friendly by default)
clipdir .

# AI-friendly markdown to file
clipdir --out project-snapshot.md .

# With custom message
clipdir -m "Please review this code and suggest improvements" .

# Protect against huge files (200KB limit per file)
clipdir --max-file-bytes 200000 --out safe-dump.md .

# Split large projects into manageable chunks
clipdir --chunk-tokens 30000 --out chunks/chunk.md .

# Tree only (no file contents)
clipdir -t .

# Files only (no directory tree)
clipdir -f .

Features

• AI-Optimized by Default: Markdown formatting with proper code fences and language detection
• Smart Binary Detection: Automatically skips binary files with clear notes
• File Size Protection: Configurable per-file size limits to prevent AI context overflow
• Chunking Support: Split large outputs into manageable pieces
• Flexible Output: Clipboard, console, or file output options
• Intelligent Filtering: Excludes common build artifacts, dependencies, and binary files

Contributing

Feel free to fork this repository, create a new feature branch, and send us a pull request. For bugs and feature requests, please create an issue.

License

This project is licensed under the ISC License.